Now, if your mind has tilted off its proverbial sun lounger long enough to wish to engage me upon the above topic, I urge you, the reader, to spend the next half-hour watching television. Why? Because, undoubtedly, you will be subjected to a half-hour of either unashamed celebrity promotion or disgruntling, realistic, truth-exposing documentary.

My point? Both focus upon the personality. Television has had, for approximately the last half-century, the incredible, transentient power that allows for the subtle indoctrination of the human mind. We find ourselves subscribing to the ridiculous notions put forward by Hollywood celebrities or charismatic political harbingers of ‘change’.  We idolize over such individuals daily; we comment upon what they’ve said last, whom they have said it to, why they said it, and what they had for breakfast the previous morning. We find ourselves drawn to what we term our leaders - our inspirations, so to speak.

And today, I write to you to inform you that the concept of a leader has failed and disappointed dismally in every case to date.

In fact, there has not been a successful leader in history.

A leader, by definition, is a person who “leads or commands a group”. The main fault perpetuated by a ‘leader’, is that they are susceptible to the vices that consume all other men; jealousy, vanity, hatred, greed. A leader is not immortal, nor are their goals ever pure, or necessarily justified. A leader is indeed capable of great influence and great undertakings – and can often achieve such goals in haste.

A leader, such as Adolf Hitler, is capable of inspiring those around him – building nationality – in pursuit of an idea.  A dark stain of human history, such as Adolf Hitler, is also capable of the systematic murder of six million people in the name of achieving ‘national purity’.

What I seek to elaborate – for those who may not understand – is that leaders are susceptible to their own desires. Leaders can command a nation in hate as well as love; and often build pillars of change upon the sand.

In this modern world, a leader is no longer satisfactory.

What this world, in a new millennium, requires, are visionaries. Individuals with wills made of iron, and spines made of steel. A visionary is not susceptible to the weaknesses of a leader – because the purity of their dream is an ever-burning flame in the furnace of creative inception. A visionary never ceases to create, seek the better path forward, help those in need, or lend a helping hand – because a visionary, unlike a leader, can see so far forward that he or she knows that the repercussions of a single act can profoundly affect the course of history.

History is full of visionaries – all of them successful. Mahatma Gandhi, John F. Kennedy, Mother Theresa – all pioneers of the greater good.

There are legends throughout history that havenever received true recognition for either the dangers that they have faced, the obstacles they have overcome, or the personal challenges they have swept aside. In the 21st century, one would imagine that we, as a race, would have collected an infinite amount of knowledge of our past and our tribulations; but, as it has been said before, mankind is itself far more fascinated with the wonder of our world; so much so that we never do take note of the wonder within ourselves.

The King’s Speech, directed by Tom Hooper, dictates the extraordinary true – yet seldom told or discussed – story of King George VI of England (Colin Firth), as the monarch, over the course of several years battles – and finally manages to conquer – his stammer, with the help of Australian commoner and speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) .

The King’s stammer had, since his childhood, prevented him from properly engaging in normal conversation, or delivering a speech – something which is indeed required of all modern day figures of the monarchy. The film begins in earnest before George VI ascends to the throne; as (as he was known before his coronation) Prince Albert of York seeks treatment for his stammer, eventually meeting Lionel Logue, an Australian immigrant who, using maverick psychological and corrective measures, grooms the Prince to become a confident speaker who is able to control his stammer, and continues to aid at his side after the Prince makes reluctant, yet necessary, impromptu ascendance to the throne, after the death of his father, King George V of England, and his brother King Edward’s sudden abdication to marry an American divorcee, Wallis Simpson.

The King’s Speech is a masterfully created, engaging, and appealing film which captures a remarkable true story in superb fashion. Indeed, The King’s Speech is a film which every member of an audience can identify with individually through the themes explored. What truly is remarkable about the film – more so than the well casted actors who portray its characters, undoubtedly giving the performance of a lifetime – is the orchestration of such common human themes through an intricate story involving one of the most complex of societies; the British Royal Family.

One can not only easily relate to how a true, earnest friendship is gradually formed between speech therapist Lionel Logue and the King, and the King’s ultimate acceptance of an individual whom is so far removed from the royal life and all he truly knows (as George VI had never even truly experienced friendship due to his obligations to the Royal Family and the throne) but also the King’s perseverance and determination to conquer his own personal difficulty, and become one of the most celebrated monarchs of all time.

The King’s Speech chronicles the challenges faced by King George VI in an engaging manner that is truly worthy of the reception lauded upon the film by critics worldwide, and is a film that will no doubt remain fresh in the modern cinematic world as the world delights over the newly wedded great-grandson of King George VI, His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge, William, and his bride, Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge, Catherine.

The King’s Speech is indeed a modern must-see, a sublime treat which audiences across the globe will not only relate to, but thoroughly enjoy the not-often told story that the film presents: a story of how it takes leadership to confront a nation’s fear, but it takes friendship to conquer one’s own.

I’m seated in the fifth level of the enormous FNB stadium in Soweto, Johannesburg. The sound of the jubilant crowd around me is deafening, to say the least, and the lights that are emitted from a gargantuan structure, dubbed The Claw, which rests in the middle of the stadium, are enough to leave me blind.

The world’s biggest rock band has just entered entered the arena.

U2, the world-famous Irish rock band that consists of lead singer Bono, guitar maestro and back-up vocalist The Edge, expert bassist Adam Clayton and renowned drummer Larry Mullen jr, have toured the world many times over, and have, since their breakthrough album The Unforgettable Fire and their recent release No Line On The Horizon, been the subject of critical acclaim. Now, after releasing their eleventh studio album, U2 have set out to tour the world once again, with the 360º Tour – a tour bolstered by the presence of The Claw – the huge structure which presents video footage of the band through 360 degrees of onstage LED video screens – leaving no fan out of the action during any concert.

After supporting acts Amadou & Miriam and The Sprinbok Nude Girls have left the stage hastily, the time has now come for the main act, and in a flash of light and a roar of sound, U2 take to the stage with their opening number – the instantly recognizable hit track, Beautiful Day.

What makes any U2 concert effective, apart from Bono’s operatic vocals, The Edge’s textured approach to guitar, Adam Clayton’s bass or Larry Mullen’s rythmic drumming, is the band’s immediate connection to their audience. The band quickly grab their audience’s attention through a powerful yet personal performance, which is only bolstered by the onstage visuals provided by the Claw.

“…the lights that are emitted from a gargantuan structure, dubbed The Claw, which rests in the middle of the stadium, are enough to leave me blind.”

What was truly suprising about the Johannesburg performance was the surprising choice of set-list; U2 deigned to treat their audience to their earlier hits of their career – with songs such as Pride (In The Name Of Love), a song dedicated originally to Martin Luther King, but was on the night dedicated to former president Nelson Mandela’s health, Miss Sarejevo,  In A Little While, I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, in which U2 were joined on stage by South African musical legend Hugh Masekela, and a revamped Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me.

The Irish quintet were on superb form all through the night, as their audience members sang, screamed, and danced – rocking the very foundation of the stadium itself!

After approximately three encores, the band closed their performance with a roaring rendition of With Or Without You, leaving their audience cheering for more as the band left the stage for the final time.

The concert itself had an indelible impact upon me – four hours of a concert that I will never want, nor be able to forget. The 360º Tour serves as a reminder that U2, almost 30 years on from their initial debut, are still a force to be reckoned with as they take their music and their cause to the global fray once more.

Communism: the political theory or system in which all property and wealth is owned in a classless society by all the members of a community. A system where all property and  facilities belong to the state and the needs of the state are always superior to the individuals.

Once the scourge and fear of capitalist societies the world over, Communism has, in recent years, fallen by the wayside. Communism has been branded, over the years, as evil, despicable, and unwholesome; vicious words that do not aptly describe a simple utopian idea that fails to account for individual spirit and the less desirable traits of greed, power, and wealth.

A political system that was inspired by the writing of Karl Marx, a German philosopher and political theorist, Communism was born in the wake of a people’s revolution; the Russian Revolution of 1917.

The Russian people, impoverished under the rule of ineffectual Russian Tsar Nicholas II, longed for effective change in their ailing society; and after a bloody conflict which lasted years between several factions, sided with the victor, one Vladimir Lenin, and his introduction of a Karl Marx based political system; known then as Marxist – Leninism; recognized today as Communism. Communism was to be the antibiotic to the capitalist, money-driven society that Russia was before the revolution: a society in which now all it’s members would be equal as human beings, would be educated and would productively serve the state. Debt, demand, inequality, and the “rat race” would no longer exist.

Although in theory the Communist system may sound utopian, in practice, the system was not perfect; and it’s flaws were solely driven by the corruption of the hearts of men. Such a fact is best illustrated by a case study of one man: The Man of Steel; Joseph Stalin.

Stalin, having worked as the secretary of the now communist Russian state for years,  himself, after Lenin’s death, to become the new de facto leader of the United States of Soviet Russia.

Through the course of his leadership, Stalin proved how fragile and easily manipulated the communist system truly was: building a cult of utter worship over his personality, Stalin industrialized the backwards Russian state and in under 15 years, had brought Soviet Russia to a technological level comparable to the United States of America.

Stalin, as an individual, was exceeded only by his own greed and fear: Stalin was directly responsible for the deaths of twenty million people, as he ruthlessly ordered any being who he believed stood against his government to a Gulag; known today as a Concentration Camp, in which human beings did not often survive past two months. Stalin also sided with Adolf Hitler, Nazi Furher of Germany, in a bid to gain territory from the conquered state of Poland. It was not until Germany’s betrayal of Russia, in which Nazi forces invaded and conquered most of the state, that Stalin sided with the Allies, driving the Nazi forces back into the heart of Berlin, where the war was won.

Stalin died in 1953, bringing the reign of the man who believed death was the solution to all problems to an end. But his cult of personality exceeded him as new leaders emerged in his wake; uniting Russia in Stalin’s name.

It was evident through Stalin that communism, as a system, was easily manipulated to serve a single person’s desires. Communism, after the war, had spread to American chagrin across the globe; adopted in China and led by the vicious Chairman Mao; a dictator who, like Joseph Stalin, established his own state that lived on his whims.

From the 1960s to the 1990s, America and Russia were engaged in a Cold War; an ideological battle, in which there was no physical conflict, where a Capitalist, money driven America stood against a communist, united Russia.

It was not until Communist Russia’s inexplicable and sudden collapse in the 1990’s that communism could not properly be examined: without a strong leader at the state’s helm, such as Vladimir Lenin or Joseph Stalin, a communist system could not survive. Without the reign of a revolutionary hero or a despicable dictator, the system would show an inherent flaw; in a society in which all people were equal, no human being was fit to lead; and without a leader, no human society could last. Through such a study of communism, we can glean one fact; Communism, itself, a flawed utopian dream, is not a bad thing; no human dream of freedom, happiness, and equality is.

However, the nature of the system is ultimately dependent on the individual who leads it; and the world today only recognizes Communism as a system under the direction of tyrannical madmen who live to make the world their own, or revolutionary heroes who hold their dreams in their hearts, but could not let their dream exceed their lifetime. Communism, therefore, is not something to be feared; but is rather to be acknowledged as a flawed system which truly reveals the motives and minds of men, behind the facade of human equality, freedom, and peace.

As we began our descent, and as the structures, people and vehicles below became clearer and clearer, I looked outside the window, having the luxury of a window seat. I could make out farms, mountainscapes, and all in all, absolute beauty. You could call me slow and non-observant, but for possibly the first time in my life I appreciated the world. 

As we got nearer and nearer to the runway, my fascination and wonder could only grow accordingly. However, just before we touched the ground, I saw something that startled me. Right outside the fence that would cut the airport off from the outside world and therefore making the runway protected, I eyed informal settlements. Now, I ask you, the reader, if you were a tourist arriving in the country, and on your way to land you eyed shacks and heart-rending poverty, what would you think? Surley this site would only compliment the common, incorrect association with South Africans and the belief that they do, in fact, have wild animals in their back garden, and we’re all a plain bunch of farmers who have a history of racism and a system called ‘Apartheid’ that one day gained the world’s attention. 

However, this is truly not the case. Although South African does suffer from poverty, informal settlements and a high rate of crime, I rate that people, when they think about South Africa, don’t even know what the country is truly like. Allow me to give you a brief run through of the positive aspects of our country: We have beautiful landscapes, beaches, you name it. For the most part, we’re damn well friendly people. We often go out of our way to help one another. We have beautiful settled areas, generally have great weather (depending on location in the country) and we just get on with our own business. Speaking of business, it generally thrives here. 

However, on the negative side, our soon-to-be president, Jacob Zuma, whom I shall remain impartial to for the sake of this article, has been accused of rape, been involved in an arms deal, (although the charges for both were later dropped) stated that he has ‘taken a shower to reduce the chance of being infected with HIV/AIDS’  and has sung a rather dubious song about violence and suggestive killing that only has two lines repeated over and over, while on campaign. We have our President of the ANC (Our ruling political party) Youth League, a young man (whom I shall also remain impartial to) who has stated that we should kill for this president elect. This ruling party has always been the topic of conversation over it’s policies, a good example being that they wish to rename many of the roads of the country against the will of the majority of the people. 

Strikes and rallies are common here, and crime is a day to day occurance. All in all, I can see why people would tend to stay away from our country due to what is seen and heard on the media. But, just for know, consider us as Susan Boyle – the amazing Britian’s Got Talent contestant who is now a YouTube sensation – Before she sang to her audience, virtually all of them shook their heads, thinking that the 47 year old could probably not sing a note. However, during her performance, she earned several standing ovations from nearly the entire audience is now a household name. Consider us as something not seen at face value – an amazing country, a true rainbow nation, as so adequately described by Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

So, journeying back to my flight, I wondered: Why have these settlements shown to prospective tourists, and have them right outside an airport? (To prevent dispute, I do not agree in any way with the option of demolishing these settlements or forcefully relocating their residents) But the real question that ached on inside of me was ‘Are we really in such bad shape?’

Furthermore, it seems our government, upon landing, has chosen to renovate this airport, bringing it into a modern and advanced design. But was this a good way to improve the area? Should the poverty stricken informal settlements less than a kilometer away not have received first priority? I do hope that Helen Zille, the new Mayor of Cape Town and Premier of the Western Cape would address this, although judging by what she has done in the past, I am confident in her ability.

Our country has, over the past 8 years, been under the subject of controversial government from our past president, Thabo Mbeki, who, rather that be criticized for wrongdoings like most political leaders today, is constantly criticized for his apathy on many situations, the Zimbabwe crisis being a good example. 

In these times, I often look upon United States President Barack Obama as a source of inspiration: A good man who sees that our world, more specifically his state of America, needs change in order to be a thriving nation. He dreams of a new America, albeit a changed one, and this is the same way I choose to look at South Africa – a great country, that needs change in order to endure and prosper.

Sure, Liberalism is a healthy pursuit – but to what degree should it be taken to and what should we remain conservative about? Should South Africa see the return of the Death Penalty? Should a firmer stance be taken on crime? Can corruption be stopped? And most of all – in these times, can we hold on to the one thing more dear than our credit cards, wallets and fast cars – our honesty and values? Could we hope for this in South Africa?

I recall once asking my grandfather about what is different about this day and age from his own time when he was in his youth; and rather than talk about money, technological advancement, or the breakthroughs in medicine and media, to which he replied: “People have lost their honesty.”

That, for me, is the key question about living in South Africa. Not something along the lines of “Will the price of petrol and living go down?” or “Will this economic recession end?” but something more along the lines of “Will the new South Africa, in generations to come be a country regarded for it’s refined state, it’s ability to finally end and seek creative solutions agaisnt disease, elecrticity crises, abuse of leadership, corruption, arms deals, crime, and poverty, or is it more likley that we’ll end up following in the footsteps of a country like Zimbabwe?” 

I’m fairly sure that’s the question that faces every South African and every one of our prostpective citizens, but with Jacob Zuma set to become president, can he redeem our country – and himself in the eyes of many – or shall he take us on a rollercoaster ride of ridicule from the world? All I could say is, is that’ll I’ll be following his every decision – good or bad, and I’ll just have to place my trust in the man. Either way, I’m sure South Africa will make history, as it has done so in the past.

I’ll be watching.

I’ve watched the new Tom Cruise movie out – Valkyrie – and although the

movie hasn’t been ascertaining such spectacular reviews, I must commend it as I thought it was excellent – I thought the Hitler scenes were beautifully orchestrated as such as you felt your stomach tighten with sheer anxiety whenever he was about – and the overwhelming sadness at the end when one sees the plot come to an unsuccessful end – one almost wishes there could be a Valkyrie II! If you’re into suspense and a delightful historic romp, then I believe Valkyrie is for you. I thoroughly enjoyed it, so much so that I even watched it a second time. Before actually watching the movie, I sat down for a quick 30 minutes and watched the History Channel’s Days That Shook The World, as they featured an episode on the actual July 20 plot that the movie revolves around, I must commend how the film’s director, Bryan (Yes, I know, he must be a nice chap!) Singer, pain attention to detail – virtually no incident on the day has gone unnoticed, and the only issue regarding the storyline that I can think of is that the plot might no have come to as close success as it did in reality 

I’ve also bought Epic Games’ Gears of War 2, which I must say is the most amazing, spectacular game I’ve ever played on my ’360 – even dethroning Halo 3 as being my favourite game. It is difficult in describing as it has all the right elements in all the right places – the plot, the gameplay, the overall length of the campaign all roll beautifully into a gigantic mix of well… Epicness! (Although I played with the gore inactive – I don’t like seeing blood that much )

A few months ago I aslo bought Far Cry 2, which I also enjoyed. I thought the setting was well conceived, as I live in Africa and rural spots as seen in the game usually aren’t that far away from civilization – so it was something I really grew to appreciate. I enjoyed the open world feeling of the game – and I feel that more first-person shooters should follow in Far Cry 2′s wake. The game managed to leave me exhilarated until the very ending – and was incredibly realistic.

I’ve also decided to can the idea of a Too Human review, as I still haven’t finished the game and now being in my senior phase of school, time is of the essence!

So, thus far, my eyes have rarely been separated from a screen! But, rest assured, I have been keeping myself busy otherwise – my guitar studies are coming along really well and I’m thoroughly enjoying it! Otherwise, I do not have much else to report… I am thinking of entirely re-writing Jorran Skorm now, as I have a few good plot ideas in place… but, until next time, I shall leave it at this cliffhanger!

I may decide to pehaps move 49mhz to a different spot on the web and/or downsize it to just a private personal blog which wouldn’t really have any worldly news nor importance attached to it.

But anyway… enough of my scheming ways I had an awesome Christmas and New Year… apart from the fact that I was sick on Christmas day due to a horrible pizza I ate the night before, and I acquired some nifty items such as a Samsung digital camcorder, and Call of Duty: World at War (which I finished just the other day, and was fantastic! Although a bit violent during the American part of the campaign) and although I really liked the style of the last Call of Duty, M

odern Warfare, I strongly feel that World at War was a tremendous step in the right direction.

Also, at towards the end of last year I began my quest to learn to play the guitar (taking inspiration from my good friend Rahul) on my newly acquired Ibanez acoustic which my mom helped me out with, which is quite a feat for me seeing as I’ve never taken interest in a musical instrument before (Which I greatly regret now!) and I must say it’s really fun, and I’m really enjoying it. I can play a few songs now (thanks to some help) like Life In Technicolor by Coldplay, Day Tripper by the Beatles and I even had a crazy moment and learnt to play Smoke On The Water by Deep Purple. I must say, it’s the most fun I’ve actually had in while!

At the moment, I’m considering what my next purchase of a game should be, and I’m considering Far Cry 2, although I’m not completely won over yet. I listened to Gears of War 2′s main theme this morning, Hope Runs Deep, and I think it’s a masterpiece! I’d be contemplating Gears if I didn’t have a thing about overly violent games. (I’m praying for no attacks about that one!)

I have no real news left after that, so I think I’ll leave it here for now, and here’s hoping 2009 is a good year for all!

My study of music theory has progressed really nicely, as first mentioned in my last post, and I’m really pleased. Exams went well for the most part and I was extremely happy with my results. However, I feel my review of Too Human that I’ve been planning might (and most likely will) be a long process and take a long time and might be a post that’s far off in the future, mainly due to issues I have with the game and the fact that I actually have yet to conduct my final opinion.

Before I raced off and hit the start button on my Xbox, I actually studied some Norse mythology to better help my understanding of the story (seeing as the game completely remixes Norse mythology and places it chronologically in the future) and I must say, that’s about the smartest move I’ve ever made. Too Human wouldn’t have made sense if I didn’t, and against developer’s Silicon Knight’s best intentions, the story is exceedingly difficult to follow without some proper, hardcore knowledge.

The game is a hybrid of sorts, featuring a unique combat system that can be exceedingly exciting and ridiculously frustrating, and the story is both compelling and confusing. Overall, I must say I really have enjoyed the game so far besides it’s faults, and right now I’m stuck in what I believe is the final mission – the assault on Helheim. Fighting against the undead doesn’t appear to have it’s rewards, as you’re often swarmed and beaten until death!

I’ve also bought Need for Speed: Undercover, as I appear to have made buying every new Need for Speed game my life mission, and I’m actually quite enjoying it, and I might do a review of the game as well (after my review on Too Human, of course) and I do feel I must say EA seems to have picked the franchise up since it’s last endeavor, ProStreet, which, in my opinion, wasn’t particularly engrossing or even exciting.

I plan on trying to post regularily these holidays, although that promise seldom holds! However, I will be looking forward to doing a Too Human review – it sounds like a healthy challenge!

I’ve also committed myself to study some music theory, as music is an avenue that I’ve never explored in my life, and hopefully this would improve my overall study ability and music making ability (in programs such as GarageBand and Acid) and this really helps when editing MIDI sequences in GarageBand, and I must say it’s a really awesome feature to be able to edit musical notation in the program, now that I can properly utilize it. You heard me right – Apple has succeeded in amazing me yet again! I’ve also gotten back into my old habit of drawing and designing, something I haven’t really done (on my own) for at least a year now, as I’m an  Art student, having taken the subject since first grade.

I’ve also bought an old Coldplay album - Parachutes, and it’s interesting to hear the evolution of their music, from their well known hits such as Yellow, Clocks and Viva La Vida, my favourite tracks from Parachutes being Don’t Panic, Yellow and High Speed. I really like Coldplay’s music, so for me it’s a pleasure to have yet another album of theirs in my iTunes library! 

I’m also considering buying Too Human for my Xbox 360, and if I do decide to make the necessary purchase, I’ll most likely to a review of the game here, as there appears to be quite a mixed response at it’s release – according to major sources, Too Human is either apparently absolutely awesome or really terrible. 

So, that’s pretty much all my news for now… so, cheerio!

Being dubbed by Bungie as Halo 2.5, Recon is set shortly after the Prophet of Regret leaves New Mombasa in a slipspace portal in the Earth’s atmosphere. Meanwhile, a number of Human Entry Vehicles enters the atmosphere which intend on landing in the city and leading an attack against the Covenant on the ground. Unfortunatley for them, the shockwaves generated from the slipspace portal destroys most of the HEVs, with only one remaining, carrying a Stealth ODST (Orbital Drop Shock Trooper). As the ODST it’s your job, along with a little help from the Superintendant AI of the city, to perform a vital, top secret mission.

It has been confirmed that the game will be on a standalone disk and run on the Halo 3 engine, containing some new multiplayer maps, and that Forge, Screenshots and saved films will be making a comeback.

For pure viewing pleasure, here’s the Halo 3 Recon ‘Keep It Clean’ trailer:

While I was playing through (and thoroughly enjoying) The Force Unleashed, I stumbled upon the trailer for LucasArts’ next endeavor, Fracture, under the extras menu. From the word “Go” I was enamored by the prospect of being able to deform terrain in-game. I made it my personal mission to save up and to purchase the game.

So, a few weeks later, I’ve got the game and I have finished it. To be honest, Fracture isn’t what I was expecting. The ability to deform terrain in-game is a fantastic idea that deserves a huge round of applause all-around, but I feel that I must say it’s use in-game is less than spectacular. The game’s theme generally revolves around what might happen due to Global Warming and climate change, and in Fracture this has resulted in America being split into two parts, the West and the East, with the middle becoming a wasteland. Happy days for the inhabitants of Earth. 

Playing as Demolitions expert Jet Brody, your goal in the game is to bring down General Sheridan, the military leader of a biologically advanced, genetically mutated civilization to the west that has some really bad issues with your cybernetically enhanced civilization’s (who live to the East of America) Defense of Humanity Act, which basically outlaws genetic modification. As you can guess, both these sides need some serious counseling in order to live with each other, and so conflict erupts. You play across three acts in what amounts for a (more predominantly) Halo-meets (less predominantly) Gears of War experience. There is a slight (small, tiny, use whatever word you want) twist in the story, but nothing to complicated to understand.

There are a few different ways for deforming terrain in Fracture. Using your Entrencher gun is one method of raising or lowering terrain, and grenades can achieve the same purpose, two special grenades being the Spike grenade which raises an elevated spike out of the ground which allows you to reach high areas, and my personal favorite, the Vortex grenade, which sucks everything into a Vortex and then explodes, causing massive damage. Just make sure you don’t get sucked in yourself. What disappoints me is that there are very few ways to kill your enemies using terrain deformation, apart from the game occasionally hinting that the ceiling is the perfect height to raise the floor to and to crush your enemies, or to create an avalanche of boulders. 

The weapons in Fracture are fairly regular, ranging from the Bulldog rifle to the Scorpion sniper rifle. Each have their own pros and cons to situations.  Your enemies are fairly repetitive, and you slowly are introduced to new foes throughout the game, although on Casual difficulty nothing is really to difficult. The Bulldog works all the same. 

The music is the one exceptional thing in Fracture, and it deserves a worthy mention. The main theme is excellent, and really fits in well with the overall game.

So, in conclusion, I’d like to quote Gamespot’s short synopsis of the game – “Terrain Deformation isn’t enough to save Fracture from becoming the latest run-of-the-mill shooter.” I believe that this holds true for the game, although I did have some good times playing through it. It may not be one of my favorites, but I believe Fracture has enough steps in the right direction to at least make it enjoyable and fun, if you’re into first person shooters.

My Top Ten

1. When I’ve done a good deed, or helped someone out.

2. When I’ve mastered a new concept or method of doing something

3. Acting the fool!

4. Working hard on something and getting good results for it.

5. That feeling of victory you get when you’ve beaten that Xbox game in which you’ve died a thousand times

6. When I’m writing a story and it comes out perfectly!

7. When I edit photos and they look AWESOME!

8. That feeling when you’ve written a valid blog post…

9. Listening to my favourite songs

10. Making a new movie with my friends!

I recently stumbled onto Camino while I was browsing through Apple’s downloads section of their website, under the Internet Utilities section. I decided to give it a download, as I’m always on the lookout for 

a new browser, hoping that one day I’ll find the one that works most co-operatively with my internet connection. Safari has seemed to be my best bet, as Mozilla Firefox (for Mac) let me down as it often failed to establish a connection, and Opera being just a tad to basic. 

So, once I downloaded it, I gave Camino a test drive, and let’s just say I’m very, very impressed! Camino adequately did the jobs I set it out to do, such as going onto Facebook and my own blog, and didn’t give me the connection grief that Safari seems to be prone to (Safari doesn’t seem to register I’m connected to the internet at times, but then again, I doubt Apple’s hardcore developers counted on a rickety old iBurst modem being used for the above task, as even the drivers for it don’t work sometimes and need to be reinstalled) and Camino performed these jobs at incredible speed and efficiency.  

Camino’s latest version is 1.6, and new features include the support for a Software updates, AppleScript, Keychains, Feed Detection, spell checking and session saving, virtually bringing it into line with Safari. Camino’s interface is elegant and user friendly, tabs being neatly visible and commands such as return, back, forward, having a clean and simplified look.

“Mozilla power, Mac Style” being Camino’s slogan, I believe this holds especially true to the browser, as Camino’s developers seem to have hit the nail on the head; Camino is a clean, user friendly and powerful browser that any web-surfer would be wise to consider, in my opinion, at least. If you’re interested, Camino can be downloaded at www.caminobrowser.org.

Haha… well, as my introduction tells you in a rather epic manner, Term 4 at school has started, and to the poor, unfortunate kids in Grade 9 around the country of South Africa, that means only one thing – CTAs (Continuous Task Assesment) which means in almost every lesson we have, we’re forced to work through a booklet with every task inside for a mark which composes most of our term mark (other than exams) and the catch being that it isn’t something we’re really allowed to study for – we have to apply the knowledge we’ve learnt over the course of the year to the situation given to us in the paper. So over all, that’s been my week at school! It’s been a little stressful knowing we’re doing something for marks every lesson, but I suppose I’d just have to build a bridge and get over it – a

lthough on Monday my friend Rahul and I actually managed to find a spelling error – (a rather nerdish observation) so that’s Grade 9 – 1 Government – 0!

However, over the past week I’ve finally gotten stuck into making some music in Apple’s GarageBand, predominately using the Musical typing featuring to compose my own loops, as I can’t play a musical instrument, and I must say I’m both really coming along nicely with this (after composing my first real song) and I’m also really impressed with GarageBand’s professional audio production capabilities – it’s another item to add onto my list of why I’m a Mac user and addict! Hopefully this will be something that will really help me with my video-editing and soundtrack work, and it’ll be a great new way to relax and have some fun!

Changing the subject completely, I’ve also gotten stuck into image editing – and I’ve downloaded the Iris for Mac application (a really fantastic app that fills in all the little things iPhoto can’t do – and using them together provides a great way to get some really great photos going! At the moment, I’m mostly working on and editing photos of myself (mostly to create my next big profile picture on Facebook!) and I must give credits to Iris – I’ve been considering Photoshop for a long time, but for the things I do with an image-editing program, it’d be like using a chainsaw to cut wrapping paper, and Iris neatly complete the tasks I need it to, so if you ever need a decent photo editing program, Iris is my suggestion!

So, anywho, I think it’s about time I went back to GarageBand – I desperately want to finish the song I’ve now started, so, cheerio!

So, here I am, a year later, now in possession of the game and having played through it twice. As a huge Star Wars fan, I’ve enjoyed most of the games Lucasarts have released over the past few years, such as, for instance, Republic Commando or Empire At War, which is one of the reasons why I followed The Force Unleashed‘s development with great interest. Even going so far as to research game engines such as Euphoria or DMM to further enhance my understanding of what the player might be able to accomplish while playing through the game.

This sparked my interest even further, as The Force Unleashed, as proclaimed by Lucasarts, is the next chapter in the Star Wars saga, and seems to be Lucasart’s best effort to date. During the prologue of The Force Unleashed, the player plays as Darth Vader on the Wookie homeworld of Kashyyyk, rather than his spotlighted Secret Apprentice, codenamed Starkiller. The prologue is a fantastic way to wet your appetite for the rest of the game, as thanks to the DMM (Digital Molecular Matter) engine, wood splinters, glass shatters and metal warps realistically, with out having to conform to a standard animation for a 3D model in the game. Simply speaking, your actions affect everything around you realistically, can harm both you and your enemies, and ensure that each play-through is different, thus adding loads of replay value. The Havok engine, which is most prominently seen in the Halo series (my personal favourite series of games of all time) allows objects to know their (and each others) dimensions, weight and size, which works well with DMM, literally allowing the player to use his surroundings against his enemy. 

You start off the game with fore core powers, Grip, Force Push, Lightning and Repulse. These are useful enough to vanquish your foes, but as you play through and gain experience, these powers can be amped up to amazing degrees. The player also makes extensive use of his/her lightsaber, and similarly with Force powers, a dizzying array of combos and attacks can be gained with experience, with the player even being able to use to force and their lightsaber together in some instances.

As the player plays through the game, new outfits and lightsaber crystal colors can be unlocked, which also add to replay value. (My personal favorite outfit being the Jedi Adventure Robes). There are many boss fights throughout the game, the first few primarily being Jedi that you, as Starkiller, are on the hunt for. 

I won’t carry on further on this subject as spoilers are abound, but if you are a Star Wars fan, you’ll find The Force Unleashed’s story line extremely powerful and subtly moving, depending on which choice you take. 

All in all, I find the Force Unleashed an incredible game with great replay value, amazing Force powers and lightsaber skills, and an unbelievable story-line. If you’re a Star Wars fan with a next-gen console such as a Playstation 3 or an XBOX 360, I definitely suggest adding The Force Unleashed to your collection of games; It’s been worth the wait.

Phew… it’s been AGES since I last threw something up here! Well, loads has happened since my last post and I obviously can’t condense months into sentences… so, first off… I thought I’d vent my hidden frustration, as I’ve had to exchange my Xbox 360 for another as it encountered some technical difficulties… (Ok, ok, the screen froze for no reason) and judging from my new one, something major was wrong with my first one…  it didn’t shut down gracefully, the screen became distorted after a while… all in all I suppose it was fortunate I could get a new console to replace the shoddy one I had… although it felt like I was losing an old friend as I had some of  my best moments on that Xbox… but anywho! 
I’ve managed to finally back up everything on my Mac on my hard drive (Not using Time Machine, I mean saving a copy of all my media onto the drive in case I delete something in future) and it’s quite nice having a copy to fall back on… all in all, very useful. I’m now fully harnessing the power of iPhoto to edit my photos… and I am seriously considering saving up for Photoshop… as editing photos really has become a new hobby for me! (Other than playing Halo…) although money might be another issue.
I’m saving up for The Force Unleashed which is supposed to release sometime in mid September… (My friend Hanik tortured me with a demo video…) I’m planning on getting it for my (new) Xbox… that’ll be awesome! I can’t wait.
I recently bought three Halo books (The Fall of Reach, The Flood, First Strike) and I’ve really enjoyed them all (as my friends would tell you from my numerous status updates on Facebook!) but I do feel I have to say my overall (and new favourite) book was The Fall of Reach. I really enjoyed learning the back story to the games (although I already knew the backstory, reading the book just brings a  whole new definition) and the whole way through I couldn’t put the book down. I found it that riveting! I mean, nothing is cooler than the line: “Your destruction is the will of the gods, and we are their instrument!“ 
Anyway, that’s all for now, and I hope I can post again soon!

I’ve also managed to get some back-ups going with my external LaCie hard drive, just in case this year is the year for The Great Hard Drive Disaster. I’ve been thinking alot of the subject of backing-up, and I read an interesting article on the web a while ago that contemplates (and it has already been done) on-line back-up (Backing up to a hard drive that’s offered a service over the net) . I thought that this was really useful, although it’s useless to me as I live in South Africa and my internet connection(s) would be way to slow to even contemplate moving about 30 GB across the net! But I just remember thinking how useful this would be if better internet connection came to South Africa, (I mean heck, internet in Mozambique is FREE!) as I’m sure many South Africans would actually make use of the service and actually would back up. But that’s enough from this crazy teenager.

I’ve also been enjoying the gaming delights of Halo 3 this holiday, and I’ve managed to finish the campaign on normal difficulty (which wasn’t too much of a challenge, and let’s remember I took a run through on Easy to get a feel for the game, this is how I play after all) and I feel I’ve gotten so used to the controls I don’t think I’ll ever be able to play another ’360 game again! (Not that this is a bad thing – I love playing Halo!) and I’m starting to play again on Heroic. I don’t think I’ll ever play through on Legendary, as I have tried Sierra 117 a few times and got ridiculously irritated form dying so many times… haha. Apparently Bungie is releasing a new Multiplayer map called Cold Storage today (for free!) But it’s a torment and dissapointment for me because in SA we don’t have Xbox LIVE and so there’s no way I’ll be able to downloand it… tis such a sad, sad life…

Anyway, I better finish up here, before my cup of tea that’s waiting for me gets cold!

Yes sirs and madams, I’ve successfully reached well passed my hazourdous life’s prognosis and I am now 150 years old… yup, I definitley believe a walking stick is in order! (haha)…

Well yesterday was my 15th birthday and it pretty much rocked… I (against all my expectations) got an iPod touch from my Mom (and, it is damn awesome!) and some cash moneys from my Grandparents. I even had lunch at the Beverly Hills and to top it off my H0m13 even gave me a birthday call! (Thanks again, dude!)

Now, iPod touch. Multi-touch is so damn cool, I love it. Zooming in and out of photos, watching movies in widescreen… and web-browsing definatley defeats the purpose of my old Nano. (Which got washed in the washing machine, if you have read a few posts back) And to answer a prospective question my H0m13 Rahul Dowlath may ask me, Yes, I have synced it with my Mac.

I feel I also have to make a comment on how beatifully clear the screen resolution is. It’s just that: Beautiful. It’s pretty much crystal clear; I’m very impressed.

With the extra money I’ve received, I hope to buy an Xbox 360 External Hard Drive to further enhance my Halo experience… lol!

Anway that’s all for now… yep, that’s another blog post without a point.

I’ve just finished my June exams a little while ago, and for the most part they went OK. Drama was shaky but otherwise I think I did alright. Luckily, I’ve had my Xbox and a recently purchased copy of Halo 3 to keep me sane. Yes, I do think Halo 3 is awesome. I’ve been trying to track down Halo 2, but according to the helpful blokes at Musica, “Halo 2 has never been in South Africa”. I’m not sure if this information is total rubbish or not, because while I was browsing around in Hi-Fi corporation the other day, I found a copy of Halo 2 for Windows Vista. (Useless to me, as I don’t use Windows Vista, but if further reaffirms my past thoughts that Musica doesn’t know what it’s talking about.)

I’ve finished Halo 3 a few times on Normal (Don’t chirp me about this, I get very frustrated on higher difficulties, I just like to have fun) and like I said above, I think it’s awesome. Co-op is cool and so far I’ve been able to customise my SPARTAN due to the achievements I’ve unlocked Now, if only Xbox LIVE would come to SA…

It’s my birthday in a few days time, and I am rather excited (eckshitedsch, as I sometimes say) On the top my list is an iPod touch, (read back one post to see the fate of my last iPod – a 4GB Nano) and second comes an XBox 360 Hard Drive. That is probably all I’ll get, as I have rather expensive taste! But anyway, I’ll be happy with anything.

Hmmm… that’s all for now, but with holidays approaching perhaps I can break this habit once and for all.

So, Hello again propective viewer…

It’s official. I’ve bought myself and Xbox. After months of saving, protesting, negotiatating, and with a final push of pot luck, I had R2000 (2000 South African Rand) to buy myself a new iPod. (My old iPod met it’s end in a watery situation known as the washing machine – I had left it in my back pocket ) And then, unable to sleep one night, I began to dissect my dilemma on whether or not I’ll be forced to upgrade to Windows Vista, as I have been informed by my good friend Rahul (see the left sidebar for his blog) that Microstoft is stopping support for XP around July. This is quite a bad situation for me, becuase my PC… well, let’s just say that it isn’t the most well oiled machine around. And it gets problematic quite easily.

So… that probably means I’ll have to upgrade to Vista (Joy, oh joy ) and, although my PC is capable of running Ultimate, I suspect it’ll run slower than a slug with a 50 kilo weight on it’s back. And, another thing, I refuse to game on Windows Vista. (Not that any of my current games would work, however…) Side Note: I find gaming stress relieving. It’s a neccesity.

And that left me at another dilemma… I can’t game on my Mac… (graphics card) So, I thought, why not buy a console with the money, and put it to better use than an iPod which I’ll only really wear to gym?

So a few days down the line, here I am with my own Xbox (an Arcade) and I’m really enjoying it. What’s awesome is that the majority of game titles are on the Xbox, and the graphics are superb! I haven’t had any technical problems as of yet, and it’s great being able to watch a DVD without having to run out and buy another DVD player for my TV. I think the controller is great too. So, for me, it’s PROS all around.

I’m playing Forza Motorsport at the moment and I think it’s definatley Need for Speed on steriods. I’ll probably put a post up later about it. I have the option of getting a new game next month, and I can’t seem to decide between Halo 3 and PGR4…

Please, nobody comment about PS3 Vs Xbox 360. I’ll just delete your comment, it’s a waste of time. Otherwise, comments are welcome as always.

I haven’t really wrote many things of interest here, in retrospect… and about the most exciting thing that’s happened is that I’ve redeemed my faith in Windows (I’m an Apple dude, okay?) So, I thought I might write as to how my feelings towards it have changed.

Being an Apple junkie, I choose to rework Windows into my life by partitioning my hard disk on my MacBook and intstalling in on that partition. I didn’t really do it intending to use Windows, but more so just to have the experiance of knowing how to install an OS on a disk partition. (Nerdy, eh?) I wisely decided to print the Boot Camp installation guide (Okay, if you are planning to do this, PRINT THE GUIDE. Trust me.) And I followed the prompts (The guide made it easy enough) and within a few minutes I was running Windows on my Mac. Fantastic.

I decided to put windows through it’s paces, just to see if I could dispell the theory of whether Windows runs better on a Mac. By the frog, did I get a suprise…

Windows, in all honesty, runs 200% better on a Mac. I also own a rather kitted-out PC, mind you (Built up, too) and my Mac preforms better with Windows than my PC does. Games are an issue, but, if Games are you’re interest, save up some more and buy a MacBook Pro and then put Windows on that. I don’t think that the MacBook’s graphics card was really intendid for games. but the MacBook Pro might be another story. I was able to play Age of Empire III to great effect, and I really enjoyed it. It depends on the requirements of the game, I guess. Crysis is a definate no.

I also advise after you’ve installed Windows you add the Boot Camp drivers to your Mac (found in one of your Mac OS X Leopard install disks) to get the full kick out of all your hardware. (By the way, the trackpad and keyboard work throughout installation, no drivers needed)

When I synced up my Wireless Mighty Mouse, I was also pleased with the great response that I got. There was no 1-second lag as I sometimes get on my PC with my other mouse. The webcam does have it’s usefulness, but I’d say it’s cooler in Mac OS X where you get all the cool effects in iChat.

I also ran windows with the Royale theme (which sometimes chokes RAM a little bit) and I’m happy to say I had no problems, at all. As a bonus, IE7 also seems to preform better for some reason as well.

Most people know I’m no Windows fanatic and for the most part I still don’t like it very much, but, I’d say before you run off and buy a hectic R30,000 PC with shiny buttons, consider buying a Mac and putting Windows on that.

Geek Advisor out.

• WEEK ONE: Monday-Wednesday: Compose songs on Garageband
• WEEK ONE: Thursday-Friday: Learn all the tiny aspects of iMovie
• WEEK ONE: Saturday: Swim in the morning/afternoon, and sort out my new Hard Drive and do a full back-up
• WEEK ONE: Sunday, take the day off!

Sooooo, as you can see, I’ll be kept busy… but I’ll still be online and junk. I’m working on uploading a Jorran Skorm trailer to my blog. It’ll be up later.Cherio, for now.

Well, over the last few months I have been hecticly busy with my Bryan Smithified version of TechZone, Juju Online. [A bit of background here - Juju Online was originally being constructed by Radtech Enterprizes, and was later cancelled as the company went through a radical phase of name changes, so I rebuilt the site myself]

The fist version of Juju wasn’t that successful, admitendly, so I did what all CEO’s every where would do – demolish the venture and build a new one. Why? I don’t know. But it was fun doing it.

The V2.0 of Juju was (and is) www.jujuonline.co.nr , and I am much happier with the overall result – It now has a shiny white on silver on orange colour scheme – and it looks really cool. I am also taking the posting with much greater pains – more Hanik style, I would call it – with enough facts to elighten the whole of Russia.

Juju is also going in a new direction; not just computers and tech, but also Cars and Aviation and so on and so forth.  If you are interested please go check it out – and drop a line or two in the comment block.

But that’s enough of Juju. I’ve also recently bought myself a mic and earphones – to nonetheless talk to Master Dowlath upon the alternative venture to Skype known as GTalk. It’s, as I would say, Wiki Wiki. [B-L-I-N-G is pronounced Shhh-iiiiiiiii-nneeeeee by the way]

Currently I am in the middle of November Exams [Shudders} having just wrote my Mathmatics paper today.

Jorran Skorm is moving swiflty along now – I’ve given a nice remix to the scenes that we’ve filmed so far – and, if it was cool in the beginning, it’s awesome now. I’ve also acuired a bunch of programs that are greatly assisting. The DVD menu, now, for instance, looks B-L-I-N-G.

Well, that’s all for now, so….

Yep, it’s semi-official, Jorran Skorm is getting it’s own wikia site. As this is rather a proud moment for me, Ignore any ill-fated grammer or spelling. Anyway, you’ve heard the news first from the keyboard of Bryan Smith, so lets move swiftly along!

Jorran Skorm has arrived in the full blown third phase, as we are going to get down to filming as soon as we can. (Which may take a while….) Casting is all done, and we can finally get down to proper business. I’ve decided to let the radmysta or “Fox” as he sometimes prefers, handle all the animation (The tougher job, haha) and It will be my person life’s mission to find and record sounds for Jorran Skorm and other movies we might make in the future.

That’s why I’m officially opening up a subdivision (No, not in Anim8or, Rahul) of Unseen Enterprises, Sound Enterprises, which will be another one of my blasted companies and will be to my (And Excalibur Films’s) exclusive use.

It will make use of my Digital Sound Bank that I am creating, and will make excellent use for animation, as well as other stuff.

You can see the wikia site here: http://scratchpad.wikia.com/wiki/Jorran_Skorm

That’s all from me,

Bryan

As far as I can see it’s going around in circles over the road, but now the pursuit has moved on and I can’t get a good look anymore. damn. Well, that’s my blog’s dose of randomness, for the day…

Moving swiftly along, I have divided the Jorran Skorm Movie’s project stages into ten official development stages, represented in a build plan. Here it goes:

0.1b1 – Movie Production Starting, 0%

0.2b1 – Some 3d Models arranged, Trailers ready, 10%

0.3b1 -  3 animated scenes finished, castings complete, 20%

0.4b1 – 10 animated scenes complete, movie about to film, 30%

0.5b1 – 18 animated scenes complete, movie filming 30% complete, 40%

0.6b1 – 20 animated scenes complete, movie filming 70% complete 50%

0.7b1 – all animated scenes complete, movie filming 80% complete 60%

0.8b1 -  Music production starting, voice-overs ready, 90% movie filming, 70%

0.9b1 – Music production finished, voice overs finished, 100% complete, awaiting “Beta-Viewings”

10b1 – DVD built, Fully Complete, Movie Released

And so you have it! The Jorran Skorm build plan. I would say we are in currently 0.2b1, and will be heading into 0.3b1 shortly. I am pleased with progress so far. Thank the dear lord it is friday tomorrow, I am utterly exhausted.

Also, my class has descended into utter madness and anachy, as a certain unnamed fat person believes himself a bighsot tough guy now. If you can read my thoughts, unnamed fat person, I am laughing at your pathetic attempts.

Anyway I don’t normally give this much of my blog to morons, so the unnamed fat person can consider himself fortunate.

But, that’s enough of hatred for one day. I’ll be sure to update again soon.

The_H0m13: W0lFm@N

I am pleased to announce that I am officially Pshchedelik Records’s (www.psychedelik.co.nr) first customer of their new kick-a** album, The House of Rythym. I won’t go into details of the album because I’m sure Rahul would sue me for all his TM’S and Copyrights, but, If you’re in his immediate vicinity, buy it. It’s Chrome Plated, as I usually exclaim. I added the songs to my iTunes yesterday.

I am also very pleased (And pretty excited) to announce that THE ADVENTURES OF JORRAN SKORM is going to start production soon, and I am currently sorting out castings and special effects issues. The movie will feature a new Excalibur Films trend:

3d Animation.

 The Movie will follow the story, not to the very letter, but I’m hoping that we can include all of the events. The film will include Psychedelik Records unique style of Music and some music from REPUBLIC COMMANDO. I am set to play Jorran Skorm. The Adventures of Jorran Skorm Story page on my blog is set to be taken over for news about the production of the movie, which will include screen shots, castings, interviews, and much more. Keep navigating to the page as It will always be updated every week.

Changing the subject, I have installed the LED lights on my BMW. it looks absolutley awesome, and now I can participate in Night Races if the Hobby Shop decides to make them official.

Sadly my constantly chirped friend Hanik Kotecha is also leaving South Africa, so I bid him farewell.

 As my last note on this blog post, I have chosen the Official quote of 49mhz.wordpress.com. Here it goes:

“Information is moving – you know, nightly news is one way, of course, but it’s also moving through the blogosphere and throught the Internets.”   – George Bush

All for now and Now for all,

Bryan Smith

Oh, and by the way, what do you think of my new theme and custom header? I made the header using the Anim8or Program and the Samsung PC studio Image editor, and the current theme I’m using is the ‘Neat’ theme by some guy whos name I can’t remember. I’d like some feedback, I worked really hard on that header!

 I’ve also designed a car on the anim8or program, which I have yet to entitle, but it looks real cool, and it has chrome-silver rims (No applause, no applause, just throw money) so I’ll be sure to post it up later.

I’ve entered in the Gateway R/C national race on the 5th of august, so wish me good luck!!

all for now, 

Bryan 

Lately, there’s been a lot of C-h-e-a-p merchandise going through Durban’s Pick and Pay and Makro stores. And I’ve been cashing in on the action. I mean, I bought Most Wanted from Pick And Pay yesterday, and it only costed R90.00 (Ninety South African Rand) which only comes to about 12 American Dollars and/or 7 British Pounds. I do not know how much PC games may come to in the USA or the UK, but In Durban, (An irritatingly expensive city) PC games normally come to about R200/300. So, All things considered, I have saved a lot of Money. Thank you o’ great Raymond Ackerman.

But I neglected to mention that I also got some other things, like the Strategy First Title Galatic Civilizations.

Galactic Civilizations is what is called a 4X strategy game, which means that Money/Wealth, Cultral Influence, and Military Might are big factors and mean the difference between Victory or Defeat.

The Story line starts at the year 2178, and Humanity is preparing to leave their home that has housed them for millenia, Earth. The Human race has invented Hyper Drive, a revolutionary new technology that replaces the obsolete Stargates of the galaxy (Which I describe as a “Train-Like” Sytem of travel) and allows ships to move and colonize any uinhabited plantets on the galaxy. There are loads of these planets, and every race wants to be the most powerfu.l.  there are five other races in the Galaxy, The Drengin Empire, the Yor Collective, The Arcean Empire, the Torian Confederation and the Altarian Republic.

The Drengin Empire are the most evil and vile race, and want to destroy and enslave all of the other races, but the game does allow customization of every race, from theirs to yours, so essentially, you could make the Drengin Empire a teddy-bear cuddling goody two-shoes race.It doesn’t really matter, It’s just there to make gameplay interesting.

I’m not going to spend a long time going through all the races, (That’s what the manual is for) but I’ll summarize them below,

Yor Collective: a race of intelligent self-replicating Robots.

Torian Confederation: A race of….. things…..strange things….

Arcean Empire: a race of born warriors with a Noble background

Drengin Empire: Haven’t I been through this?

Altarian Republic: A race of exact Human look-alikes, they believe us to be their “Interstellar Brothers”.

 I have finished the game on easy mode, but it was great fun, and It’ is truly amazing because EVERY playthrough is different (IE, different events happen, like ancient robotic defenses come alive on one of your out-of-earth colonies, and start killing your people. What do you do?)

I just have to say that this is one of the best ever stragey games, and it’s so different it is such a unique experiance, I love it.

All for now,

Bryan Smith

I mean, it has the M3 GTR in it. That gives it 50 extra bonus points.

I find the movies hilarious, making directly quote the line (Which I find excellently placed and timed) “The bus stops that way, loser!” delivered by Razor just after you lose your character’s (and my) beloved car, the M3 GTR, through a means of sabotage. (That was Dirty, Sick, down right evil of you, Razor!!)

I haven’t done much in the game yet, (I don’t have enough time) I have only just beaten Shonny,  failing to acquire his VW Golf. (That is quuuiiittteee nice) But even only this far I am loving this game, and I think if you don’t have it, you should run down to your nearest store like a cheetah with it’s rear end on fire, buy it, and become addicted. It’s just that good.

Anyway, It’s time for me to go now, but I will update soon!

P.S. please wish my friend Rahul for good luck, he’s going to Switzerland to get his black Belt in Karate!!

All for now,                                                             

Bryan Smith

I’ve added the Excalibur Films and Unseen Enterprizes pages for the ‘businesses’ I own and ‘co-own’, a pictures page to post up the latest race pictures that I have, (I will have some new ones very shortly, and I will be participating in the next national event which is a few weeks away.

I actually (and eventually) managed to be able to afford my own iPod (after months of being bankrupt) I got myself a Shuffle (I don’t need a display and I’m always going somewhere or doing something) and have a little money left over to enter in my next race. I really like my shuffle, It’s in a brilliant, unscratched silver and I really like iTunes. Yes, Rahul, I like iPods now, but I am not going over to the TurboNerd side…yet….

 I managed to watch the Nationals on Sunday with my dad (I didn’t participate) and I must say that these guys are real pro’s and definetly know what they are doing. I give them a proud Souf Efrikan Salute.

I also managed to go to the Virginia Airshow, which was awesome, they featured three 737′s, a Mirage, a Strikemaster, a mock police pursuit with choppers, and the Silver Falcons aerial display team. It was really cool.

Yes, the life of the wolf_man got seriously chrome-plated and a lot cooler.

 All for now,

Bryan Smith, Wolfman, the Scoobster ( As my dad calls me)

 Over the past two weeks, my dad has been acting oddly, and has had the same symptoms (Or however it is spelled) and, out of fear, My mother and I rushed him to the hospital (Entebeni) yesterday for an emergency MRI scan. The news was not good, the brain tumour had come back and was larger and more aggressive than ever before. To make matters worse, all of our doctors and specialists had gone away on leave, and we were left with ‘reffered’ doctors who we could choose from. My dad is scheduled for surgery on tuesday, with Brain Surgeon Dr. Du Trevou and we all hope for the best.

I would like to ask everyone who visits this page to make a prayer for my dad, He means the world to me, and I love him very much. He will need all the support and strength he can get to face his darkest hour, and I intend to support him as much as I can.

Thank you,

Bryan Smith

Wish me Luck!