Candy Girl

I have to profess that Hard Candy is my favourite Madonna album since Ray of Light (1998)! That said, she's pretty much guest starring on cool cuts produced by Timbaland, Neptunes and friends! At times Madonna sounds like Timbaland muse Nelly Furtado and one-time rival Paula Abdul on Candy Shop!

Hard Candy is more a sequel to Justin Timberlake's awesome Future Sex / Love Sounds, which, in my view, is a good thing, even if it doesn't push the envelope and Madonna is a trend follower in this instance!

Is Hard Candy as good as Mariah Carey's blockbuster E=MC²? I'd suggest not!

E=MC² is a formula for single success

The sequel to Mariah Carey's multi-platinum album The Emancipation of Mimi, E=MC², may become the diva's most successful release to date!

Mariah Carey's 11th studio album is front-loaded with a dazzling array of potential singles and not at the expense of musical integrity! Following the coy Touch My Body, I'm That Chick is a cool cut that borrows heavily from '70s disco and even goes as far as directly quoting from the zenith of the era - Michael Jackson's celebrated Off The Wall album! Mariah's introspective dissertation on her failed marriage to Tommy Mottola, Side Effects, is another standout and evokes the paranoia of Michael Jackson's best material! For the Record is mesmeric, replete with Mariah's trademark vocal pyrotechnics.

E=MC² closes with I Wish You Well. With its haunting gospel overtones, the song sounds incongruous against what has proceeded it! That said, it's a beautiful and rare opportunity to hear Mariah Carey's voice emote a cappella.

I've been a fan of Mariah Carey since Vision of Love and it's fair to say that her formula had become homogenised, self-parody (a point that Mariah lampoons on the brilliant album opener Migrate) and, frankly, dull towards the end of the '90s! It's ironic that whilst she has stuck to that commercial formula sans glitter - so successfully brewed by the alchemists at Sony BMG Music and perfected on Emancipation - E=MC² sounds flirtatious, fresh and fun! Mariah Carey is at the top of her gorgeous game!

Now we simply await the return of Madonna with Hard Candy! Pop music lovers are sure to be in for a treat over the coming weeks and months. Bring on the soundtracks to the summer!

Moshi Monsters MoPods launch 'give-away'

Moshi Monsters launches and brings a virtual world of adoptable pet monsters to life

Mind Candy, the award-winning creators of global Alternate Reality Game game Perplex City, this week launch Moshi Monsters, their brand new virtual world for little kids and big kids alike. After 4 months in private beta, Moshi Monsters is opening up to everyone for free on April 16th at http://www.moshimonsters.com



Players adopt their own Monster and keep it happy by solving the daily puzzles that it sends them. Monster owners can interact with their pets in a wide variety of ways such as tickling, playing games, shopping, designing their rooms, and dressing up (coming soon). One of the core elements of Moshi Monsters is the emotional bond created between the user and their Monster which is achieved through sophisticated flash animations and a complex behavioural engine. Over time the Monsters develop their own unique personalities depending on how well, or badly, they've been treated.

There are many ways players can connect and communicate with others such as the Friends tree, visiting other Monster's rooms, and leaving customised Pinboard messages. During development child safety online has been kept at the forefront of the Moshi experience.

The more attention a Monster gets from it's owner and their friends, the higher its Monstar status rises. All Monsters start as Z-Listers and can rise through the ranks to become A-List Monstars.

Moshi Monsters is played in the browser and requires no download. The game is free to play, although a subscription feature for premium elements will launch in the future, as well a range of offline products.

Michael Acton Smith, CEO of Mind Candy said, “Playing games and chatting to friends are two of the most popular activities for children online. Moshi Monsters provides these experiences in a safe environment while also helping children learn through the puzzle games and educational elements”.

I was lucky enough to receive an adoption code, ahead of the public launch, and created my very own Moshi Monster! Meet iBoggy, named after The Legend of Boggy Creek (Wikipedia)! He's one cool monster with added Web 2.0 style: you can add your Moshi Monster to Facebook and bebo!

To mark the launch of Moshi Monsters, my fantastic friends at Mind Candy are offering readers a chance of winning three full sets (of six Monsters) of Moshi MoPods!



To enter for a chance of winning these really cool prizes, please leave a comment on this post. The competition closes May 31st 2008 and the winners will be randomly selected by me. My decision will be final! Good luck.

Special thanks to Mind Candy for supplying the competition prizes.

If you enjoyed reading this post subscribe by RSS! I'll be running further 'give-away' contests throughout the spring and summer.

Digging Duffy's Dimples!

Sitting pretty at number one in the Official UK Charts! The girl to watch in 2008 hit the stage at the Apple Store in London recently and knocked the onlookers nearly three decades back into soul heaven.

Duffy's sassy, love-starved "Mercy" kicks off this four-track EP with her voice spiraling and rising up like a candy-coated Aretha Franklin. The meditative, nostalgic powerhouse of "Rockferry" finds a new vitality, moving beyond the loaded Phil Spector-isms of the studio version and firmly into the here and now.

Duffy - Live from London (iTunes Exclusive) - EP

"Rockferry" is the debut album from Duffy. Written and produced in collaboration with Bernard Butler, the album is a stunning showcase for her voice, which brings to mind such great singers as Dusty Springfield, Lulu and Sandie Shaw. Includes the singles "Rockferry" and 'Mercy".

OneRepublic covered "Mercy" during a recent BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge session! Well worth listening to.

The Blu-ray Dream Machine

After 5 years my ageing, but trustworthy, Toshiba SD-520 multi-region DVD player finally stopped working on Tuesday night! Sony's PS3 (60GB Premium Version) price cut, announced on Wednesday, couldn't have been better timed! A backlog of Doctor Who DVDs and a desire to indulge in Blu-ray eye candy notwithstanding!

I most certainly couldn't justify a PS3 purchase at launch! £424.99 was far too high an entry fee! However, the new price, £349.99 (including two selected video game titles) while stocks last, is a veritable bargain! Why? The key selling point is Sony's ongoing firmware update strategy (combined with technological trimmings)! And this month is no exception to that rule!

Not satisfied with adding standard definition DVD upscaling for HDTV. This month's firmware update will usher in Blu-ray Profile 1.1, which includes upgraded interactivity featuring true video picture-in-picture playback, and improved DVD player performance (the 40GB model ships with the latter). Future updates purportedly will be headlined by the highly-anticipated DTS-HD Master Audio upgrade!

Such firmware-based scalability arguably puts the PS3 at the forefront of Blu-ray playback and no other standalone Blu-ray machine can compete at this price point! I can't comment on the intrinsic value or merits of Microsoft's external HD DVD drive for Xbox 360.

Throw in PlayStation 2 backwards compatibility, SACD playback and MemoryStick / SD / CompactFlash connectivity (options only available on the 60GB model) and gadget-geeks (myself included) have an all-in-one multimedia hub worthy of the 5 stars awarded by T3 magazine!

My advice is to invest in the 60GB model, HDMI 1.3 compliant cable and Sony Blu-ray Remote, because the 40GB is nowhere near as good value by comparison! And, while you're at the checkout, be sure to grab a copy of the amazing Spider-Man Trilogy (Blu-ray)!

Mac Users vote now!

Looks like Yahoo! hasn't completely forgotten about us Mac Users! The Yahoo! Messenger Blog is currently running a Poll for Mac users.

If you want Yahoo! Messenger sooner rather than later, and avoid further tardiness, be sure to drop by and vote for a Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger release only. Even the beleaguered beta knocks, pre-Leopard, spots off of the current Windows version. That being said, I'll be keeping tabs on the upcoming Windows Vista update, which promises "3D" eye candy.

Ovide

Google Video Player is now available in Mac OS X flavor and is sure to quench your thirst for eye candy! As a follow up to yesterday's PS3 post. Here's the PS3 Network Information keynote from E3 2006.



Expect to see more embedded video clips in the future!

I really hope Picasa isn't too far behind! I mean, if Linux users can play photo editor why can't we?

Wii Want

Nintendo has announced that its next generation console (code-name Revolution) is officially known as Wii. The company explains:

"While the code-name 'Revolution' expressed our direction, Wii represents the answer. Wii will break down that wall that separates video game players from everybody else."

"Wii will put people more in touch with their games … and each other. But you’re probably asking: What does the name mean? Wii sounds like 'we,' which emphasizes this console is for everyone."

"Wii can easily be remembered by people around the world, no matter what language they speak. No confusion. No need to abbreviate. Just Wii. Wii has a distinctive 'ii' spelling that symbolizes both the unique controllers and the image of people gathering to play."

"And Wii, as a name and a console, brings something revolutionary to the world of video games that sets it apart from the crowd. So that’s Wii. But now Nintendo needs you. Because, it’s really not about you or me. It’s about Wii."

In addition, Nintendo hit on a number of Wii-related points. Nintendo stated that "A number of Wi-Fi-enabled launch titles are in development that will employ Nintendo's newly announced wireless gaming service, Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection."

Also mentioned was an SD memory card expansion bay that will allow users to complement the 512 megabytes of internal flash memory.

The company also touted Wii's two-format disc drive. "Instead of a tray, a single, innovative, self-loading media bay will play both 12-centimeter optical discs used for the new system as well as Nintendo GameCube discs. Owners will have the option of equipping a small, self-contained attachment to play movies and other DVD content."

At first I scoffed at Nintendo's nomenclature! However, who would have thought that TiVo and iPod would become part of our consumer lexicon? And controversy sales.

Wii, like the original iMac, will be available in an assortment of candy colors. To paraphrase Steve Jobs. Wii is gaming for the rest of us. Nintendo may have struck marketing gold by mining Apple Computer's rich lifestyle brand ethos.

3D Combat Evolved

One of my most enduring memories as an undergraduate (and losing valuable book time), was playing the original award-winning Worms (1995) on the Sony PlayStation! Team 17's turn-based opus relied on the player's ability to correctly judge the trajectory and the power necessary to inflict devastating damage (on a par with shock and awe) against the clock (usually around 30 seconds, but this could be adjusted higher or lower). All the while trying to achieve mastery over the wind. You see, the wind can be unforgiving and weapons that are vulnerable to air current can be rendered impotent.

After 9 previous iterations including Worms Pinball and Blast, the basic premise remains intact (and relatively unspoilt) as the franchise inevitably segues to luxurious 3D in 2004! And the impish dialogue and black humour (motifs of the franchise) still remains cuttingly humorous. Friends' star Matthew Perry would be pretty proud of that achievement!

Porting progress
Feral Interactive is never merely content to publish key titles ‘per se’ on the Mac platform! Whenever working with UK porting house Zonic, it is always the partnerships intention to provide Mac gamers with compelling "added value" as a reward for our patience. This release is no exception to that golden rule.

In the case of Worms 3D (alongside the development of XIII), a rare opportunity to improve the graphics arose. It was noticed that whilst playing Worms 3D that at high (or low) resolution the interface was blurred! The original Adobe Photoshop files, used during development, were leveraged to replace all the interface graphics and weapons that Feral had been given assets for. And to avoid alienating the Mac gaming community, the PC keyboard was appropriately replaced by a Mac version!

Carnage candy
Worms 3D inspires obvious graphical comparison with Pangea's Bugdom series! And possesses looks that would make even Earthworm Jim blush with envy! Everything has an organic Play-Doh look and feel, which would delight the artists at PIXAR. The textures are simpler than Unreal Tournament or Halo, but then that's wholly appropriate given the context, and the game runs smoothly under Mac OS X 10.3.4. Support for Full Screen Anti-Aliasing (FSAA) is available for those equipped with a compatible graphics card. Is it time for an animated television series from Warner Bros. and attendant merchandise such as action figures, I wonder?

Existing Worms fans will be delighted to learn that bazookas, grenades, dynamite, air strikes and sheep made it safely from 2D, with the addition of brand new weapons to take advantage of the more expansive 3D landscape.

Customised combat
The single player (SP) mode still rotates predominantly around randomly generated battlefields against computer-controlled teams (the level of difficulty can be adjusted).

Alongside the obligatory Tutorial and Campaign modes, Team 17 have introduced the new Challenge mode, an offering where players can participate in various objectives such as firing-off a shotgun at as many targets as possible before time runs out to unlock bonuses such as medals and secrets.

Players can pass levels with Gold Silver or Bronze. As an incentive, getting Gold and finding secret areas (in SP) unlocks more hidden weapons and levels for the multiplayer mode.

The Challenge mode is somewhat repetitive, but completionists will no doubt find it a noteworthy addition all the same. Also the code system that was used to generate levels in the original is included in Worms 3D. And the codes for the PC version work on the Mac. It's worth searching the web for sites dedicated to collecting these cross platform codes!

Ultimately multiplayer (MP) mode is the signature element of the Worms franchise and here 2-4 teams can compete against each other in highly addictive sorties. The landscape of war can be edited; players can select to play in Lunar, War, England, Horror, Pirate or Arctic (in day, evening or night)! Or alternatively choose a randomly-generated landscape, or one that you've unlocked in the Campaign mode. In the mood for a chat, taunt or want to privately discuss tactics (with fellow team members and allies)? That's here too!

Worms 3D is compatible with GameRanger. Therefore, I urge you to 'fire-up' GameRanger as the MP mode is far more engaging than the SP experience because of human interaction - watching an enemy worm sink into the icy depths, underscored by a suitable quip, is a very satisfying accomplishment. Worms 3D MP is a luxurious treat and may close the deal for gamers unmoved by the series anaemic SP mode.

Blasted Bug
Subsequent to the GM release. MP games work on a LAN, but there is a bug in the network detection check which will cause all network games to be disabled if the Internet cannot be reached.

Zonic are working on a fix for this and it will be included in the first patch. In the mean time, if you can get your LAN connected to the Internet, you should be able to play locally.

Got Worms?
The transition to what could be construed as a more liberating 3D context, has introduced new challenges and complications that can confuse! You can toggle the camera between 3rd person (default), 1st person and blimp views. However, at times I found orientation difficult - the 3D terrain is more problematic to gauge than in 2D. And it requires greater effort (not necessarily a negative) to accurately judge how far to shoot a missile in order to target it anywhere near an enemy. This can lead to frustration, which often detracts from the pleasure of playing.

And now for the conclusion
Worms 3D is a solid port and clearly the product of stringent QA (Quality Assurance). Kudos to Feral and Zonic. With spruced-up graphics, a multitude of tactics available, coupled with the ever-changing, randomly-generated landscapes, Worms 3D is a pleasant antidote to the glut of FPS releases.

However, I was left with a yearning for the 2D side scrolling pleasures of old and the absence of an engaging soundtrack was remiss! The score of Worms 3D isn’t as impressive as the sound effects. Whilst I'm not looking for a John Williams orchestration, the music didn't serve the action and was turned down in favour of the amusing dialogue and spot effects.

As I completed this review Team 17 officially announced 'Worms Forts Under Siege'! The Worms saga continues...

Gameplay: 8
Graphics: 9
Sound: 7
Value: 8

Overall: 8 (out of 10)

Not Just a Pretty Interface

Apologies for the recent disruptions. Yesterday I attempted to back capture older posts and convert them to MP3 files. This should be completed during the next few days.

With so much time spent on refining Blogger's code candy, my portfolio site has played second fiddle! However, I'm now making the transition from using Adobe's GoLive CS to Adobe (formerly Macromedia) Studio 8. Studio 8 is considered the 'professionals' choice and I'm inclined to agree.



Dreamweaver 8 is light years ahead of GoLive CS and I'm currently using the built-in code rewriter engine to remove GoLive's 'garbage'. Whilst a WYSIWYG editor is no substitute for a powerful text editor, Dreamweaver offers the best of both worlds. I have yet to experiment with Fireworks and Flash (arguably the reason why Adobe purchased Macromedia).

Here's a very cute new Mac OS X application that resides in the menu bar. Menuet:

Menuet allows iTunes users to control the app in a variety of ways, including hot keys, click controls, a menu featuring full browse and smart browse options, and of course the uniquely skinnable remote. Included in version 1.0.1 is an initial set of eleven skins, ranging in style from minimal, to futuristic, to whimsical. Skin support was a focus in Menuet's development, and feedback was taken seriously from community designers, including IconFactory veteran David Lanham, to insure powerful and flexible specifications that support most iTunes functions, animations, and more.

Well worth the $12.95 (£7.50 GBP) fee for a single user license. Please tell them who sent you.

Double Jeopardy

Well, I've done it now! What heinous crime has been committed, you cry? Amazon UK permitting, an Xbox 360 Premium Pack will be opened before the holidays! The combined price of a Core Pack and the accessories included (remote control subject to availability) in the Premium Pack could cost upwards of £320 (depending on supplier).

Of the two Xbox 360 SKUs (Stock Keeping Units), gamers should be encouraged to purchase the Premium Pack - the 20GB portable HDD is required for backwards compatibility. My HDTV's component input will be put to good use and Xbox 360 offers Plug and Play with iPod and PSP.

Sega's next generation arcade board (codenamed Lindbergh) DNA parallels Xbox 360 architecture. This translates to an envious arcade-to-home porting model akin to Sega's NAOMI and Dreamcast. The key attraction, here, is future arcade smashes House Of The Dead 4, Psy Phi and Virtua Fighter 5 in the home sans compromise.

To reiterate. Xbox 360 SDK was (originally) Mac-based. Jonathan Hayes (manager of platform experience design) owes a debt to Jonathan Ives (vice president of Apple Computer's Industrial Design Group) IMHO. The upshot of this philosophy is a console whose contours are organic and appealing. Certainly this product is a more cohesive 'brand' experience (from the hardware to the software GUI) and lessons have been learned from the first iteration of Xbox. Go Microsoft.

European PSP users are already reporting that some machines are afflicted with the pixel problem that blighted the Japanese and US launches. As I understood it, Sony sourced Samsung LCDs to reduce this reliability issue (officially users should expect up to 9 dead pixels)! Anyone contemplating a PSP purchase, and are concerned about the possibility of buying a product that doesn't meet their expectations, should wait. Lets face it, the new Ceramic White model is much more desirable for the eye candy cognoscenti.

Now that the nights are drawing in you maybe in need of extra PDF reading material. The Bomb (1994), an original audio drama, was written as a 5-minute play and recorded during the second year of undergraduate study.

Candy-Colored Clones

Just returned from an exhausting experience known as Revenge of the Sith. Fatigue precludes detailed examination tonight. However, following the opening crawl and Republic attack cruiser reveal, George Lucas' direction is hijacked by Ken Kutaragi, father of the PlayStation.

A Design For Life

Of all the next generation games consoles launched at E3. PlayStation 3 is a paragon of form and function. From the smooth eye candy curves to Mata font (used in the Spider-Man movie franchise), the new machine is a sociological statement that underscores Sony's dominance of the console market.

Earlier today I attended The Grand Opening of the Alphinbrook Unit at Lucerne House. The event was presided over by corporate dignitaries and the Mayor of Exeter. The media arrived, late in the day, so Dad and I had no opportunity to make their acquaintance! "Hi, I'm John. I used to work at Reuters and was recently approached by Bloomberg. However, due to personal reasons..."

The Apprentice

The OC has become a staple of my television viewing for a multiplicity of reasons, some of which I cannot elaborate on (need to know)! References to iPod and Star Wars are always an indulgent pleasure, but the news that George Lucas is to make a cameo appearance, in the penultimate episode of S2, takes the biscuit! Seth will make a 'choice' that will shape his destiny and the future of the galaxy... No, sorry wrong narrative!



Even the box art is cool.

Success! My site plays nice again with Firefox and its Mozilla Brethern - clear cache - the files were being sent to iDisk as application/octet-stream rather than text/html. By chance I noticed the update icon in Firefox and downloaded the latest Yahoo! Toolbar Beta. This includes a handy new feature called My Web. Grab some online candy.

The Mercedes-Benz of fighting games

On Friday I installed Xcode 1.5 (Apple's developer suite bundled with Mac OS X 10.3 Panther) and compiled a test build of MacMAME in parity with the PC version. This was my inaugural Xcode project and, invariably, one is liable to make mistakes. In my case I set the Build Style to Development as opposed to Deployment (has to be set manually). Development culminated in myriad files, but no end user application! A total of 4 hours downtime, but educational nonetheless. Although the majority of developers currently utilize CodeWarrior, Xcode is an investment-free alternative for Mac-based hobbyists.

The ongoing improvements in Sega emulation are tangible and Dead or Alive++ is virtually playable. It was a joy to play as Kasumi (my favorite character) and best my opponents with stunning visual results.



The Dead or Alive franchise is not merely eye candy. However, the casual viewer would be forgiven for thinking so. I've ordered Dead or Alive Ultimate (for XBOX) and will post my review soon.

Sins of the Stepford Wives

Channel 4's premiere of smash hit US series Desperate Housewives garnered one of the highest ratings in the network's history. On Wednesday evening I tuned in to observe what all the fuss was about.

The impish main theme, composed by longtime Tim Burton collaborator Danny Elfman (drawing on his compositions for The Simpsons and Edward Scissorshands - Ballet de Suburbia springs to mind), introduced the dysfunctional inhabitants of Wisteria Lane. The principal cast, spearheaded by Teri Hatcher (Lois & Clark), provides the requisite eye candy and the sharp script food for the brain!

A darkly compelling cocktail of The Stepford Wives meets Picket Fences and Sex and the City. Desperate Housewives is Twins Peeks for generation net. Can't wait for episode two...

With candy canes and silver lanes aglow

I've started to decorate the house in holiday style serenaded by music choice on sky. Nothing too ostentatious as Dad and me will be spending the majority of our time at my Mum's nursing home. This will be the second Christmas that she hasn't been able to come home! However, it's going to be special.

Back to the Christmas card writing.

Reality Bites

Harman/Kardon continues to release compelling multimedia audio products under its JBL brand! Apple Computer’s partnership with HK began in earnest with the release of the original iMac. This was rapidly followed by Soundsticks, Creature and Invader speakers. On Tour and On Stage now join this distinguished ensemble, which has delighted audiophiles and casual listeners alike. All JBL products share a distinctive organic look and feel and this affords seamless integration with Apple Macintosh hardware, not that I am in anyway biased!

Talking of eye candy. It struck me how Keira Knightley now resembles a composite of Jewish actresses Natalie Portman (a given) and Winona Ryder (see the June edition of Premiere magazine). A friend pointed out that Keira’s filling a vacuum vacated by Winona following the infamous shoplifting incident in 2002.