Summer Of Fun

OK so I haven't posted in a while! But I've been buisy.

The whole summer has been taken up by a 3 and a half week long trip to Uganda to do mission work. Then a short trip to Edinburgh to see the tattoo. THEN I was recruited to help out with a holiday Bible club.

Anyone who has talked to me recently probably knows an awefull lot about my experience in Uganda and because I don't want to shoot off into a long ramble because then none of you will read this. But for those of you that want to know more click here.

The Edinburgh Military Tattoo was awesome and well worth going to see at least once. It's great being arround Edinburgh when the Military Tattoo is on because it's the same time as the Edinburgh Festival. Although i didn't go to see any of the stand up comedians the Fringe Festival does provide a variety of free performances.

I enjoyed my time in Edinburgh as, like many more popular European cities like Prauge (Also a must see destination) or Rome, it is filled with beautiful ancient buildings and an interesting history.

Moley.

The Hangover

Have you ever woken up and found that you've misplaced something. Like "Dude Where's My Car?" something very serious has been misplaced. But in this case the 3 hero's of the story have misplaced the groom at his own bachelor party!

The movie follows 3 friends as they attempt to remember what happened to their friend Dug who is to get married the next day. "The Hangover" lays it on very heavy with the jokes and the ridiculousness of the various situations they find themselves in is at first hard to beileve but a sketchy plotline attempts to tie it all together and explain the absence of their friend, the presence of the tiger in the bathroom and the baby they found in the closet.

Despite the sketchy plot and the relentlessness of the jokes it is an enjoyable experience all round and has managed something amazing. It has managed to be just the right length.

Overall its a good show although not without its faults.

B+

Swine Flu concerns

I'm going to try and be topical so bear with me.

Is it just me or is everybody missing the big picture. So everyone is focused on the fact its going to kill the whole world. It won't! Basically we'll all get the snivels and everyone goes back to work. We'll thats the thing. Pandemic. That means 1) Everybody stays away from public places. Everybody! That means Exams are a no go, no-one turns up to the Stock Markets and all jobs that make everyday living possible. So we don't get qualifications, the stocks crash (It already crashed when swine flu was announced) and society as we know it would crumble. 2) All ports and airports close. Britan seems me to be the only country in the world that can't sustain itself for a long period of time. Where an island without sufficient agricultural structure to sustain itself for a long period of time.

So basically we're screwed! No bother eh!

My Ugandan Adventure!

For those of you who don't know. I am heading off to Uganda for three and a half weeks. I will be living in Kampala for that duration and will be traveling to various primary and secondary school in outlying regions and may be going to an orphanage. I will be helping in the construction of playground equipment. (Basically swings, goal posts and badminton nets)

I'll be heading out with Love for Life and Fields of Life. Fields of Life is a charity dedicated to construction projects in Africa. That takes care of my side of the trip. But what of Love for Life? Don't they do sex education? Well with Aids a growing problem and the Witchdoctor culture in Africa this poses a problem for children as young as seven who turn to prostitution as in Africa it is believed if you take a young virgin you are cured of Aids. This is a growing problem in Africa and one which is not well publicised. Love for Life will be going arround primary school and secondary schools giving talks.

I'll keep you updated on anything that happens with relation to the trip. Wish me luck. I may need it.

M-BID giving you pease of mind!

M-BID (Moley-Browner Infidelity Detectives) are a company of private investigators and detectives dedicated to finding out the truth about whether your partner or spouse is cheating. We use state of the art technology coupled with over 15 years experience to quickly, efficiently and discreetly investigate your partner or spouse to be about to find out whether they are cheating on you and putting your mind at rest.

For further information on our services please contact Moley or Browner (discreetly)

Take Two

Ok so as many of you may know twitter killed my account but im goina try again!

Find me at www.twitter.com/MoleThoughts (hopefully)

On another tangent I would like to apologise to SRJ for being suspicious of him! Sorry!

All this rubbish with twitter has left me feeling a bit deflated.

Over and out avid followers!

Twitter

Ive now started to tweet on twitter... I think.

Check it out at 

www.twitter.com/MoIey

(Yes thats a capital i Moley was taken)

Theres a 140 word limit so you dont have to read as much of my rubbish.

Random Games

Don't you just love those random little games that you play with others. Here are a few personal favourites of mine.

The Yes Game. This game originates from Subway where when asked whether you want lettuce or tomatoes etc. you say yes to everything. This ends in the creation of a monster sandwich that falls apart when you pick it up. You must then Eat it all even if its a Foot long sandwich. This game has evolved to encompass all Buffets. When put to extremes it can really total up and playing with multiple courses turn it up to a whole new level. The winner is the one that eats the most. 

The Word Game. The object of this game is to give the other player 3 words (non rude) that they must include in a speech, lecture etc. This game can get very random and extremely funny and embarrassing.

The Game. This is the most awesome of the lot. There are 3 rules

1. Once your in the game your in it for life!

3. You can only learn the second rule once you join the game.

However it can be both embarrassing and satisfying in equal amounts but not simultaneously.

If you have any more such random games please do tell.

Another Amazing Performance!

What is it with old people today. Mr Stallone is off making more Rocky an Rambo films. Mr Ford is still playing Mr Jones and there are no old people who just want to be an angry, grumpy, bigoted, racist old man who is nearing the end of his days and knows it. Well now there is. Clint Eastwood is completely effortless in Gran Torino. All he has to do is walk into a room and grunt. Clint is what you think of as an old man being. He’s moody, racist, grumpy and wears his trousers hitched up around his ears. I’ve heard people say its like Dirty Harry never left. Well I agree. He’s just grown up and got meaner. Its a stunning performance from all of the actors but Clint really shone and brought a new dimension to what is an amazing story.

A+ an amazing film and a brilliant performance from Clint.

Need I Say More?

Project Splitwheel

What is the Internet used for today? Research? Communication? Trolling? Blogging? These are all very good uses for the world wide web but something new has emerged. Caterham has utilised the Internet and those who use it as a tool for designing a new car. This isn't only going to be a virtual project that will result in nothing more than another web page. Project Splitwheel as it is known will be made into a concept in 2010 and by 2011 the car will go into production. What will the car look like? What sort of car will it be? Specs? Cost? Name? No one knows the design brief has given the general public a blank canvas. So long as its buildable and isnt a super or hyper car (yes there is a difference). And the designers who are they? Well everyone who wants to be involved. For more visit www.splitwheel.com.

Big News!

The Biggest Announcement this blogger has had the privilege of bringing to the masses (of about 6). And surprise surprise its not on Mole-Spot. http://charityxdress.blogspot.com/ is where its at.

More Reviews

At the expense of alienating a great many people I am going to talk about books.

The 2 books I will talk about are both very different.

Mark Haddon’s A Spot of Bother

Mark Haddon’s books are probably better know among a much younger audience than the target audience of this his second adult novel. However despite his inexperience in this field of literature Mr Haddon has truly created a masterpiece. This however is no surprise as his first adult novel “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” despite the undeniably strange title this book is beautifully written and deals with some very deep themes.

However I am going to talk about “A Spot of Bother” and as the name suggests the main character is not having a good time of it. George has just found out he has cancer and his wife is having an affair with an ex workmate. On top of that his daughter is getting married to a man he doesn’t like. The main character is not without his flaws but despite of these you just cant help liking him. The short chapters move the story on and quicken the pace. The story switches well between the main characters. The plot twists although infrequent add depth to the story and take it in a completely new way.

Although this book is nowhere near as good as his first adult novel it is still great and I heartily recommend it.

Patrick O’Brian’s Master and Commander

This book is allot slower in pace than “A Spot of Bother” and it is only perforated with short periods of action.

Master and Commander follows Captain Aubrey of the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. Although the pace of the book is slower it pulls you along with the charms of Captain Aubrey and his companion Stephen Maturin. The book is very different to the 2003 film. Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany play their parts perfectly and perfectly portray the characters as they appear in the book.

The short periods of action make even a land lover like me yearn for the perils of the ocean.

Both books are masterstrokes of 2 very accomplished authors.

Pirates!

I love pirates!!! But you don't see too many nowadays. Well apart from Steve. But just off the coast of Somalia live Pirates! And not the sort that flog knock off DVDs. Real Pirates! Granted there are no eye patch's or Oh Ares! but, Pirates they are! They took over a super tanker just off the coast of Somalia. They held the tanker and its crew hostage and asked for 100 million dollars! which considering the street value of the oil on the tanker is 500 million dollars!!! Thats not even considering the value of the ship or the human life aboard. However after harsh negotiations the pirates accepted a mere 3 million dollars. In a fight over money 5 pirates where killed as they went overboard.

I for one haven't seen or spoken to Pirate Steve in days. Well... What can I say! If you see Steve coming into school an aweful lot richer and ever so slightly smug. Well... You heard it from me first.

What happened?

What happened to the Wii?

Early in development it was to be the biggest innovation in gaming since someone sat down and made a game called Pong. Well early on it all looked so promising. What could be better than sitting in your living room waving your arms around and taking out the odd TV/ window/ girlfriend in the process. It would be a revolution to game play.

Where has this revolution taken us.

Well Red Steel tried early on to make the Wii into what I imagined it might be. This however failed! not because of any issues with the console or the idea of a fps on the Wii. Just because it was a bad game.

Well as they say "If at first you don't succeed make baby games and milk it for all its worth!"

With over 25 controller "enhancements" (read cheap bits of plastic that fit onto the controller), a controller motion sensing enhancement thingy which renders the aforementioned enhancements useless, nun chucks only used in the fishing and boxing games, a controller that resembles the NES controller and a Wii fit balance board that's only use appears to be yoga you have ample things to spend the money you saved on not buying a PS3 or 360 in the first place. At least you wont waste too much money on games as the lineup for gamers is very limited.

Mario Kart is pretty good, as is Super Smash Bros. Zelda is meant to be amazing but i cant think of much else I'd actually want to spend my money on that cant be picked up on other consoles.

There's Imagine Baby Parties (and like 40 other imagine games where SRJ can act out all of his secret fantasies), Wii music (which isn't even a game(no really it isn't even the developer said its not really a game)), Samba De Amigo (v good but a direct port of the Dreamcast original), a whole library of Nintendo Originals and half a million games designed to tell you how stupid you are (I use the term game lightly).

I really wanted it to be good but I knew it couldn't be because Nintendo "Opened gaming to the masses" (read sold out) and have found there to be allot of money lining their pockets very suddenly.

2 Reviews

Well avid followers! What delights do I have for you today?

Well today I've decided to bring you 2 (yes 2) game reviews.

Firstly I give you Mirrors Edge!

It's all about the flow! Getting from here to there as quickly as possible. Many racing games have tried to capture what EA has achieved in Mirrors Edge. It happens when you string together a series of beautifully timed and perfectly executed moves.

The games designers are obviously proud of what they have achieved as they force you to use it at every occasion. By taking away the gun that they included in the early version of the game. A smart move because what they have there is absolutely brilliant.

However the game is not without its faults. Despite it's replayablity it is still a very short game. Difficulty is inconsistent as well. While there may be sticking points mid game, some of the later game sections are quite easy. However these games help the aforementioned flow.

Overall its is an amazing game and well worth at least a rent.

A- Whats there is brilliant but there should be more

Left 4 Dead is the second game.

Valve have done it again! They have created something great. Not only with the brilliant atmosphere which holds you on the edge of your seat throughout the game, but also used the various elements to shape how the player plays the game.

The pure numbers of the horde and the swift ambushes of the special enemies (Boomers who spew bile which attracts the horde. Hunters who pin you down and tear at you with their claws. Smokers who constrict you with their long tongues. Tanks think Nemesis out of Resi and Witch's who are to be avoided!) Valve has put allot of work into the environments. Blood Harvest being a level which deserves special mention as throughout the level there is ample opportunity for ambush by 30-40 zombies at a time. And the rural farmhouses can be both a best friend and an enemy. Housing either a small army of zombies or goodies.

At the end of every level is a last stand style zombie stand-off where you must stay alive for a set period of time in a well supplied area while wave after wave of zombies flood the area. To beat these areas a knowledge of the terrain. A good supply of ammo. The right gun. And some good PLAYER controlled allies are what is needed. Especially on expert.

One of the things that you really need is a sharp ear and a keen eye as enemies are heard well before they are seen and learning these noises could mean the difference between life and death. A keen eye is needed to avoid the witches which is something you really want to do.

This game is as well balanced and finely tuned as anything created by valve.

A* Top of the class.

Until next time!

Sorry

I'd like to start off by apologising to all of my followers who roused themselves early on Christmas Day sitting waiting in expectation of what could come. What brilliance had I planned for the Yale tide Season. But get a life. Leave the Internet alone. If you spend any of Christmas Day using the Internet you obviously have a problem. Go off and visit Grandparents. Leech money off them. Get presents. Give presents. Eat far too much food and go to sleep!

There we go rant over.

I don't know what to say to follow up Fagboy.

One thing I've noticed as a growing trend in video games is the fact that they're getting to easy. In general most video games appear to have taken the Wii style back step. The technology involved has come on leaps and bounds. However with the recent influx of new gamers has cause the market to be saturated with the more mainstream and in allot of cases worse games. Games like Ninja Gaiden used to destroy you if you even paused for breath. They where a whirl wind of activity and while this almost psychopathic attitude to gaming has persisted in some places (Left 4 Dead) there are games revered for this which have softened (Ninja Gaiden 2 and DMC4) and even games that (I'm not joking) IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO DIE IN. You just get a scar in Fable 2. Not that you'll be getting too many of them!

Happy New Year one and all.