Ultimate Gambit

Seems like it’s a week of complaints… just had to write one to HSBC regarding their introduction of the Secure Key:

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing today to express my dissatisfaction with your introduction of the HSBC Secure Key.

When attempting to log-in to my online banking today I was presented with a screen insisting that I must activate my secure key which you sent me. I have not done so up to now, as I have been able to skip the registration process and log-in via the method I have been using for the past 5 years or so, however today I was not given the option to skip.

Not having the secure key on me, I then had to call up your customer services, who were thankfully able to extend the secure key registration deadline until August for me, but this does not solve the overall issues.

These issues are as follows

1. There was no consultation with customers as to whether this was a necessity
2. The secure key creates a massive barrier to entry for me to access my online banking – if I do not carry it around with me 24-7 then I may not have access to my banking when I need it
3. I only have one secure key. To truly make this useful I need at least 3 for me to leave at different locations I may need to be at.
4. The point of online banking is to be able to access your bank when you need to. Without carrying the secure key with me I cannot do this. In an age when people are trying to cut down on the things in their wallet/bag, this is just another thing to carry around or to lose.
5. I do not want the secure key. I have never been a victim of fraud via your online banking, and I have never requested additional security measures, and I do not appreciate having such restrictive methods of security forced upon me.

Ultimately, no form of security is hacker proof (as has been shown by the recent RSA hacking), so while additional levels of security obviously help prevent malicious attacks, if they are restrictive to your customers then they are ultimately pointless.

I would urge you to reconsider the necessity for all people to use the secure key and give people the option – I don’t doubt that many people will appreciate the additional security, however I am also sure that an equal number are unhappy with this. At least give us the option to not use it.

I look forward to a response regarding this matter – having banked with you for over 8 years I am seriously considering a move due to this, purely to make my money accessible again!

Yours Frustrated,

Andrew Griffiths

Please note: This has also be posted to you.

Trust i’m not alone in this?! Urge anyone with similar thoughts to write to them about this!!

Last night I saw Harry Potter, part 7, part 2 at the BFI Imax. It was very good.

However, one thing spoiled it for me. My complaint below should sum this up, and perhaps other cinemas may listen to the related criticism too…

Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing to complain about the 9pm screening of Harry Potter last night (although I suspect this applies to all screenings)
As a regular attendee of the IMAX, I value the professionalism the venue shows, the minimalism of the adverts and the experience. This was ruined for me last night by one simple thing.
Prior to the screening, you showed stills from the film that I was about to watch! This is simply not acceptable! It’s bad enough when you get trailers for video games or anti piracy ads that spoil elements of a film, but this is almost understandable. However, when you show stills of a film before its even been watched, that completely ruins the experience.
Having read the books, and therefore knowing the outcome, I paid to see the film not so much for the story, but the visuals. I have avoided spoilers on the web to build the excitement, but having these visuals thrust in front of me before the film is something I would not have expected from a venue of your calibre. There is simply no excuse. You could have shown pictures from the previous 7 films – that would make sense as an interesting recap, but showing scenes from the film to be watched is illogical and irrational, and can not have been truly acceptable to anyone preparing to see the film.
I trust someone will come back to me regarding this – I visit the IMAX at least 8 times a year on average and would hate to think you didn’t take your customers feedback seriously.
Kind yet frustrated regards,

Andrew Griffiths

What do you think? Fair?

…another leopard changes its spots…

You may have noticed a re-direct when visiting this site, or you may simply have been notified via the old address, but GambitUK.com has moved, forever…

The reasons are twofold;

• There’s a finance company at Gambit.uk.com, and I kept receiving their e-mails… (a minor annoyance)
• Due to my previous hosts SniffHost being incompetent, even though I registered the domain, I didn’t actually own it, and could not therefore move it.
  

And it is because of this, I now have a shiny new domain name – UltimateGambit.com

And there you have it.

I’m planning a massive redesign in the coming months, depending on my spare time over the summer, but in the meantime if you do spot something broken, please post below and I’ll fix it!

Twitter is down… and i can’t even tweet about it!!!

Arghhhhh!!!!

It’s that time of year again. In the next few days, i will be posting the best (and worst) of last year’s TV, Music and Film.

Watch this space…

Happy New Year everyone!

But do not worry! GambitUK.com will still be continuing in it’s former glory (or whatever you’d have called it!)

I’ve just decided that it wasnt worth hanging onto the .co.uk domain name since nobody accessed the site through it, and everything is based at the .com address anyway!

So, if you’re one of the nobody (i’m not sure that is actually a sentence) that has the .co.uk address bookmarked, update it now!

That is all

When the Wii came out, I was the first to buy one, I was the first to sing it’s praises, and when push comes to shove, I was the first to become a Wii fanboy. Now that some time has passed, and I have sampled a good proportion of the Wii’s gaming offerings, I’d like to assess how it has changed my gaming life.

The biggest change that I think the Wii has made to my gaming life is that I want a 360 and a decent PC. I want a 360 NOW. And if I hadnt just bought a new decent PC and I could afford a 360, I would have one.

This may be a strange thing to say that the Wii has caused, but the reason for this is that I want to play some decent games. Don’t get me wrong, there are some great games on the Wii. Some great games that I can count on one hand. To date I think I have played approximately 50 games on the Wii, and I can safely say that I have played every single one of those until it bored me. The hand mentioned above consists of these games: Zelda, Wii Sports, Wario Ware, Mario Strikers and Resident Evil 4. But what have these games actuallygiven me?

• Zelda – great game, but havent I played it umpteen times before?!? And now that I’ve finished it, when will it be back in the blue illuminated slot of my Wii?
• Wii Sports – again, great, but really only one for when you have the mates around
• Wario Ware – i played this on the gameboy, then on the Gamecube. See Zelda and Wii Sports.
• Mario Strikers – frustratingly hard in the later stages on single player. Great with the mates.
• Resident Evil 4 – see Zelda and Wario Ware.

My point is, the truly good content on the Wii has been done before. I know what I’m hearing you say, “but you are missing x game”, but think about it, how many of those games that you put in the x space there havent come out on either the PC or the 360 in a BETTER version. And by better, I mean both Graphically, and CONTROLS.

But arent the Wii’s controls it’s selling point?! Yes. But they are also the bain of my life.

Take Rockstar’s Table Tennis for a case in point. This was a good, fun, easy going game on the 360. Stick it over onto the Wii and “Oooh, there’s waggly controls, we MUST use this”. No you must NOT. Just because the controls are there, does not mean you have to use them. Of if you must, at least give us the option to use it as a normal controller, or plug in a Gamecube pad or something. I dont want every gaming session to feel like a marathon. This is just one example, but there are hundreds of others.

Let’s get back to the 360. I want to play decent games. I want to play Bioshock. I want to play Gears of War. I want to play NBA Live 08… What, NBA Live is out on the Wii?!? I know it is. It just has POINTLESS waggly controls. It is not fun. And that’s what games are supposed to be! I want to play it the way I enjoyed it on the Gamecube. [nb. before the arguments ensue, I am well aware that it is a crime to group NBA Live 08 alongside the other two games listed]

And this is what it boils down to. There just isnt the content for Single Player gaming. The waggly controls work well for multi-player games and minigames, but what happens when you want to play on your own?

You get out the 360 or the PC, thats what you do.

So, to all you Wii/Nintendo fanboys out there, I’d ask you to assess your situation, and ask if Nintendo is really thinking of us gamers anymore, or is it thinking about our mums, sisters and or mates. I don’t know, but I hope that they get us back on track sometime soon.

So until Mario Galaxy proves to be as much of a let down as Mario Sunshine, and until Smash Bros. Brawl comes out, I’m off to play Bioshock, Half-life and Gears of War. Preferably without having to get armache.

After moving flat and job I am finally back on the net! Woooo!
Watch this space for some really interesting posts coming up, including a London Househunting Guide by yours truly

Later!

I’m a big fan of Optical Illusions, and just wanted to give a shout out to a great Optical Illusion blog that I check regularally – Mighty Optical Illusions.

I submitted an illusion to them the other day, and they posted it, so I though the least I can do is give them a shout – you can see it here: Who’s Lifting the Moon?

Anyway – check out their site – it’s well worth a look

…comes great responsibility… as well as many other benefits that are more fun and enjoyable (if you’re lucky…)

According to the “Which Superhero are You?” test:

I am Spider-Man

Spider-Man 80% Green Lantern 70% Superman 70% Iron Man 70% Catwoman 65% Supergirl 60% The Flash 50% Batman 50% Hulk 45% Robin 44% Wonder Woman 40%

You are intelligent, witty, a bit geeky and have great power and responsibility.

Click here to take the “Which Superhero are you?” quiz…