Ultimate Gambit

Come across this funky site for anybody with a Wii… Wiitag.org

Gives you various bars which show your Wii code for sharing (much like the X-box Gamer Tag!)

Here’s Mine:

Just looked at the BBC’s headline news and the closure of a Homebase store was on the front page.

Now, while i have every sympathy with the people losing their jobs, this is hardly headline news?! Shops close all the time, and people lose their jobs! If the whole Homebase chain had gone down, then I could understand it, but this is a bit of a joke!

Well, once again I have to say a massive thanks to SniffHost, my hosting company! After badgering GoDaddy, they have managed to get my .com domain name back, and have given me it and my years hosting for free to apologise for the problems with their system!

I’ve whinged about customer service of various companies in the past year (*cough* Bulldog *cough*), and i’ve even praised some customer service (Corsair), and now its time to do it again! Looks like the world isnt necessarily on that downhill spiral i’ve been thinking its on!

Thanks SniffHost!

Well, as you may have noticed, GambitUK.com has been down for a few days. This is because the domain registration expired, and the e-mails that were supposed to remind me of this happening never came (they were apparently sent.).

So, GoDaddy.com, who registered the domain, now want £45 to renew it! I cant afford this, and think its rediculous, so i’m going to be using the .co.uk domain from now on. Sorry about any issues in the meantime, please be patient!

Today, i got a new hard disk. It didnt work, so i ran a diagnostic tool for Western Digital drives. It came out ok, but I decided to write 0′s to the drive at the start and end to clear it, just in case. Who knows why. It shouldnt have been a problem. But it was. I had the wrong drive selected. Instead of running the test and the clear on my new disk, it was running on my old hard disk, the one I boot from. This is a Western Digital drive too. Crap.
Now I have no windows boot partition.
Im an idiot

The final chapter of my look back at 2006 is a look at the Music of 2006. I havent found myself with that much time to sit and listen to music this year, but I have heard some good, and some bad things in the little I have heard. Here’s my lo-down:

1. My Chemical Romance – Black Parade
   
2. The All-American Rejects – Move Along
3. Wolfmother – Wolfmother
4. Muse – Black Holes and Revelations
   
5. Evanescence – The Open Door

Honourable Mention: Teddy Geiger – Underage Thinking
Most Disappointing: The Killers – Sam’s Town, Most Over-rated: The Arctic Monkeys

My Chemical Romance are definately my band of 2006. I discovered them at the start of the year with Three Cheers for Sweet Revence, and have been loving them ever since. Their classic rock influences, combined with their upbeat punk make them one hell of a listen, that always puts me in a good mood. Black Parade takes this a step further, and is well worth a listen!

The All-American Rejects were not a band I immediately wanted to listen to. Swing Swing was, at the time, a bit cheezy for me, so I decided to give them a miss. Then I heard Move Along on the radio, and it gripped me. It Ends Tonight in an episode of Smallville was the final straw, so i got hold of this album – an absolute gem – where every track is a good listen!

Those who know me know that my favorite band of all time are Led Zeppelin. Wolfmother clearly have the same fandom and are massively influenced by arguably the greatest band of all time. This album is great when i’m in the mood for something Zeppelin-esque yet have bored myself with the Zep! Cant wait to see them live

Muse have done it again, with another cracking album this year. Not much needs to be said about one of the greatest live bands of all time. The only problem with this album is that the songs get in my head and I cant get them out again!!

Evanescence are a bit of a breath of fresh air for me, lending some nice, female vocals to the music that I love. Arguably a little cheezy, this doesnt deter me from what is ultimately another great album for the band (although still a large step behind their first outing, which is probably in the top 10 of the last 10 years).

Teddy Geiger gets an honourable mention for an easy listening album from a young (16) artist. Definately worth checking out, i’d also like to applaud him for his appearances in Love Monkey – a great show that was cancelled WAY too early. Ah well, it happens…

The Killers, after releasing one of the best albums ever have followed it up with something that, while it has the same feel, just isnt on the same level. In fact it isnt on the level below it either. Its not a bad album, but i was expecting so much more. Nevermind. Still…disappointing.

And finally, a band that need no introductions, the Arctic Monkeys. They have been over marketed, over hyped and tickets for their gigs were going at over 300quid even before they released an album. And they arent even good. In fact, they are annoying. Most overhyped band of the centuary – i think so.

So, that ends my roundup of 2006. I hope you enjoyed reading it, if you did, spread the word, as I fully intend to get this blog back up to speed now!

Until next time…

There has been many great TV shows this year, which it makes it incredibly difficult to narrow down a top 5. I’ve tried. I’ve tried very hard, but I just can’t do it!! So this is my top 10 TV shows this year:

1. Stargate (SG1 and Atlantis) [Best Sci-Fi]
2. Smallville
3. Battlestar Galactica
   
4. Veronica Mars [Best Drama]
5. Torchwood [Best Newcomer]
6. Kyle XY
7. Prison Break
8. Spooks
9. Mythbusters [Best Reality]
10. Life on Mars

Honorary Mentions: Heroes, Penn & Teller’s: Bullshit!, Pure Pwnage, Hak.5
Dishonorary Mention: Eureka

Wow… what a year! There are still shows that I havent listed that I’d really like to mention (but i wont *cough* Lost… *cough* Doctor Who… *cough*… excuse me). Anyway, where do I start?! At the top I guess!

Stargate… what can I say – possibly THE greatest Sci-Fi franchise ever. It’s got the number one spot for a simple reason, its consistant entertainment between the two franchises. I didnt think it was fair to split them up and take up two spots, so I’ve grouped them, although I must say that it’s probably more Atlantis that’s clinched it this year. This is also SG1′s swan song in a way, since it will no longer be with us soon. All I can say is thanks for the last 10 years.

What a year it has been for Smallville. Spoliers: The Green Arrow?! Amazing! Hinting at the Justice League?! Awesome. If you’re in any way a comic book fan, or know even a little bit about DC comics classic hero, this is the best season yet and definately worth checking out!

Battlestar Galactica is without doubt one of the most refreshing shows on the tv at the moment. It still really is great TV. There is in fact only one reason that it doesnt have the top spot, and that is that it has set itself such a high standard that it found it difficult to live up to in one or two episodes this season. Plus the fact that the other two shows have had me more excited about them this year! Still, its an amazing show and if you arent watching it, you’re missing out!

Veronica Mars is a new show to me this year, and I have to say, I love it. Its like the OC (which incidentally has gone massively downhill this year) mixed with Buffy, mixed with detective stuff and it works so well. Well worth a watch!

This year’s best newcomer Torchwood is a little bit of a surprise to even myself. The first ep had me thinking that they would be throwing in sex and swearing purely to shock Doctor Who audience which it was trying to capture. It has however turned out to be an excellent addition the the Doctor Who franchise, and one which in fact can hold its own. Bring on Season 2.

Kyle XY is an interesting one. A show aimed at the whole family which i found rather entertaining. I havent heard whether it’s back for a new season, but it better be, as I’m a bit on the edge of my seat!

Prison Break has been a bit of a rollercoaster this year. Last year’s winner, it has, on the whole, been great, although it has had a few ‘interesting’ episodes, and been a bit far fetched (to say the least) at times. Nevertheless, it is still an excellent show, and I cant wait to find out what happens. I do hope that they dont try and drag it into a third season however.

Spooks, another representation on the British tv front has again had an excellent season, with edge of your seat action. A new season is already in the works and I look forward to seeing it soon!

I love shows that give random bits of information that make me look clever. Mythbusters does exactly this! Adam and Jamie are consistantly funny, informative, and its just a great fun show that solves random myths that you’d never wondered about until you see them on the show!

And finally (in the top 10), Life on Mars. A show from the very start of this year, it was a surprise hit with both Sci-Fi and non-Sci-Fi fans alike. A time travelling cop, or is he just in a coma, who knows. Either way its great TV!

Now just a few words on the honorary mentions. I’ve only seen two episodes of Heroes at the time of writing, but what i’ve seen so far I like. It really appeals to my superhero fandom, so well worth watching! Penn & Teller’s Bullshit is another great informative program, while being completely biased. I dont always agree with them, but they do it in such a good manner that I just love watching it! The following two shows aren’t really TV shows, but IPTV shows. Pure Pwnage is a comedy about pro-gamers, and if you havent watched it (you n00b) you really should! Hak .5 is a tech/geek show where they show you , surprisingly how to Hak and Mod things to do with computers. If you’re into that, check it out.

The dishonary mention goes to Eureka for making me think that it had the potential to be good, but never getting there. Thanks for the wasted hours.

And thats my TV run down of 2006… Phew!

Onward!

2006 has been a big year for Games. Unfortunately, I havent played most of the big releases, opting instead to catch up with some classics that I never got around to playing. Beyond Good and Evil is a must-play for anyone who hasnt already! Never-the-less, I have played enough games this year to be able to put together my top 5!

1. The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion
2. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
3. Wii Sports
4. Lego Star Wars 2
   
5. Trackmania Sunrise
   

Well, no massive surprises there! Oblivion took up over 120hours of my life, and I still havent finished the thing. It’s almost TOO big. But what a game. I didnt like Morrowind (TES 3), but got talked into trying Oblivion by John! And am I glad he did…no! It meant that I threw nearly a week of my life away to that game! Seriously tho – cheers – it really is a great game and if you havent played it, you should.
Now, i’m nearly 10hours into Zelda, and it is giving me such a buzz. I love Zelda games – there’s just something about the way they are made, about the thrill of swinging your sword about and rescuing the princess (although i’m not actually doing that yet). The Wii control system works perfectly and I just couldnt not put this game in the number two slot, even though of only really just started it!
Wii Sports is a classic – any game that can get my parents playing, and enjoying themselves, and get a competition going between my sister and me HAS to be in this years top 5. It has its flaws, it isnt the most advanced game of all time, but it is great fun. And that’s what matters. Gaming started off with simplicity that is fun, and thats what it’ll finish as, and this fits that boat perfectly.
LSW2… it’s Star Wars, it’s Lego, it’s a fun game in which you cant die, and its better than the last one… Need i say more? I still find the vehicle levels infuriating, but hell, get this game.
Overlook the Starforce Protection (if you can), and Trackmania Sunrise is a great game. A fun driving sim that keeps you retrying tracks over and over again while not getting frustrated, what can you complain about. My only worry is that this may not have been a 2006 release, if not, I apologise! Replace it with the new one which i havent played yet, as I’m sure that’ll be just as good!

So that rounds up my games of 2006. Check back later for my TV shows and music!

Well, now that 2007 is upon us, I thought it was about time i took a look back at 2006! 2006 has been a busy year for me, with a distinct lack of blogging, however, my committment to this blog will continue once i get through the busy-ness! So, lets start the year as I mean to go on!

Movies

So, first, lets look at my top Movies of 2006:

1. V for Vendetta
2. Casino Royale
3. A Good Year
4. Superman Returns
5. X-Men III: The Last Stand

Honourable Mention: Nacho Libre, Dishonourable Mention: Ice Age 2: The Meltdown

For me it seems, 2006 was all about Comic book movies. It’s no secret that I’m a fan of comics, however, i think V for Vendetta is only in this category in the loosest sense of the word. It’s always difficult to think back over a years worth of movie going, and trying to distinguish which films you’ve seen were actually released this year, but V for Vendetta stuck in my mind as being a great film, with plenty of action and a great storyline, as well as some great acting on the part of Hugo Weaving and Natalie Portman.
Little needs to be said Casino Royale – a great film taking the bond series in a new (darker) direction. Daniel Craig was great as usual.
A surprise entry on my list is A Good Year, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Russel Crowe. Not a box office smash (155th this year according to The Movie Times) but a charming little film, which was witty, amusing and a lovely story. It was never going to be big, but I personally would really reccommend this film – if only because it’ll give you a whole different outlook on both Crowe and Scott!
Superman again needs little said, a cracking film, with some wonderful actors – Routh takes over the boots admirably, and Spacey is quite frankly an evil genious.
X3, while a little disappointing (where was Gambit?!) in living up to X2 (one of my favorite films of all time), still had what it takes to be a great film. Shame that (for now) it’s the end of the franchise – i’d have liked to see this go the way of Bond as there are just so many stories to be told, but with a Wolverine spin-off in the works, that should satisfy!
Nacho Libre gets an honourable mention simply because of Jack Black – its very funny – especially for an (ex-)wrestling fan!
Ice Age 2, for me, was more of the same of Ice Age, and I didnt like that film. When compared to Pixar’s outings, or even some of Dreamworks better films, it just doesnt hold up. I know I’m out of the intended age range (although its supposed to be a family film), it just left me coming out stale.

So, that wraps up my Movies of 2006… now onto Games…

So, this is pretty wierd…

As many of you will know, i’m currently training to be an actor. Well, i registered with Equity recently, and got my application back and membership card today. As part of this process, you have to reserve your stage name. Now, this has to be different to anyone else in the country who is registered in the entertainment business, so you have to put down three choices.

I wanted to keep my name, so my first choice was Andy Griffiths. Second choice was Andrew Phillips (as my middle name is Phillip). And my third choice was Andrew Anderson, which i came to by randomly pairing up names from the paper!

Anyway, it came back, and I’m now Andrew Anderson. Its really wierd having a name that isnt you!!! Guess I’ll get used to it tho!