Alternative Next Gen Consoles

As well as the Xbox One and Playstation 4 there are a number of alternative devices that are due to hit the market this year attempting to grab a piece of the lucrative console market by utilising the Android operating system.  Some of these are being developed by big technology companies such as Nvidia whilst others are being developed and brought to market by independent manufacturers via alternative funding methods like the Ouya which received it's funding via Kickstarter.

Nvidia Shield

The Shield handheld gaming device comes equipped with Nvidia's Tegra 4 Quad Core Mobile Processor, 2gb of RAM, an integrated 5 inch multi-touch display, and 16gb of flash storage.  The device runs Android's Jelly Bean operating system so the user can install games from Google's Play Store to play on the integrated screen or to output to your TV via the Mini-HDMI port on the back of the device.  As well as running Android games the Shield will give the user the ability to stream and control games from their GeForce GTX powered PC's using a wi-fi connection and will retail at $299 (no UK price has been announced yet).

Ouya

The Ouya games console will run a modified version of Android's Jelly Bean operating system and will feature an exclusive Ouya store for applications and games.  Out of the box the console will include TwitchTV, access to Onlive game streaming and will be open to rooting without validating the warranty.  In addition to this all owners will be able to use their Ouya consoles as developer kits allowing anyone to create games and applications for the device.  The system runs an Nvidia Tegra 3 system-on-chip with a 1.7 GHz Quad-Core Arm processor, 8gb flash storage, 1gb of RAM, and will plug directly into your TV via HDMI.  Every game or application on the Ouya is required to have a free component whether that be totally free, with a free trial or with in-app purchases or additional levels.  The Ouya will retail at $99 in the US and £99 in the UK.

GameStick

PlayJams GameStick console resembles a USB memory stick and plugs directly into the HDMI port of your TV allowing you to take your console anywhere you want.  The device features wi-fi allowing users to access the internet and bluetooth connectivity so up to 4 people can play simultaneously.  In addition the console will allow other Android and iOS devices to be used as controllers and will support XBMC for media streaming.  The GameStick offers similiar specs to the Ouya with an Amlogic 8726-MX system-on-chip, 1 gb of RAM, 8gb flash storage and will retail for $79 US or £79.99 UK.

MOJO

Madcatz have yet to release much in the way of details regarding their MOJO micro-console except for the fact that it will run Android (although which version is yet to be decided).  It will come with access to the Google Play store meaning you'll be able to download and play all those games you already bought on your Android phone or tablet.

Gamepop

The Gamepop console is a subscription based hardware and software solution offering mobile based gaming on your TV for $6.99 per month and, up until the end of June, this monthly cost includes the hardware also.  If you choose to cancel your subscription during the first 12 months you need to send the console back in working order and pay some re-stocking fees but after this it's yours to keep.  Specifications for the hardware haven't been shared yet but the console allows you to access more than 500 mobile games on your TV.

Steambox

There's alot of speculation out there regarding the upcoming Steambox from Valve.  At the moment there are no specifics regarding the hardware or software itself but it's expected that the hardware itself will be tightly controlled whilst the software will be open.  It's expected that the unit will ship with a Linux OS but users will be able to install Windows as an alternative OS if they want.  Xi3 revealed the Piston at the Consumer Electronics Show in January which is one of several designs that Valve are looking at for the Steambox however at $1000 you may as well build a gaming PC and use your TV as a monitor via HDMI ouput as it will work out cheaper and be more powerful. 

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Sony relaunch PS3 update 4.45 - 27th June

Sony have announced that they will be relaunching the 4.45 update for it's PS3 firmware on 27th June after the previous release negatively affected some consoles by bricking them.

After receiving complaints from some users that the update, which allowed the user to disable trophy notifications during gameplay, was causing the console to go into lockdown Sony quickly pulled the update in order to rectify the situation.  In some cases users were reporting that the power button was disabled and that they had to physically pull the plug in order to reboot their systems and, upon reboot, the PS3 logo would display but the crossbar menu was suspiciously absent.  Feedback on the official PS3 forums seem to indicate that it was only systems with a 500gb+ hard drive that were negatively affected, details of how the new update will be implemented on bricked systems are expected on 27th June also.

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Top Ten Pirated TV Shows

As this TV season draws to a close TorrentFreak have created a roundup of the most pirated TV shows this season and there are no surprises for guessing which show takes the top spot - Game of Thrones.  With over 5 million downloads for the Season 3 opening Game of Thrones saw a 25 percent increase compared to last year and was downloaded almost twice as much as it's nearest rival coming in at the number two spot.

Most downloaded TV-shows on BitTorrent, Spring 2013

Rank	Show	Est. downloads	US TV viewers
torrentfreak.com
1	Game of Thrones	5,200,000	5,500,000
2	The Big Bang Theory	2,900,000	20,000,000
3	How I Met Your Mother	2,850,000	10,510,000
4	The Walking Dead	2,700,000	12,420,000
5	Hannibal	2,100,000	4,380,000
6	Vikings	1,900,000	6,210,000
7	Arrow	1,850,000	4,140,000
8	The Vampire Diaries	1,800,000	3,180,000
9	Modern Family	1,750,000	12,520,000
10	Revenge	1,700,000	9,740,000

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How to - Program Your Sky Remote to Work Your TV

I set up my Sky+ Remote some time ago to work the functions on my TV like changing channels and adjusting the volume so we only needed the one remote most of the time.  When I got home from work today I had to set it up again as my wife had needed to remove the batteries from the remote and it's TV functions had been wiped so here's a step-by-step guide on how to do this:

First you'll need to know the 4 digit code to use to program your Remote, to get this you'll need 3 pieces of information -

• ~ The version number of your Sky+ Remote (you can find this by checking inside the battery compartment)
• ~ The manufacturer of your TV
• ~ The Model Number of your TV

Enter these 3 pieces of information into the Sky Remote Code Finder here.

Note: The Model Number is not essential to finding your code, if you don't know this information you can leave this field blank and when you press the GET MY CODE button you'll be presented with some generic manufacturer codes to try.

Next you need to program your Sky+ Remote with this code, to do this follow these steps -

• 1. Select any channel on your TV
• 2. Point your Sky+ remote away from the TV set and press the TV Button
• 3. Simultaneously hold down the Select and Red Button on the Sky+ Remote until the red light at the top flashes twice
• 4. Input the correct 4 digit number for your TV manufacturer on the Sky+ Remote then press the Select button.  The red light should blink twice more to confirm the code has been entered
• 5. Point the Sky+ Remote at the TV and try the Volume Button.

If the Volume works try some of the other functions, if these work the Sky+ Remote has been programmed correctly - bear in mind that not all TV functions will work with the Sky+ Remote.  You should be able to change the volume, turn the TV on/off (standby) by pressing the TV Button and then the Power button, and cycle through the source inputs by pressing the Help button.

Not all TV's support these functions and the Sky+ Remote cannot utilise the more advanced features of your TV such as Picture in Picture (PIP), Surround Sound, and TV Tuning.

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Part 2 - Is 2013 the year for nerd cinema?

Continuing our round up of this years must see Nerd films we take a look at the upcoming movies for the rest of this year

Despicable Me 2 (July 2013) - Steve Carell

The LONG overdue sequel to the amazing 2010 Chris Meledandri movie starring Steve Carell as villian Gru who adopts 3 young girls in an effort to fulfill his plan to steal the moon.  Gru eventually realises that family is what matters and becomes a good guy - aided by his little yellow Minions who steal the film so much that they even have their own spin off due out Christmas 2014.

Monsters University (July 2013) - John Goodman, Billy Crystal
The sequel that's actually a prequel explores the beginning of the relationship between the best scare team in the history of Monsters Incorporated - Mike Wazowski and James P. Sullivan.

It's great to see that the whole team are back for the sequel and are joined by Nathan Fillion in the role of Johnny Worthington, president of the Roar Omega Roar fraternity.



The Worlds End (July 2013) - Simon Pegg, Nick Frost

The third installment of Edgar Wright's Cornetto Trilogy looks set to storm the box office when it opens next month with many cinemas showing the previous two films back to back before a midnight premiere.  Blending equal parts Shaun of the Dead and Falling Skies the story starts with five friends attempting to re-enact a pub crawl from over 20 years earlier and unwittingly becoming the possible saviours of the entire human race!

  

The Wolverine (July 2013) - Hugh Jackman

Hopefully this X-Men spin off will prove to be far better than that god awful Wolverine Origin movie that was released in 2009, the only good part of that film was the genius casting of Liev Schrieber as Sabretooth (although it was still a shame not to see Tyler Mane return to the role).  Early photo's look promising and the fact that this is a 15 instead of a family friendly PG-13 like it's predecessor indicate we'll see a darker story and a meaner Wolverine.  Drawing from Wolverine's Japanese saga storyline, which I'm a big fan of, I'm looking forward to seeing if this Wolverine wants to shred your face or simply sleep on your lap.

Pacific Rim (July 2013) - Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba

There are three things that make this film awesome -

• ~ Guillermo Del Toro
• ~ Big fucking monsters
• ~ Big ass robots

If that doesn't give you a little wood already then you're dead from the waist down and may as well go euthanize yourself right now before you waste more oxygen.

R.I.P.D (August 2013) - Jeff Bridges, Ryan Reynolds, Kevin Bacon

Adapted from the Dark Horse comic book of the same name Reynolds plays cop Nick Cruz who joins the supernatural Rest In Peace Department after his murder.  Teamed with Bridges veteran agent Roy Pulsipher the pair protect the living from supernatural entities who refuse to pass on to the afterlife whilst attempting to track down Cruz's killer.

Kick-Ass 2 (August 2013) - Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jim Carrey, Christopher Mintz-Plasse
Taylor-Johnson returns in the titular role joining forces with Colonel Stars and Stripes (played by Jim Carrey) to patrol the city and protect the innocent.  Meanwhile Hit-Girl (Moretz) has 'retired' and is trying to enjoy a normal life and supervillian Red Mist (Mintz-Plasse) reinvents himself as The Mother Fucker and attempts to exact revenge on Kick-Ass for killing his father.

RED 2 (August 2013) - Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren
Following on from the previous film Frank Moses (Willis) is trying to lead a normal life, again, when he's notified that Interpol are hunting for him.  In the process of trying to clear his name he has to disarm a nuclear device in Russia, fend off the amorous advances of an old flame, and avoid being assassinated... all in a days work apparently.

Elysium (August 2013) - Matt Damon, Jodie Foster
Neill Blomkamp's follow up film to 2009's hugely successful District 9 this sci-fi actioner will follow similiar themes to those explored in D9 such as immigration, health care, and class separation.  Set in a not too distant dystopian future the rich live on a crime free floating city called Elysium whilst everyone else struggles to survive on a dirty, crowded, Earth far below.

Riddick - Rule the Dark (September 2013) - Vin Diesel
Back to an 'R' rating in the states the new Riddick movie looks alot like a re-hash of the original Pitch Black with Riddick fighting nasty alien beasties in the dark.  Set after Chronicles Diesel's third outing see's him betrayed and left for dead on a desolate planet fighting off bounty hunters attracted by the price on his head.  Karl Urban has been confirmed to reprise his role as Vaako from Chronicles so it will be interesting to see how Twohy and Diesel rounded off the Necromonger's story arc from the last movie.

Machete Kills (September 2013 (US)) - Danny Trejo, Michelle Rodriguez, Mel Gibson

Danny Trejo returns as ex-Federale Machete in Robert Rodriguez second Mexploitation flick which features more over the top action and an equally over the top plot.  Mel Gibson joins the cast as the billionaire arms dealer hell bent on starting World War 3 that Machete is sent to stop by the American president (played by Charlie Sheen).  Jessica Alba and Michelle Rodriguez reprise their roles from the original film and there's even a place for Sofia Vergara, Alexa Vega, and Lady Gaga?!?

Oldboy (October 2013 (US)) - Josh Brolin
Spike Lee's remake of the cult Korean film and Manga of the same name has received positive feedback from viewings of an early rough cut.  Josh Brolin plays the lead role of an executive who is incarcerated in solitary confinement for 20 years with no reason given and is then, just as suddenly, released.

Hopefully this remake will be better than the terrible remakes of other cult asian cinema classics like Ringu, Ju-on, and The Eye.

Thor: The Dark World (October 2013) - Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston
Hemsworth reprises the role of Thor for his third outing as the God of thunder.  Set approximately one year after the end of The Avengers movie Thor must battle Malekith the Accursed (played by Christopher Eccleston) and his army of Dark Elves in order to save the Nine Realms.  Hiddleston returns as Thor's adopted brother Loki, Portman returns as the love interest Jane Foster and we get to discover more of Asgard and it's inhabitants.

Ender's Game (October 2013) - Asa Butterfield, Ben Kingsley, Harrison Ford

Never having read the books I've not been caught up in the hype of this one but considering the following for the series it seems only right to include it here.

The series follows Ender Wiggin, a shy but brilliant boy as he's recruited by the military to help defeat a race of aliens called the Formics who have attacked Earth.  The trailer looks stunning and, considering the wealth of source material, this could be another Harry Potter franchise.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (November 2013) - Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson
The second film in the series continues the story of Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark after their victory at the 74th Annual Hunger Games when they must embark on a victory tour as rebellion stirs in the districts.

I enjoyed the first film but didn't understand why everyone raved about it so much, it pretty much stole the idea of kids fighting each other in a TV show from Battle Royale and didn't manage to do it with quite so much style.  I hope Catching Fire is better than the first film but I won't be rushing out to see it.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (December 2013) - Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen

I'm going to make an admission here... I still haven't seen The Hobbit yet.  I want to see it but, with a baby, finding three hours of time to watch a film is pretty difficult, in addition to that I'm unsure how Peter Jackson can take a book considerably smaller than the Lord of the Rings trilogy and make it into a series of 3 films of nearly 3 hours each.

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (December 2013) - Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate
I don't know how to put this but... this films kind of a big deal.

Set 10 years after the original Anchorman this film finds the news team disbanded and at rock bottom until they are recruited for a 24 hour cable news show in New York City.  Prepare for the triumphant return of Ron, Brian, Champ, and Brick (not forgetting Baxter of course) - News Team Assemble!!!!

An honourable mention goes to Sin City: A Dame to Kill For which was due for release in October 2013 but was pushed back to August 2014 whilst this post was being written which sucks but does give us more to look forward to next year.

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Ghouls, Ghosts, and Dark Souls

Recently, when I've had a some spare time, I've been picking up my PS3 controller and having another bash at Dark Souls.  The games name is synonymous with difficulty and when you mention it to other gamers you can tell by their pained expression that they've played it and ultimately loved it, or, got so frustrated with it they've thrown their controller through the telly.  Dark Souls has a reputation for a high learning curve and YOU WILL DIE... ALOT... OFTEN but such is the nature of this game, if games were easy to defeat would we still be willing to part with our hard earned wedge for them???  I've seen games where people have paid £40, completed them the same day, and then traded them in or simply never played them again, where is the fun, where is the challenge???  This is part of the reason that I play games on Hard difficulty, to make them last longer... if I'm investing that much money in something I want it to last, I want it to make me frustrated but at the same time I want it to show me that it's not stupidly difficult and that progressing is more about skill than luck so that when I do eventually get past Boss X after the 137th attempt I feel that sense of achievement for a job well done.

So, did this yearning for games with a steep learning curve start with Dark Souls?  No.

It started way back in 1990 when as a young boy of 12 years old, my parents and I had taken a trip to Ross Records in North End, Portsmouth.  This was quite an event for me at the time as it took nearly an hour in the car from where I lived and parking was always difficult on Fratton Road but this was the only shop to trade in used consoles and games in my local area at this time.  Considering the infrequency with which we made this trip I always tried to make these journeys count, scouring the racks of pre-owned Sega Megadrive and Sega Mastersystem games (the Mastersystem was mine whilst the Megadrive was my parents but they let my sister and I play it so technically it was ours and my parents knew it but they just wouldn't admit it) for those elusive bargains and games that would last until we made the journey again.  Then one day I saw a box that promised everything I was looking for (and was interested in at the time, remember I was 12 and hadn't discovered girls yet) - knights, demons, and the undead all wrapped up in platformy goodness and, luckily for me, they hadn't introduced age restrictions on games yet so there were no issues with me buying it... so I did.  I took it home and immediately slotted the cartridge into my (I mean my parents) Megadrive, picked up the controller, pressed Start, watched the intro, and then died.  Not literally of course, that would mean I'm typing this from beyond the grave and haunting you by means of the internet and we all know that's full of cats and not ghosts, my character, Arthur, died.  I tried again, got a little further, died again.  Lather, rinse, repeat... this went on for several hours, passing the initial stage, getting past the guillotines, onto the wind stage with those irritating flying reaper things.  Eventually I saw the first boss, a giant green one-eyed monster who held his head with one hand and... you guessed it... I died.  Considering there were 6 stages in this game, limited continues, and a two hit and you die health system, this was a pattern that continued for some time but I was hooked.  I did eventually defeat the game and it consistently remains one of my favourite games to play because it's so easy to pick up and get in to but seriously difficult to master.

So, if anyone wonders why I love Dark Souls, and why I play games on Hard mode, they can thank Capcom for getting me hooked on near impossible games at such a young age.

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Xbox U-Turn

So it seems that either sometimes big businesses do listen to their customers or simply bow to pressure from the industry as it appears Microsoft have done a complete U-turn on their recent announcement regarding online checks and second hand games.

In a post on the Xbox website Don Mattrick has announced that:

Xbox One will no longer require an online check every 24 hours

You will be able to sell, lend, and rent games without any restrictions and the console will have no regional restrictions

The full announcement can be found here and is a major and very embarrassing change of stance for Microsoft the question really is whether they've backtracked because of the customer complaints or because they're worried about losing market share to Sony.

If the change is down to consumer complaints I wonder how much we need to complain to get them to change their minds on backwards compatibility??

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Part 1 - Is 2013 the year for nerd cinema?

This is a massive year for nerd film lovers everywhere with a whole glut of awesome looking movies due for release and no fewer than NINE comic book adaptations being released over the course of the year.  In addition to these comic book adaptations there's some rebooted franchises, re-imaginings of cult movies, and  some long awaited sequels.

Bullet to the Head (Feb 2013) - Sylvester Stallone
Based on the graphic novel Headshot (Du Plomb Dans La Tête) by French writer Alexis Nolent, 2012's Bullet to the Head stars Stallone as a hitman who joins forces with a police detective to take down a common enemy when their respective partners are killed.  

It received a score of 48/100 on Metacritic with it's generic plot and back-to-the-80's action, it's the action movie equivelant of Marmite - you either love it or hate it.



Warm Bodies (February 2013) - Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer
Starring Nicholas Hoult (the awkward duck killing Marcus Brewer from About a Boy) Warm Bodies is adapted from the novel of the same name.  Zombie, R, spends his days wandering around an abandoned airport with his fellow zombies until one day he sees Julie and is drawn to her.

Billed as a zombie romance and with a Metacritic score of 59/100 it received mixed, but mostly positive, reviews and I'm including it here cos I'm a sucker for a good zombie flick.

-,

A Good Day to Die Hard (February 2013) - Bruce Willis

The return of everyone's favourite vest wearing supercop the fifth outing for John McClane moved the action from the US to Russia in a bid to breathe new life into the franchise.  Focusing more on family, relationships and attempting to develop the characters of McClane and his son the film swings from (almost) hallmark moments between the pair to overly long chase scenes and by the book gun fights.  A disappointing part of a franchise I dearly love but I guess Hans Gruber can only have so many brothers... To be fair though I did only watch half of it, the rest I was asleep for - not surprising considering the Metacritic score of 28/100 with only one positive review.

Oz: The Great and Powerful (March 2013) - James Franco

A re-imagining (and a prequel of sorts) to the much loved classic The Wizard of Oz tells the story of small time magician Oscar Diggs who finds himself transported to the land of Oz.  Passing himself off as a great Wizard he's soon drawn into a power struggle between three rival witches.

With a Metacritic score of 44/100 it received many mixed reviews from critics but favourable reviews from cinemagoers.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation (March 2013) - Channing Tatum, The Rock, Bruce Willis

Another comic book movie and a sequel to 2009's G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra which, suprisingly, wasn't that terrible but neither was it anything outstanding either.  The forever delayed sequel adds the star power of The Rock and Bruce Willis to try to make it bigger and better than it's predecessor which it appears to have achieved as it managed to score a Metacritic rating of 41 compared to the first films 32.  G.I. Joe is a dearly loved and very major franchise in the US and any attempt to bring it to the screen was always going to get met with some fairly harsh criticism by the fans but at the end of the day this film does exactly what it promises to do - it blows shit up and doesn't take itself too seriously whilst it's doing it.

Evil Dead (April 2013) - Jessica Lucas

I'm a HUGE fan of Sam Raimis original Evil Dead series so an attempt to remake any them was always going to be met with a massive amount of skepticism from yours truly.  At the moment I've not seen it, partly because I love the original so much I don't want this one to foul the experience of watching one of my favourite horror movies and partly because it's Metacritic reviews vary so wildly from 'It's everything a horror movie should be' to 'starts well but soon degenerates into tiresome shock gore'

Iron Man 3 (May 2013) - Robert Downey Jr, Ben Kingsley, Gwyneth Paltrow

Robert Downey Juniors third solo outing as the man in the iron suit, I've yet to see this film but am really looking forward to it as I've heard good things about it and can't wait to see Sir Ben Kingsley as The Mandarin.  Whether it's the script or Downey Junior as the smug yet charismatic Tony Stark I'm not sure but this is one of my favourite Marvel franchises even though I was never a huge fan of the comic books when I was growing up preferring Spiderman over Iron Man.

Star Trek Into Darkness (May 2013) - Chris Pine, Benedict Cumberbatch

Writing this has got me realising just how many films I've missed this year so far and the new Star Trek is one of those, JJ Abrams sequel to 2009's amazing franchise reboot promises more of the same but with the addition of Benedict Cumberbatch (who seems to be everywhere at the moment).  I'm looking forward to seeing how Abram's continues the new alternate universe he created with the time travelling Romulan planet killers from the first film.

Man of Steel (June 2013) - Henry Cavill, Amy Adams
The trailer for Zack Snyder's reboot of the Superman franchise promises all sorts of awesomeness with Henry Cavill donning the red cape to battle Michael Shannon's Kryptonian uber-baddie General Zod.  Going on Snyder's previous comic book adaptations (Watchmen, 300) you can expect the visuals to be jaw droppingly awesome and for the story to stick pretty close to it's source material.

I was never a big fan of Superman as I prefer my heroes to have a bit of a dark side (like Batman) but I'm pretty excited about this one!!!

World War Z (June 2013) - Brad Pitt
I really enjoyed the source novel when I read it so am looking forward to seeing how it's been adapted into a movie considering the book was written as a collection of individual accounts and records of a ten year battle against the zombies which seemed pretty difficult to adapt.

The film stars Pitt as Gerry Lane a retired UN employee who travels the world trying to find a cure to the zombie pandemic sweeping the earth.

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Android Movie Player

For this little How To you'll need several things -

• ~ A device running Android (a tablet would be preferable unless you don't mind watching films on a teeny tiny phone screen)
• ~ Access to Googles Play Store
• ~ Some video files (any format is fine)

Out of the box Android only supports a limited number of video formats (3gp, mp4, mkv) which makes it a pain when trying to watch those videos and TV shows you may have downloaded from somewhere on the internet that aren't in a supported format (i.e. avi files).  Using a couple of apps we can make your Android device into an awesome looking media player that plays all those other formats and will be the envy of your fellow commuters.

1) Copy some video files you want to watch on to your Android device.  I prefer to separate Movies and TV Shows into different directories using the following directory structure on my PC and other devices:

This is the standard directory structure for most Media Server software and it's worth maintaining this structure if you want to implement a Media Server later.

2) Download and install Mizuu

This is a paid app but it's very reasonably priced (£1.29) very powerful, and there's not really anything free which offers an alternative to it although I wouldn't recommend anything other than this anyway.  Mizuu will download metadata and images for your TV Shows and Movies and display them with covers, backdrops, actor information, and trailers.  It even has links to enable you to view details and trailers of upcoming movies and videos on sharing sites like Youtube, Reddit, and Ted Talks and basically creates an awesome looking UI for you to access your files.

3) Download and install BSPlayer or BSPlayer Free

Whilst Mizuu will be the front-end BS Player will be the back-end and will play our video files, the reason we use this software is because it's one of the few which will also play non-native video files (such as AVI files) and transcodes on the fly with no lag in audio that you see on other players.  The main difference between BS Player and it's free version is the ad support, although this normally only appears when you pause the video (so it's relatively unobtrusive) but if you like the software you should pay for it to ensure it's continued support and development.

4) Go in to Mizuu and set up the locations for your Movie files and TV files in the settings, if Mizuu downloads the incorrect metadata and visuals for your files it's simple to change by tapping on the poster for the Movie or TV Show and then tapping the menu icon in the top right corner.

5) Once you've set up your folders and downloaded your metadata/visuals go into one of your Movies or TV Shows and click the Play button.  Android should give you a choice of media player you want to use to play the video file, select BS Player from the available options and then select ALWAYS so you never have to see this option again.

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Is old the new new?

If you know anything about the gaming world or anyone remotely interested in it, and to be fair if you know anyone with a penis then you do, you'll be aware that the E3 exhibition was held last week and, with it, came the reveal of the new Xbox and Sony consoles.  In fact unless you've been doing a Robinson Crusoe and have been stranded on a desert island eating nothing but coconut stew for every meal whilst talking to a volleyball there's a pretty good chance you've heard something about either of them in the news.

What hasn't really been publicised much, unless you move in certain gamer circles, is the upcoming release for Hyperkin's RetroN5 console.  This isn't just a pure gamers console it's actually 9 consoles in one box!!!  Whilst the likes of Sony, Microsoft, and the rest of the world have been looking to the future these guys have been looking to the past and have created a Frankenstein's monster that can play original NES, SNES, Famicom, Super Famicom, Game Boy, Game Boy Colour, Game Boy Advance, Sega Megadrive, and Sega Genesis cartridges.  Unlike other retro emulating consoles of the past the Retron5 utilises software based emulation rather than the cloned hardware emulation of the previous iterations making it more flexible and able to offer more features.  Based on the Android Operating System the Retron5 will offer upscaled graphics output through the HDMI port on the back, improved sound through audio interpolation, and will allow users to save their games at any point (auto saving on shutdown so you can come back to your game at a later date and pick up right where you left off).

The Retron5 console has a total of 6 different controller ports so hardcore retro gamers can use their original pads to play or can use the wireless Bluetooth controller that comes with the console and, due to the software emulation, the user isn't even limited to using a console specific pad so you can use your favourite Megadrive pad to play Super Mario World till your hearts content.

How much for all this Retro goodness I hear you ask?  No official price yet but Hyperkin say it'll be less than $100 so expect it to be around £80 - £100 if it launches in the UK (or if you can find one on EBay) and it's expected to launch this summer so dust off your old cartridges.

What this means for the price of those retro consoles currently selling on EBay remains to be seen, will they hold their price or will their value drop making them more affordable for collectors?  No doubt the value of these cartridges for the emulated consoles will go up due to an increased demand so if there are any you want ready it may be better to look for them online now.

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How to - Set up a Static IP Address

This is going to be a quick and dirty tutorial regarding setting up a Static IP address in Windows 7 partly as this will come in handy for a future tutorial I'm preparing but also because it's kind of handy to know.

What is an IP Address?
An IP Address is pretty much like a telephone number for your computer, any device attached to a network will be given an IP Address by the Router that they are connected to and allows devices attached to the network identify each other.  Every device should have a different IP Address, devices with the same IP Address will not work on the network and you'll see the error message "IP Address conflict with another system on the network"

An IP Address will follow this format 000.000.000.000

Static and Dynamic IP Addresses
Most personal Routers assign Dynamic IP Addresses to devices when they join the network.  Each Router effectively contains the same list of IP Addresses and assigns the next Address on the list to the devices as they connect.  Sometimes the Router gets confused when more than one device attempts to connect at exactly the same time and assigns both devices the same IP Address causing an IP Address conflict.  You may also find that some wireless devices (e.g. printers) are assigned a Dynamic IP Address when you first set them up but if your Router resets and assigns it a different IP Address your PC will fail to find it and you'll need to reinstall the drivers to get it working again.  This can be a major pain in the ass and can be resolved by simply assigning the device a Static IP Address which is exactly what it says on the tin, a device set up with a Static IP address will ALWAYS be assigned the address from the list that has been assigned to it by the administrator.

Why use Static IP Addresses?
Aside from saving you the ball ache of having to reinstall drivers for network devices every time their Dynamic IP Address has been reset when your shitty ISP provided Router has reset itself for the fiftieth time?  If you have lots of devices attached to your home network and, lets face it, most of us do nowadays (PC, Laptop, Console, Tablet, Television, Blu-ray Player, Printer, Smartphone, Kitchen Sink) that's alot of devices requesting an address every time your Router resets and this can cause an IP Address conflict.  Setting a Static IP Address for a few key devices (everything if you want but 99% of the time this isn't necessary) can ensure that your network chugs along happily to itself while you browse for porn... err... I mean the latest info on games and stuff.

How to set up a Static IP Address
Now to the meat and bones... before setting a Static IP Address on your device there are several bits of information that you will need to know so go grab a pen and paper... I'll wait... done?  Okay, here we go.  We're going to need the:

• ~ IPv4 Address
• ~ Subnet Mask
• ~ Default Gateway
• ~ DNS Server

and we're going to get them by following these simple steps:

1) Open the START menu and look for the Search Programs and Files box

2) Click in the box and type CMD then press ENTER, this will bring up the Command Prompt Window

3) Type ipconfig /all in the window and press ENTER, you may see alot of information scroll up very quickly but you can just maximise the window to read it all

4) Write down the 4 things we needed from earlier then type exit and press ENTER to close the window

From here I describe how to assign a Static IP Address to a PC however the process is not that different for other devices on your network

5) Open the START menu again but this time click on CONTROL PANEL

6) Under the Network and Internet heading click on View Network Status and Tasks

7) On the sidebar to the left of the window left click on Change Adapter Settings

8) On the next screen right click on your network adapter and select Properties from the list

9) From the window that opens left click on Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IP v4) then click on the Properties button

10) The next screen is where we assign our Static IP Address.  If the radio button for Obtain an IP Address Automatically is clicked and the rest of the boxes are empty then we're good to go, however if the Use the following IP Address button is clicked and the boxes are full then this has already been done for you and you can exit out now.

If you're continuing with assigning a Static IP Address the first thing you're going to need to do is enter the Static IP Address you've chosen in the IP Address box.  The first 3 sets of numbers should be the same as the first 3 sets for your Default Gateway with only the last 3 digits being changed - these last 3 digits should be in the range from 1 to 254.  Dynamic IP Addresses are assigned in ascending order so you're safest using a section from the highest range of numbers (e.g. from 200+ as a reserved range of Static IP Addresses).

Next enter the Subnet Mask, Default Gateway, and DNS Server information you found earlier into their relevant boxes.  Once done click OK to leave this screen and we're all done.

If you find you have difficulty accessing the internet with your Static IP Address try calling your ISP to check the DNS Server details, they should have this information to hand and will be able to tell you the correct details to use.

Setting a Static IP Address on a Wireless Device
Like setting a Static IP Address on your PC you will need most of the same information for setting a Static IP Address on your Wireless Devices.  You'll need the Subnet Mask, Default Gateway, and DNS Server information but you'll also need the Dynamic IP Address your Router has currently assigned to the device.  With most Wireless devices there is normally some sort of configuration menu where you can view the current IP Address and a browser based network administrator panel that you can log in to and adjust various settings.

Get the IP Address from your device and then open your Web Browser and type the IP Address into the Web Address bar at the top of the page, if you need to log in with a username and password refer to your device manual for this information.  Once in look for a Network tab, left click on it once and then look for a setting named something like IPv4 and click on it.  Once in you should see the option to choose Automatic or Manual IP, select Manual IP and refer to Step 10 above (you may not need to enter the DNS Server details for this), save and exit.  If you've just done this to a Wireless Printer then you may need to re-install your drivers again so that they point to the IP Address you've just assigned to it but this should be the last time you ever need to do it.

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Gifts for the Nerd Dad

Whilst it seems unlikely, some of us do actually manage to find a member of the opposite sex (or same sex - whatever floats your boat) who is actually enamoured by our nerdiness... in my case my wife tolerates it (mostly cos I fix her laptop and spreadsheets for work).   Sometimes we're even lucky enough that we spawn offspring that may end up being as nerdy as us and in recognition of those lucky few here's some gifts that might go down well with the Nerd Dad on Fathers Day.

The 8-bit Tie

Because Dad's have day jobs and sometimes pocket protectors aren't quite enough to demonstrate just how big a nerd you are.  This tie comes in a pixelated 8-bit style in either red or blue and can be found at ThinkGeek

Can also be teamed with the 8-bit Sunglasses for the full retro effect.




Jedi Bath Robe
Allow Dad to act out his Star Wars dreams with this luxurious Jedi Bath Robe styled like the one worn by Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars (the original with Sir Alec Guinness not Ewan McGregor).

Available from ThinkGeek it also comes in Sith style for the Dad with a bit of a dark side.





GeekDad Book

This 272 page tome of awesomeness comes filled to the brim with a host of activities and projects for you and your Nerd Dad so he can share his love of all stuff nerdy with you and you can learn something (cos we all know the school system nowadays isn't quite what it used to be).

Worth picking up if only for the Cyborg Jack-O-Lanterns and the 'Best Slip and Slide Ever' from Amazon.

If you enjoy this consider picking up the companion books in the series.

Sex Panther Aftershave

Your Nerd Dad probably has plenty of aftershave but none quite like Sex Panther from Firebox.com!!!  It's illegal in nine countries*, it's made with bits of real panther**, and 60% of the time it works every time***

It's probably best that you don't buy your Dad this unless you seriously want a little brother or sister and you don't mind early bed times with your head buried under the pillow.
*This is made up
** I hope this is made up
*** It's like Old Spice on steroids so this is probably true (and no-one needs to be on a horse)

Gourmet Coffee

Not just any gourmet coffee, this is Civet Coffee (or Kopi Luwak) which is guaranteed not to taste like shit despite the fact it's made from beans extracted from the poop of the Sumatran Civet.  Responsibly sourced from free range Civet's (that's right - someone gets paid to go searching through cat crap for these beans) and then delicately roasted this is one of the most expensive coffee blends in the world.

Make Dad's day, give him a cup of shit coffee from Firebox.com


Zombie Experience Day

If your Dad's one of those who never misses an episode of The Walking Dead (and who would to be fair... it's an awesome show!) but mutters his way through it about being able to survive a zombie apocalypse?  Then give him a chance to prove it with a Zombie Experience Day from Wish.co.uk

Send him to Zombie Bootcamp to learn how to fight the undead horde then relax safe in the knowledge that should the dead rise and start snacking on your nearest and dearest Dad will be well equipped to save you from becoming a Happy Meal with legs.

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