Having a cool Yule

Yuletide in the Elbeno household has been quite low-key this year: just a chance to relax and enjoy the tree lights and decorations. Presents were less of a mountain and more of a molehill – we're lucky enough not to want for anything, and we didn't have the time or inclination to be excessively commercialised… Continue reading Having a cool Yule

The great Everquest giveaway

Back in the day, I used to play Everquest. Recently SoE sent me an email saying they reactivated my account for 30 days. No doubt a ploy to get people playing again. Anyway I decided to reinstall so that I could give away all my stuff languishing on my characters. 2.5k platinum donation for a… Continue reading The great Everquest giveaway

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By the way

Happy solstice to all. My calendar says it's the first day of Winter, but I'm not fooled by that.

the old boys' network

LiveJournal – with the addition of the “schools” thing it's turning into a bit of friendsreunited.com. I've added two friends: and based on the fact that we all went to the same secondary school. I wonder who they are? Odds are I knew once upon a time, since he was actually in my year.

Go Totakeke!

‘“Those industry fat cats try to put a price on my music, but it wants to be free,” the canine bard says in a dialogue bubble at the bottom of the screen, after performing and giving away “copies” of a tune.’ Just another reason we love the Animal Crossing series… teaching kids that sharing is… Continue reading Go Totakeke!

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Katamari shirts

Namco have some new Katamari shirts. I don’t think much of them, actually, except the balloon one. But I am tempted by the “Panic Designs” further down the page.

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Working Designs R.I.P.

They brought us the best of Japanese RPGs, and they did it with a passion for quality that is rare. Alundra, Lunar, Growlanser Generations, Arc the Lad, even the brutally tough Thunder Force V: Perfect System: all great titles we wouldn’t have seen otherwise. And they were one of the few software houses that cared… Continue reading Working Designs R.I.P.

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The Spike Video Game Awards

What a pile of tripe. Thank goodness I had it taped and the remote control handy – I managed to watch the two hour show in under an hour. It was even worse this year than last year. At least David Jaffe managed to inject a note of normality: God of War was probably the… Continue reading The Spike Video Game Awards

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UK vs USA

Who Love Freedom More? writes Michael Kinsley in the Washington Post. The US has a constitution to limit the power of government and protect the individual. The UK has no written constitution and a system of government where on the face of it, the individual is at the mercy of the sovereign state. Despite (or… Continue reading UK vs USA