Performancing back online?

Since the changes to blogger, I have not been able to use the excellent extension to Firefox: Performancing.

With the release of version 1.3.5, perhaps I can now blog from within Firefox... so testing, testing!

Well it worked... but it added an unwanted footer, spaced things badly and made the text way too small. Hopefully I can fix those things.

bloody iTunes

Since apple released iTunes version 7 I have experienced a number of problems (this is the Windows XP version).

Firstly I found that it regularly forgot previous authorisations. Yes it is easy enough to re-authorise but it is also easy not to notice. Sync your iPod without checking if the PC is still authorised and you will find your iPod has had all iTunes shop sourced material removed. Irritating.

With the latest version (7.0.2) I have found it is ignoring my previously created iTunes setup. I.e. goodbye ratings, album art & playlists.

I expect more from Apple. This is extremely disappointing.

Steam & UBI

On the face of it Steam is a great idea.

In reality, on new game days their servers are overwhelmed. They never seem to plan for the inevitable much needed extra capacity.

Then there are the numerous very odd bugs that usually require the end user to engage in local butchery of their own PC settings & applications in order to satisfy the god of steam.

And since you cannot play new games until the god of steam lets you, you can be stuck for some indeterminate time waiting for 'activation'.

I have just acquired Dark Messiah. No place on the box does it indicate that I need to use Steam to play the single player game. There is a comment regarding broadband for multiplayer, but no indication of a dependancy for single player.

Currently the god of steam is downloading for Dark Messiah. It is currently at 3% and running at 479 kb/s. Having just installed 7GB from the DVD why do I need to (it appears) download the game contents all over again? And yes this is for the single player game.

Perhaps I should have avoided the multi-player element but curiousity got the better of me.

And then there is UBI. I have an account with UBI. It is quite old and I cannot remember my login details. So I attempted to retrieve said password. I was told 'no such account'. So naturally I attempted to create a new account and was told 'already an account with that email address'.

UBI ahd EA have reputations for being incompetant. I guess this remains true. It is a shame that these companies have developed such arrogance that they have utterly lost a customer focus (assuming they ever had one in the first place).

I HATE PCs

My lack of posting is down to losing the disk on what is now my main PC. The Seagate on it went tits up and that was that.

It now has a new disk and I am working from it now. But all is not well.

For starters all my Native Instruments software refuses to register. 'Error ID 5' is the result and so far NI have not provided me with a solution. So in due course my software will cease to function. Annoyed? Oh yes.

Play time

Decided to have a bit play with some of the sounds in Absynth. I can't make up my mind with Absynth. It can produce some interesting sounds but getting a more traditional synth noise out of it is not really it's forte.

Some doodling later and I have a track that may or may not go someplace. I will just have to work on it.

Absynth 4 is about to be released. The update/upgrade doesnt seem too costly so I will probably go for it. Live 6 first however.

Meanwhile Native Instruments are about to release Massive which looks more like the kind of thing I would like. Of course what I really want is the Virus TI but that will have to wait a wee while. Next year I hope. Early next year. The Virus is quite simply awesome. It delivers on several 'needs': a nicely sized keyboard (61 keys) and provides a immensely powerful voice & fx generator. It is a must have. Did I mention it can do all its audio over USB? That it plugs into your DAW via VST?

Knowing my luck they will discontinue it just before I can buy it.

The Mouse Wheel

Once in a while I get seriously frustrated attempting to make fine adjustments on some VST/DAW or other music software. Sure I could spend some time binding my Axiom to the damn thing but I would rather be writing than programming.

The quick and easy solution is right there. On most of our rodent pointers. Its called a mouse wheel. Why oh why oh why isnt the wheel used for control?

Well first up it seems that most instruments dont allow sliders, knobs and the rest to take 'focus'. And those that do ignore the wheel anyway.

Or maybe this is a Logitech mouse user problem since that is what I point with.

Sigh.

Are you listening DAW & VST makers?

Bloody tired

Having got all excited about the OP-X, I have not even got near it to make a noise.

I am so damn tired at the moment. Not a good feeling for creativity.

It is easy to write about negative stuff. And tired as I am, that is what is foremost in my mind. Work. Life. The Universe. Everything.

I need some serious downtime and relaxation. No hassles and stresses. Of course that is not going to happen. You just have to get on with it and weather spikes of 'bad things happening'.

OP-X: Virtual Oberheim

A VST simulation of the classic OB-X:



This is such an awesome synth - I simply cannot wait to get tweaking!

Better beta?

Time for something new. The beta blogger is now the underlying tech for my blog and I am going to be 'playing' a little with the new features.

Please try not to notice.

Revolution State 2

Now that I have had time to listen to the album all I can say is wow. 'Ec0-Terror' must be a classic whatever the case, it is now on my favs list.

Do yourself a favour and buy this album!

More info here: revstate.com

I would post you an iTunes link but they never seem to work.

Revolution State

Well how could I resist with VAC screaming check them out? So I did.

And lo and behold their album Revolution State vs NoiseKatt is on iTunes.



If you like a heavy, dark techno-industrial sound, you will surely like this.

Audio Recovery

I am gradually recovering some material I recorded with Frank what must have been around 1989? 1990? I really can't remember.

It brings back memories. That was a fun time... all the struggles with dodgy MIDI cables. Dodgy PA systems that could never quite cope with our backline. A terrifying trip in high winds to Frank's hometown and the desperate run home.. desperately trying to stay awake!

The tape has lots of sentimental value for both Frank and myself. Happy days.

I am also learning more about Sony's SoundForge 8. It seems a rather complex piece of kit and I have much to learn methinks. Oh well. Better get on with it.

xdrive

I have just set up an account with xdrive. First 30 days free.

I am hoping this service will provide the means to share material with Frank so we can get this collaboration thing moving.

As ever, time will tell.

The Goth test

Hrm... could be right...

You scored as Industrial/Rivet-Head. You're a rivet-head. You like industrial music, warehouses, and you are a minion of the machines. Click on my name to take my other tests if you liked this one. Industrial/Rivet-Head 54% Anything-Goes Goth 50% Understanding Outsider 33% Fantasy Goth 33% Romantic Goth 25% Ethereal Goth 21% Death Rocker 21% Old-school Goth 17% Cyber-goth 13% Confused Outsider 0% Perky Goff 0% What subcategory of Goth best fits you? created with QuizFarm.com

Doing my bit

MySpace Chug

I have a MySpace entry but boy is that site overloaded. Or at least that is how I read the incredibly long load times and malfunctioning web toys.

I suspect that the site will suffer an exodus unless they deal with the poor performance.

And they want to sell unsigned bands music? I can't see it working unless they get serious about some kit to support the activity. Watch this space eh? Well. MySpace.

Guitar woes

Not that I ever liked the damn thing, but my Washburn KC70 is knackered. No sound so I guess something 'technical' is broke. I suppose I could get it fixed. Or. I could just explore using samples. Hey if its good for the Young Gods its gotta be good for me. Right?

Meantime I am starting to explore some of the other 'soft' synths. Lets talk Reason.

Reason is my workhorse. My musical Swiss Army Knife. I use it all the time and I use it first. It is so easy to use and is pretty much all I could use if I were so inclined. There is one small chink in Reasons armour. The sound quality just isnt quite right. It is hard to put my finger on it but it lacks that sparkle. That something special that makes it stand out.

I do feel a bit of a nit picker saying this. It is SUCH a good tool. And you cannot argue with how very little it costs your PC in CPU cycles. But the sound isnt quite there.

So I have started to use Absynth 3. I first used it on a bass sound for a track and that change rescued the track. It really lifted the whole thing. Absynth loves CPU though so use sparingly. The quality of its sounds encourage you to go overboard but do that and your system will be brought to its knees.

Oh and 80% of the supplied sound libary is junk. Why do they assembly libraries full of demo cak?

Next up: Kontakt 2 and guitar samples.

Hurrah!

At last... iTunes have Velvet Acid Christ and Razed in Black. About bloody time. So along with the forthcoming new FLA album I will have plenty to listen to.

Just as soon as I can afford it of course.

Back into music

I have not touched a musical instrument in about 11 years.

And now I have a full virtual instrument setup, including Guitar Rig for playing my guitar. It is remarkable how things have evolved over the past 11 years but not surprising. The indications were there even then. Now I have no excuse for not realising some of my wilder ideas. The virtual world is so much more plastic and ready for manipulation. Throw in the years that the software vendors have had to refine workflow and you have some very effective and mature kit.

I just need to learn to use it. And use it well. It is a fairly steep learning curve but this curve is fun. I will post up accounts for each of the software as I get into it and experience the inevitable problems and revelations.

Something to actually write about for a change!

Heathrow again

At least I have a room tonight. Not the usual conferance converta-room.
20 mins and no sign of my grub. Oh well.
At least I have Juffs Descent to watch.
Oh and 5 quid for a glass of wine? Ouch.
This joint has apparently got new owners. They seem to think using Italian names on the menu is somehow an improvement. It just irritates.
Kents book 'Data and reality' entertains while I wait.

Voice in the wilderness

If you are a fan of the Rainbow 6 series on PC then chances are you are crying in your beer right now. UBI seem to have the remarkable talent of taking perfectly good, often unique game franchises and reducing them to dumbed down console kiddie fluff.

It happened with Ghost Recon and now sadly, with R6. Well... except for this guy. Presumably on UBI happy pills or something. Boy is he in for a shock when they wear off.

Fortunately I checked the demo first. The similarities to SWAT 4 are the first thing to impress. If impress is the right word. Well. Actually. No it is not.

Lockdown sports the most incredibly stupid AI ever. In fact I suspect UBI must have had to work extra hard just to make it that dumb. The best thing you can do when you get into the game is execute your team. It will make the mission more achievable.

Then there are the spawn boxes. Empty rooms full of bad guys who pop out when you cross some trigger point. Dear god... this is the 21st century! The previous PC version of Rainbow featured some of the most immersive and complex real-looking environments. And bad-guy placement.

Lockdown is locked-down in console mode.

This bodes ill for forthcoming titles in the Ghost Recon and Splinter Cell franchises. UBI are real hit 'n' miss. But they are not alone.

The PC has far more flexibility and for the most part, a more discerning gaming public. My suspicion is that game software houses and publishers are opting for the cheapest route to market. I don't think they have woken up to the risk of losing one platform for the sake of economics. Then again I don't have the numbers in front of me. Perhaps quick releases of console ports makes economical sense. Afterall these games still sell and perhaps they sell enough - perhaps more than enough - to justify their existance. If this is the case then as far as people like me are concerned, the PC game platform ceases to be of interest.

I will stop buying games. Stop upgrading my PC.

Will that matter? With a new generation of gamers trying PC games for the first time will they notice? Will they care when the experience is little different on a console and that console is way cheaper?

For the first time I do begin to see that there might be an end to games on the PC in the coming years.

Oh well time to get back onto the Apple platform again.




Technorati Tags: pc game, Rainbow 6 lockdown,

If hblogger won't work

Perhaps email will.

Only problem with this if memory serves is the crap added by Vodafone.

[ Wow. No crap. ]

hblogger

Well the Treo has been updated ok. So I thought I would get hblogger to work.

When I first installed it I had problems connecting and in the effort to get GPRS working rather neglected to return to hblogger. Having updated the Treo, trying hblogger was the first thing I did.

First up I discovered that the 'alt' key doesnt work. Marvelous if your username includes an underline character. I got around that using MobileWrite.

Now I find I cannot connect due to my account details not being recognised... no access. No permissions. Etc. I wonder what hblogger uses for the rpc URL? Don't know. And naturally the blogger.com help files do not provide information on that kind of thing. Time to get google at work.

Treo update time

Scary moments.

Anyone else HATE doing ROM updates?

It all has that moment of finality doesnt it?

'Synchronizing ROMUpdater'... argh the tension!

Wot no games?

I can't believe how few PC games are out on a week by week, month by month basis. What happened?

It seems as though the consoles are all-conquering. When PC games do come out, they are shabby, pale console conversions.

More on this soon.

Bugs

Still ill with some damn bug.

The worst of the symptoms have passed thankfully but the headaches still pound and boy do I feel knackered. All my kids have had this bug so I know who to blame!

It's a funny thing being off work ill. At first it is quite nice to put your feet up (even when forced to). But after a while it just gets boring and irritating.

Asked the wife to bring a cure home. Don't suppose Tescos sell them tho'...

Feels like a Monday

Tired and lacking energy this morning. Something about flying - even short trips - seems to have that effect. More coffee requried I suppose.

And while I was away yesterday our new TV arrived - a new 'Rome' Samsung 40". It is huge! And it makes the old TV stand look shabby (which to be honest is exactly what it is!).

Wondering if I should hook up the laptop to it... and acquire a wireless keyboard/mouse setup. Trouble is sitting on a couch a mouse isnt very practicle. I imagine there are keyboards with built in trackballs but I have not seen them. Time to do some digging.

dabs.com update

Well they finally provided a 'manual reply' which included the courier (UPS) and my tracking code. Hurrah!

Now I just need to make sure someone is around at the right time...

UPDATE

I just checked the UPS site FAQ on tracking. The status of my delivery is set to:

"Billing Information Received: UPS has received the electronic transmission of package details from the shipper. It does not necessarily mean that UPS has taken possession of the package." (My emphasis)

This rather sounds like dabs has not actually sent my TV on its way. Not exactly 'completed' in dabs-speak: "This means the order has been fully packed and has been loaded onto the delivery van, which may well have left the premises."

Bah.

dabs.com

Dabs can provide some very good pricing on various electronic goodies. Their fulfillment of orders can be excellent. Can't you just hear that 'BUT'?

Well here it is: their customer service is practically non-existant. Their 'Customer Promise' page carefully avoids mention of handling queries so that for example, when I asked about delivery regarding my LCD TV they replied:

"We can now confirm that your order has left our warehouse, and will be with you very soon."

When I asked quite specifically for the day of the delivery and a tracking code to use with the courier, they replied:

"We can now confirm that your order has left our warehouse, and will be with you very soon."

How very helpful.

I knew they were like this. I ordered on the price point. So serves me right. The moral of this tale? If you order from Dabs expect to be given the cold shoulder if you need to talk to them.

I swear if the TV doesnt work I will drive down to their offices and return it with extreme prejudice.

Update - On their 'help' pages I found this:

"Dianne Dillon, Operations Director of dabs.com explains the reason behind this: "Electronic retailing is all about empowering customers to serve themselves - in many cases more efficiently and effectively than by traditional means. Following the fine examples set by other leading Internet retailers, we firmly believe we can satisfy the needs of our consumer customers more readily via electronic means, than we've historically been able to achieve with a hybrid telephone and electronic approach"

In my experience with online retailers only dabs.com seems incapable of genuinely offering 'electronic means'. When the online help/FAQ is not good enough you need to be able to correspond with a person who can actually help. That person needs to read your email/message and respond in a relevant manner according to the context of your message.

If they honestly believe they come close to the likes of say amazon then they are delusional. The 'empowering customers' says it all. Hooked on buzzwords and hype they can sit back and reap the benefit of an efficient fulfillment system resting on an automated 'customer service' system designed to frustrate and deter.

The Ryan Air of electronic online retail? That'll be the dabs.

Doing some quick price matching on froogle, dabs.com isnt actually all that competitive on the majority of items. Is this a sustainable business model? I don't know - but it works nicely for the no-frills airlines... and many other businesses where price is largely the deciding factor.

Back at last

When you have to rebuild your PC it is irritating to lose all of those nice auto-logins. In my case, that includes the login to my blog.

Duh, etc.

Well back again and this time with the excellent 'Performancing for FireFox'. Darn good it is too.