Time for an update...

[Nick]

Woah! Been a loooooong time since I wrote anything in here, so time to update, I think....

Well, let's see.

Erm, Chrimbo, New Year, CES...

That's pretty much all that's happened since my last update.

Chrimbo: Average Chrimbo, just like anyone else I guess. On the technology side of things, we obviously had the Xbox 360 coming out just in time for everyone to realise there wouldn;t be enough units to go round and retailers to realise they could royally shaft customers by forcing them to buy bundle 'deals' even when they didn't have half the stuff to make up the bundle.

MY own experience in Game showed this.

Shortly after that I was invited onto BBC radio to comment on the state of the market and what was going on, which was slightly terrifying as the guest caller before me was a guy who wrote a few derogatory words on George Best's funeral and was being roundly slated and threatened by the listeners... Happily, I got away with nothing more than a 'Cheers' and that was it... Good thing it was their phone bill is all I can say.

So Christmas saw me getting me and the missus a decent digital SLR in the form of the Canon EOS 350D... A superb camera that can operate as a simple point and shoot fully automatic jobbie but still have all the settings to allow you to be far more creative and 'pro' if you want.

I'm still working my way through the dirty great manual for it and I reckon I can turn it on and take the lens cap off without needing to check the book, so I'm getting there. Once I can take a picture without having my thumb or the camera strap in the picture I'll know it's been money well spent.

The Xbox 360's media capabilities saw me investing in a TV card for my PC and a copy of Windows MCE, so now we enjoy the full media experience with freeview TV streamed through the Xbox 360. The missus is well happy as she now gets to watch Desperate Housewives on E4 which makes me happy as she stops whinging about having 'yet another bloody console' by the telly. I can't see the problem myself... there's only the Gamecube, PS2, Xbox and Xbox 360 there... along with the controllers and headsets and all that stuff... oh, and there's the Sky box, the DVD recorder and the DVD player too, but other than the sub for the 5.1 surround and the amp you'd hardly notice anything was there...

Also for Chrimbo the missus bought me a Medion Sat Nav system, which was on a special offer in Halfords. I've got to say, for the money she paid (sub £200) it's a damn fine piece of kit. Okay, it doesn't tell me where the speed cameras are and it seems to always want to send me by the fastest route, regardless if that adds an extra five miles to the journey but I'm lalalalalaaaa... lovin' it.

And lastly we come to CES... Yes, I headed off to Vegas with the boss just four days into the New Year.

The show was pretty cool, but for a first time visitor to Vegas, the city itself overshadowed the show... but more on that later.

[Lee @ SCAN]

Originally Posted by Nick

Woah! Been a loooooong time since I wrote anything in here, so time to update, I think....

.... and about time too. I was getting bored with the tumble-weeds flowing through this part of the forums.

Hopefully the next installment will have a few more funny stories in like the last lot and have more juicy gossip

[Tumble]

Originally Posted by Lee @ SCAN

.... and about time too. I was getting bored with the tumble-weeds flowing through this part of the forums.

h'excuse me..... I aint been "flowing" through anywhere thankee... I prefer to call it a "stately waddle"

[Lee @ SCAN]

Originally Posted by Tumble

h'excuse me..... I aint been "flowing" through anywhere thankee... I prefer to call it a "stately waddle"

I hope that Waddle was because of your affinity with real ales

Nick - Have you been messing with the sat nav?

My housemates got one and after a few shandy's we tend to walk round the house till it starts shouting "you are now at your destination"

Funny things these satnav's ... so far the destination for my postal codes been the fridge, the cupboard under the stairs, the settee in the front, the BATH , and in the middle of the backgarden