mkjones

I just spent a while writing a post explaining my absence from the online community for the past week. Sadly it was lost due to a mix-up with Wordpress and the www

Rather than sprawl the details out again, here is a summery:

• I lost my voice because of a virus
• I got it back
• I had a weekend in Blackpool on an intensive driving course
• Firefox 2 is out
• The Xbox 360 Dashboard has been updated
• I still have no internet connection at home

Shame about the loss. It really was a great post. Maybe the best I ever wrote.

My recent problems with Hotpoint came to a stop today with the news I would finally be receiving a new fridge freezer as a replacement for my faulty one.

Here is a photo of the wonderful freezing device that will grace my kitchen in the next week:

Its actually a different model from the one I have right now as they no longer supply my original device. Hopefully the improvements they have made mean it will not break down in 6 months time.

Although I am happy with the news I still feel as if it was a lot of fuss to get what was eventually the right outcome. Others in my position may have given up or been cheated by the bureaucracy-driven Hotpoint service centre.

Look around the web and its clear to see that Hotpoint are far from competent or responsible when it comes to customer service.

Now I know how they work I am glad I didn’t take them up on the offer of an “extended warranty”.

Its been a while since I visited the Odeon cinemas website due to the fact that it was one of the most badly designed websites I have ever cast my eyes on.

Today I see they have finally done the right thing and had a total re-design.

The new site spouts a table-less CSS driven layout that is easy to use, fresh on the eyes and browser compatible.

About time.

They call it a ‘media enhancer’ but basically its a pirate device for the NDS.

And I have just ordered one

The ONLY problem I have is the very confusing ‘4Gb’ printed on the side. This actually means ‘512mb’. Ample room for a few ripped games.

If you fancy one of these check out the official ‘where to buy’ page.

Then take a look at this torrent and smile

WordPress has a rather lacklustre Administration theme:

You can however make it look like this:

How? Check this out.

WordPress’ flexible nature allows for almost every part of it to be easily changed. Creating a custom WordPress Admin Panel Theme is no different. There are essentially two ways of making a WordPress Admin theme: with a Plugin or by simply changing the CSS. The Plugin method is the easier of the two methods, allowing you to install WordPress Admin Themes quickly and easily. You literally “plug it in” and it works.

Link

Check out this plug-in for an easy fix.

Here is a list of available themes.

I really liked this image from the Zune website:

So I coloured it in:

I think its nice.

If you are a PowWeb user (as I once was) you may have come to realise (as I did) that they have slowly become one of the worst web hosts around.

One of their wonderful quirks is the inability to easily cancel your account…

Have no fear! I was once in this predicament and after a few 100 emails to PowWeb support I finally ended up with the account cancellation address:

• members.powweb.com/webControl/signoff.bml

Enjoy!

Over the past few months I have searched in vain for a decent Sky Broadband review. The best I could find were unreliable forum posts detailing a 50/50 mixture of good and bad opinions.

Today however, I found this article on the Inquire website. Here’s a quote:

For a good example of the real world application of this kind of speed, the Vista RC2 DVD with 4gb+ of data took under 15 minutes to download (the MS site didn’t quite max the connection out). Obviously speeds are dependent on your line quality and distance from the exchange.

Quite impressive. Unfortunately the waiting list wasn’t currently at 5+ weeks and at the moment the only internet access I can get is a leeched WiFi signal from a zero-security-conscious neighbour. (Keep reading)

My home internet connection is gone could be over a month before Sky Broadband get in touch with details of when they can get me back online.

I miss Xbox Live. I miss Digg. I miss Wikipedia.

My GPRS bill is going to be huge.

So, your on a train, gaming. These days it has to be DS-Lite or PSP (if you are that way inclined). Both have WiFi capabilities. Now, some stranger wanders over…

“Is that a DS Lite?”

“Yes”

“What are you playing?”

“Club House”

“Cool”

I get back to the game.

“Do you have any other games?”

“Yes.”

At this point I realize that a bit of stranger gmaeplay is inevitable, so I ask what he has and we decide on Tetris.

Full Story (Kotaku)

Poor kid, I know how he feels. I remember when I went to an Xbox 360 launch event in Leeds a few months ago. They had a few sofa-set-ups with games like Fifa and DOA on screen. I sat and played Fifa (alone) for a few games.

All the while some bloke was sat just a few yards away almost drooling on the floor like some doberman being shown a treat! (Keep reading)