The News Today

Okay, so I said I would step into some more serious posts earlier and here I am. I'm gonna get some news stories which interest me from the various blogs I visit, and giving my opinion of them (as well as a link so you can judge for yourself).

Why?

Because I can. And I don't have the time to just pick a subject and write an essay on it.


Anyway. Lets go!


Brummie girls 'not pretty enough'

"Beauty contest officials chose a model from Stoke-on-Trent to represent Birmingham because they could not find anyone pretty enough from the city."

Wow. Just...wow.

I'm actually pretty speechless. All that comes to my mind is: "Dude, that's cheating."



Partial nudity delays 'Halo 2' for Vista

"Microsoft is delaying the release of Halo 2 for Windows Vista after partial nudity on the game was discovered, the software giant said Friday."

OH COME ON!

Good lord, that's just ridiculous. It's one thing to get in a fuss about something like the Hot Coffee mod (although I think that got blown WAY out of proportion by a bunch of idiots), but these are HIDDEN files embedded in the game which was only found because of an error.

...

COME ON PEOPLE!

One error!

It's not like the Master Chief strips off and starts copulating with Grave Mind or anything. It's not even IN the actual game. It will affect nobody except the pathetically few super nerds who want to see some low-rez image files from Halo.

Ugh. It's just a little disheartening how badly people react to small things like this. Although I do realise the attitude to sex and nudity is much different in America, they still explode over the smallest thing to do with it. Even if it isn't viewable in the game.

It may be to do with people staying in the mindset that games are for children, and as such anything to do with something adult-oriented can never enter it. Which is ridiculous. Games have FAR surpassed the level of being a children's toy. Hell, I couldn't play half the games out there as a child. I didn't have the motor skills. I could barely play Mickey's Wild Adventure and Rayman. But now, after playing for years, I can play pretty much any game (although I do need to try out Guitar Hero) at a generally higher level than others. That is not a kid's skill. It's time the publicly outspoken came to realise that.

Phonograph Concept Treats Your CDs Like Vinyl

Wow. A designer has designed a CD player which looks and acts like an old phonograph. The product page is at Yanko Design, but gets a little stereotypically designer babbley. Oh well, it's still a cool product. I'd get one were it not for the enevitably huge pricetag. For what's effectively a lazer pointer on a funnel.


Zune Sales Top The 1-Million Mark Early

Well, I have little to comment on with this. I just like the styling of the Zune, a refreshing change from the glossy styling of the iPod (which I also love, due to me being and Apple whore). But still, styling or no, I doubt the Zune is going to survive in a market which the iPod has completely dominated for so long. Especially not now, as they're going strong. The Zune perhaps had a chance if the iPod was beginning to stagnate, but at the moment it looks like a cheap (but lovely styled) copy.


Blood groups 'can be converted'

"Scientists have developed a way of converting one blood group into another."

This is a pretty old one, but still very interesting. It's a great concept, being able to transfer blood of one type to blood of another in order to benefit the recipient, but I can't help but wonder whether there are going to be any negative effects of it. Like vampires, for instance.


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Okay, I think that's a pretty good roundup of the cool stuff going on right now. I'll try and do a post like this at least once a week for you few lucky people who willingly expose yourself to my brand of insanity.

Sraen Out.