At first glance, it seems like a regular blog. But look closer and you'll see there's something very odd about the blog's content: It's very familiar. Too familiar.
That's because you wrote it, six months ago, on your own blog. The rest of the content doesn't make sense: The same word repeated over and over again. There are ads all over the sidebar for products like Viagra and mortgage loans.
This, you realize, is a splog, and you're the victim.
"Splogs," or spam blogs, are the latest way for spammers to manipulate the blogosphere for profit. The phenomenon hit an all-time high recently, when Google's blog-hosting service, Blogger, was inundated with more than 13,000 fake blogs spawned by a script (all have since been taken down).
Splog topics are often so nonsensical and wide-ranging they can be hard to pinpoint. Scott Beale of Laughing Squid said some really strange splogs have shown up on his watch list, everything from "Phish Rocks, Dude" to "Geeks Meet Greeks."
But why do sploggers do it? How do you know if you've been splogged? And what can you do to stop it? Here are a few tips:
[read the full article at wired.com]
Armageddon Games Preview Part 2
Ubisoft’s King Kong is looking pretty damn impressive. An action/adventure that looks to have enough action to keep even a hardened gamer happy. The one Ubisoft title that I had been hoping to take a look at, I couldn’t find. Brothers in Arms was an awesome game, and it’s sequel Earned In Blood looks even better on the trailer, but with out actually playing it, I wouldn’t want to rave about it too much!
Rockstar were showing off The Warriors. An classic movie turned into a video game. The look and feel of the game was good. Easy to get into, with the usual controls, but it suffered from the same problems as most action/adventure games: you can’t always take the most direct route. An interesting title, but not one that blows you away!
Sony’s latest party toy is BUZZ! The Music Quiz. A TV game show styled music knowledge game that will be a hit at parties and other gatherings this Christmas – you have be warned!
But the big one would have to be Microsoft and the X-Box 360. Now there is a sexy console. Sleek and with curves in all the right places, and a controller that just melts into your hand. Sadly theirs no official date, or price. In fact other than a jaw dropping trailer of a couple of games, Microsoft didn’t have much of anything. But I will say one thing; It’ll be worth the wait when it reaches NZ sometime early next year. Forget buying Christmas presents and save your money for a 360!
Rockstar were showing off The Warriors. An classic movie turned into a video game. The look and feel of the game was good. Easy to get into, with the usual controls, but it suffered from the same problems as most action/adventure games: you can’t always take the most direct route. An interesting title, but not one that blows you away!
Sony’s latest party toy is BUZZ! The Music Quiz. A TV game show styled music knowledge game that will be a hit at parties and other gatherings this Christmas – you have be warned!
But the big one would have to be Microsoft and the X-Box 360. Now there is a sexy console. Sleek and with curves in all the right places, and a controller that just melts into your hand. Sadly theirs no official date, or price. In fact other than a jaw dropping trailer of a couple of games, Microsoft didn’t have much of anything. But I will say one thing; It’ll be worth the wait when it reaches NZ sometime early next year. Forget buying Christmas presents and save your money for a 360!
Armageddon Games Preview Part 1
Friday night saw the gaming industry in NZ treat the media to a preview of all that’s good and coming up over the next few months. Highlights were:
V8 Supercars 3
The early code on this game looks flippin amazing. Only got to play on one track: Bathurst. The think that struck me first was the incredible feeling of speed. It really was a step up from the last couple of games. The graphics of course were better, a lot better. The franchise is heading towards more of a simulation which is friggen awesome, so the handling was noticeable harder, but this being early code, handling will change, so I was told. The other main feature was the inclusion of racing rules, and it wasn’t long before my dangerous driving style that won me races in previous V8 games, earned me a drive through penalty.
The Path Of Neo
I didn’t play this much, ‘cause it was incredibly hard not knowing what I was supposed to be doing, but watching the Atari guy (who obviously had played it before!) I was blown away. Not just by the graphics and the fluid gameplay, but also by the fact that the game looked just like the movies. There was the foyer shootout from the original Matrix, and even the burley brawl. This is going to be THE game for Christmas.
More later.
V8 Supercars 3
The early code on this game looks flippin amazing. Only got to play on one track: Bathurst. The think that struck me first was the incredible feeling of speed. It really was a step up from the last couple of games. The graphics of course were better, a lot better. The franchise is heading towards more of a simulation which is friggen awesome, so the handling was noticeable harder, but this being early code, handling will change, so I was told. The other main feature was the inclusion of racing rules, and it wasn’t long before my dangerous driving style that won me races in previous V8 games, earned me a drive through penalty.
The Path Of Neo
I didn’t play this much, ‘cause it was incredibly hard not knowing what I was supposed to be doing, but watching the Atari guy (who obviously had played it before!) I was blown away. Not just by the graphics and the fluid gameplay, but also by the fact that the game looked just like the movies. There was the foyer shootout from the original Matrix, and even the burley brawl. This is going to be THE game for Christmas.
More later.
DVD | Hotel Rwanda
Back in 1994, over a period of 100 days, an African country named Rwanda imploded with unrestrained racial fury. Almost a million people were slaughtered. And the civilized West saw the images on the TV news as we ate dinner, and did nothing about it.
Well, we did evacuate our own people. White people.
The UN was helpless and hopeless, with their hands tied with the ropes of bureaucracy. Rwanda would become a word that described the Western civilisations darkest hour, when we turned our backs on people in desperate need.
Hotel Rwanda focuses though not so much on the failures of the West, but the actions of one man. Paul Rusesabagina.
Paul Rusesabagina was a hotel manager in one of Rwanda’s flashest hotels, and when the violence flared up he did everything he could to protect his family. Initially he didn’t care about anyone else but his family. He would have died to save them. But then his family began to grow, as more and more people came to seek refuge, his eyes were opened, his heart broken and he became an accidental hero who did everything he could to save the lives of over a thousand people.
Hotel Rwanda is a heart-wrenching movie; it’s an emotional roller coaster that will leave you stunned. But it’s also one of the most inspirational movies of the year. It brings to life Edmund Burke’s famous quote: The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
Don Cheadle gives an outstanding lead performance, bringing a reality and passion to his character, and the movie it’s self does an amazing job of portraying the situation with as little visual gore as possible. Having said that, the movie is rate M and recommended for audiences 16 and over, as whilst the content may be controlled, the feel and atmosphere of the movie make sure you know what is going on.
NZ Post does KONG stamps!
But of course, I mean why wouldn't they? Expect a mad rush of Kong stamps appearing on letters, of course the sucky thing is you can't send the 'real' Kong stamp on an over seas letter, as Kong himself only appears on the 45c stamp....
RIP Vanilla Coke
I got some devestating news on the weekend. A friend who works for coke told me that they were about to ditch Vanilla coke. What am I going to do? I'll have to start drinking water again.
PS: Stay tuned, I've got some movie reviews coming!
PS: Stay tuned, I've got some movie reviews coming!
News | Peter Jackson to do Halo!
Ok, so when Microsoft first announced that they wanted to bring Halo to Hollywood and create a blockbuster movie, I was a little cynical. I mean video games haven’t always made the best movies, and hell, Halo isn’t even all that as far as games go. At least in my humble opinion.
But news out yesterday brings hope for the project: Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh will be executive producers, and the whole shin-dig is being done in Wellington. Whilst it would have been better news if Peter had also been named as the Director, it will be interesting to see how this little movie works out.
Here’s the official blurb from the good people at Microsoft…..
Triple-Academy Award® winners Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh have been signed as executive producers of Halo®, the forthcoming feature film based on Microsoft’s hugely popular game for Xbox and Windows PC.
The movie will be filmed in Wellington, with the pair providing creative counsel on all aspects of the film through WingNut Films. It will make use of the team’s award-winning production and post-production facilities, including Weta Digital Ltd, Weta Workshop Ltd, Stone Street Studios and Park Road Post, to create the mind-blowing creatures, miniatures and effects Jackson and Walsh are famous for.
Peter Jackson, a gaming fan, said: “I’m excited to bring Halo’s premise, action and settings to the screen with all the specificity and reality today’s technology can provide. I’m a huge fan of the game and look forward to helping it come alive on the cinema screen.”
Jackson’s involvement isn’t the only Kiwi connection to the game, however. One of Halo’s developers is Bungie Studios’ Chris Butcher, who grew up in Kakanui, a small town just outside of Oamaru.
Microsoft New Zealand product marketing manager Tom Hunt, said: “This is an incredible announcement, both for Xbox and for New Zealand. Halo is the most popular game on Xbox and has a massive local following, and the character Master Chief has become a cult figure.
“We can’t wait to see the game brought to life on the big screen, and we can’t imagine anyone better placed to do this than the legendary team of Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh.”
Pre-production on Halo will start immediately, with shooting due to begin in May 2006. The film is scheduled to be released by Universal Pictures and Twentieth Century Fox studios in mid-2007. Acclaimed UK novelist and screenwriter Alex Garland (The Beach, 28 Days Later) wrote the original feature film adaptation, and a director is to be announced shortly.
But news out yesterday brings hope for the project: Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh will be executive producers, and the whole shin-dig is being done in Wellington. Whilst it would have been better news if Peter had also been named as the Director, it will be interesting to see how this little movie works out.
Here’s the official blurb from the good people at Microsoft…..
Triple-Academy Award® winners Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh have been signed as executive producers of Halo®, the forthcoming feature film based on Microsoft’s hugely popular game for Xbox and Windows PC.
The movie will be filmed in Wellington, with the pair providing creative counsel on all aspects of the film through WingNut Films. It will make use of the team’s award-winning production and post-production facilities, including Weta Digital Ltd, Weta Workshop Ltd, Stone Street Studios and Park Road Post, to create the mind-blowing creatures, miniatures and effects Jackson and Walsh are famous for.
Peter Jackson, a gaming fan, said: “I’m excited to bring Halo’s premise, action and settings to the screen with all the specificity and reality today’s technology can provide. I’m a huge fan of the game and look forward to helping it come alive on the cinema screen.”
Jackson’s involvement isn’t the only Kiwi connection to the game, however. One of Halo’s developers is Bungie Studios’ Chris Butcher, who grew up in Kakanui, a small town just outside of Oamaru.
Microsoft New Zealand product marketing manager Tom Hunt, said: “This is an incredible announcement, both for Xbox and for New Zealand. Halo is the most popular game on Xbox and has a massive local following, and the character Master Chief has become a cult figure.
“We can’t wait to see the game brought to life on the big screen, and we can’t imagine anyone better placed to do this than the legendary team of Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh.”
Pre-production on Halo will start immediately, with shooting due to begin in May 2006. The film is scheduled to be released by Universal Pictures and Twentieth Century Fox studios in mid-2007. Acclaimed UK novelist and screenwriter Alex Garland (The Beach, 28 Days Later) wrote the original feature film adaptation, and a director is to be announced shortly.
Nobody's Perfect #1
Continuity can be a problem, and for the most part mistakes go unoticed by most movie goers, but I have to ask, how does an extra olive appear on your stick.....
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