June 1 - 15, 2001

Wednesday 6 June 2001

Well it is official! Telstra are capping their so called "freedom unlimited" broadband accounts! They have finally updated their Acceptable use policy documentation on-line. Usage is to be capped at 3Gb per month. Extra usage is charged at $0.35 per Meg! Instead of fixing their problems (ie. adding service routers) they are handicapping their customers! Yes there are some download pigs, but why can't they just simple toss them off the network. I presently download about 900Mb per month on a modem. Takes a while but I get it down. When I merely do research it is easy for me to consume 50 - 60 Meg in a session (those documents and data files add up to be quite a lot!). Imagine what I will use on a normal rate at ADSL speeds! The only thing hampering me from doing more is connection speeds and time! I will probably be going to ADSL very shortly. Solely to increase productivity whilst researching for Uni! Yes the speed and bandwidth increase will be good, and yes I will probably download games and demos and lots of patches. But I will probably also exceed the 3Gb/month cap! The problem I have is that there is no way you could call me a download pig! So why should I suffer because of others whose practices are unscrupulous? If you haven't yet, go and sign the petition! It may not make Telstra do anything, but it may show their competitors that they have a ready market of pissed off Telstra customers, who would flock to anyone offering similar or better conditions! Do it!

On a more personal note.... I will be absent again from tomorrow, until the 18th of June! No, I'm not going on another fully paid excursion to do research! This time I am paying for it (damn!) and I am going down to my best friends wedding in not-so-sunny Tasmania! We are then going for a weeks Holiday before returning. So, there will be no updates to the website until I get back! Sorry, you know how it is!

I may update more this afternoon but after that nothing for about 10 days! Please feel free to come back and look around the site while I'm gone. The door is always open and everyone is welcome!

Afternoon
Well this will be my last update before I go away and it will probably be quite short!

Update to the "Telstra Affair": It seems that the petition has now exceeded 4000 signatures and the list is growing! The ACCC and the Telecommunications Ombudsmen are investigating Telstra's capacity to vary the contract and limit the bandwidth and are also investigating the level of penetration into the area by other Telcos! Optus can offer better deals but cannot get the same coverage (we here have only Telstra!) Go you guys, hang Telstra out to dry for ripping their customers off and deceiving them. Also hang them for their unsubtle "restriction of trade" practices concerning the competition! Maybe this time something positive will be done!

Well that is two rants on the same day. I feel better now, and it is more in line with the idea of the site! I hope you enjoy them.

The guys over at GameSpy Daily have managed to corner Angelina Jolie for an interview about the Lara Croft movie, Tomb Raider. You should check it out, if only for the pictures!

A new version of Nullsoft's WinAmp has been released! This brings it up to version 2.76. You can grab it from here.

The latest version of Kapersky Lab's antivirus program AVP has been released, bringing it up to version 3.5.5.0. You can get it from their official website!

It seems that even though Eidos seem to be having some money troubles, their newest game, Startopia, has gone gold and is due to be released sometime this month! Go out and buy it and keep this innovative company afloat!

Planet BaldursGate have posted a full walk through of the Icewind Dale expansion, Heart of WInter. The guide includes a series of annotated maps which show off the various areas of interest. Go check it out and see what you missed!

Sim HQ have posted an in depth preview of the much awaited Operation Flashpoint. You have to check this preview out if you are interested in the game as it details what will be in the game when it is released to the European market and also what will be added when it is released in the US (patch will be available for the others).

And in my final post for a while, I must inform you all of an alarming trend! Computer violence! No, I don't mean what we play on it, I mean real violence to our computers! British scientists (I really wonder how they get the money to do these things!) recently released the results of a survey that showed that 1 in 4 of out faithful beasts of burden have been bashed or damaged from violent users! Alarming isn't it! Check out the full story here before this turns into an epidemic!

Well that's it for me for a while. I hope you enjoy being at work or studying while I'm on holidays! You can guarantee I will enjoy my holidays! Bye for now!

Tuesday 5 June 2001

Well the big news for the day from the Land Down Under is that the very major player in the broadband Internet companies is capping it's Freedom range of access packages to 3 Gb/month. Not only are they doing this but they are then going to charge an exorbitant rate for each extra Meg downloaded! Shame on you Telstra. At present there is a petition going and if you are a Telstra customer you really should sign it. If you want more information (though I really can't vouch for the veracity of it) then go here and weep tears of blood!

The Black & White patch has been delayed for at least another week! It has been reported that the much vaunted creature AI is responsible for producing the patch as all the programmers have gone on holidays! (thank's Tim!) I will try to keep you posted on any developments!

Tribes 2 fans will rejoice in the knowledge that there is a new updates Pilots Guide over at FragZone. This is version 2 of the guide and it contains loads of new tips on tactics in the air! Check it out!

NEWS FLASH!!!!!! The massive On-Line game WWII On-Line has shipped to stores in the US and should be available ;ate tomorrow or the next day! THis is good news but there is still no word as to when or even if it will make the Oz shores! Keep you posted!

Well that just about does it for today! Enjoy!

Sunday 3 June 2001

Well once again I have been a very slack boy and have not done anything for a few days, but stuff has been happening that has taken me away from my precious computer and updating this site! Sorry. I will go now and lash myself repeatedly with a wet shoelace! (Imagine that!)

Well, on the huge game news, Microsoft's Train Simulator has gone gold and is due for release in early June. Though no dates have been set for this event! I used to like Sid Meiers Railroad Tycoon back in the early days of gaming, had that frontier sort of feel. I don't know if I'll like this one though. From what I've read it just doesn't have the same kind of feeling about the game. Maybe there is a demo out and I should check it out.

Another action strategy sequel has gone gold and is set to be released sometime in June! That game is Gangsters 2 (they really have such creative sequel names don't they!). The game is set during the time of Prohibition in America (where else!) and involve you taking control of various crime syndicates in different cities and beating the Law! Check it out when it hits the stores soon.

It has been officially confirmed that the rest of the world will receive Operation Flashpoint (CodeMasters) before the US will! In a real coup for the remainder and majority of computer users, the game will ship in June (I think about 22nd). However, the game will be sans multiplayer and server code. The US will get the full version and the rest of us will get the patch when it comes out! I say good on them for a change! We finally get to play the game a long time before the US! Their release is tentatively set for sometime in September!

There is a new hosted site over at Planet Black & White. The site is Black & White Easter Eggs. The site is loaded with all sort of goodies that can be found in the huge Black & White game! Go check it out, before the patch comes and takes it all away!

It has also been announced that Half-Life: Blue Shift has gone gold! Barney, the guard from the original, is the hero in this epic. The graphics have been updated tremendously and the AI is reported to be even better. I can't wait for this next extension of the Half-Life universe!

Lionhead Studios, have stated that the patch for Black & White will not be released until after Monday (US time). The patch has been completed and has gone to EA for testing. EA has announced that they will announce the patch release date sometime on Monday! I am sure that there will be a rush on the servers world wide and it may be beneficial to wait a couple of days before attempting to download it. Particularly if you are only on a modem. Mirror sites should be up and running by the day after at the latest!

For those of you who don't really enjoy looking at the plain vanilla version of the windows desktop, you will be pleased to know that GameWallpapers have released several new wallpapers for current and up and coming games. Go check them out!

Good news for Counter-Strike fans! (Yes I'm one!) Version 1.2 of the software is due to be released. One of the features of the new version may be the removal of the ability to cheat! This is due to the removal of an entire team from the professional gamers league for cheating! Check the full story out at Shack News. Should make for some better gaming all round!

In other news around the world, people are looking strangely at Nepal after a mass murderer has been crowned King! Check the full story out here!

In a strange but true case of "it can only happen in America", a bar has successfully thwarted the anti smoking lobby! A judge in Orange County has ruled that the no smoking ban in bars is unconstitutional and has ruled in favour of the bar owner! Read and weep for the world here!

Well that's about it from me. Surprisingly slow week, particularly since I hadn't updated since Thursday! Oh well, more to come next week!