Archive for category General
P and NOT P
Posted by Malcolm Micallef in Funny, General on March 10, 2010
This comic describes exactly what I thought during discrete structures when I first heard that from a contradiction you can derive anything. This comic is from XKCD, another of the web comics I visit often.
Portal 2 Confirmed for Christmas 2010 Release
Posted by Malcolm Micallef in Awesome, Games, General, Technology on March 8, 2010
This is a good news, bad news post. Sorry I know its Monday and we all need to be cheered up but I had to tell you the catch about Portal 2. For those who don’t know Portal is a great game with a very simple concept. Its simplicity is not its down fall. The game is executed so well that if you play games and you haven’t played Portal then you should go out and get a copy. You won’t be disappointed.
Anyway back to the bad news. Portal has been purchased by Valve. Portal 2 will not be bundled with other games (as Portal one was). It will be released as a standalone game, meaning it will cost the standard price for a full standalone game. I am assuming around 30-40 Euro. Also there probably still won’t be cake.
Now for the good news. Portal 2 will be released December this year (take note people who buy me gifts for Christmas). Portal 2 will take the series in a slightly different direction. Valve is promising “new game play mechanics, storyline, and some surprising new twists”. One of the new features is co-op gameplay. Co-op will work online and locally, with new weapons such as a tractor beam being worked into the feature list.
Story details have been leaked by retailers (SPOILER ALERT!) which reveal that players will explore new areas of Aperure Science and be introduced to two new characters in a separate co-op campaign. The new characters will be bi-pedal robots (one an enhanced Turret, the other a mobile GlaDos unit).
The singleplayer campaign will take place hundreds of years after the first game, but will still star Chell. Aperture Labs has been ravaged and overgrown in the time between the two titles.
Also for people who played the game awhile back ago, Valve has released an update which adds an extended ending to the original game. The ending can be seen in the video below (or you can use this as an excuse to play the game again, I know I am).
iPad to hit the streets soon
Posted by Malcolm Micallef in General, Technology on March 7, 2010
The eagerly wanted and probably the best selling gadget of the year will start selling on the 3rd of April. Techie people prepare for all tech websites not to stop talking about it. I still haven’t figured out what I would use it for and I since I hate all products Apple I obviously won’t be buying one.
The 3rd of April debuting day is the date the iPad will start shipping in America. All models will hit shelves in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the U.K. by late April, with later rollout dates for other nations. U.S. customers can begin pre-ordering both models beginning on March 12.
In Malta the product will be available I would assume some time after. Since Malta is not considered to be part of the world.
I wonder if we will start seeing lots of people with the iPad all around Malta…
Maybe at university, MCAST and bus trips. Queues to get to Gozo will never be the same again 
Definition of Irony
Posted by Malcolm Micallef in Documentaries, General, Technology on March 2, 2010
Today’s clip is the definition of irony and its brought to you thanks to Steve Jobs and a 1996 PBS documentary called “Triumph of the Nerds“. Apple at the moment are sueing HTC for 20 patent infringements. In the clip below Steve Jobs says “Good Artists Copy, Great Artists Steal”. Today’s lesson is irony…
Update: Apple are sueing HTC to attack the Nexus One. HTC are the developers of the phone.
Geocaching in Malta
Posted by Malcolm Micallef in General, Technology on February 26, 2010
Recently I discovered Geocaching from watching the gadget show. Geocaching is a worldwide game of hiding and seeking treasure. A geocacher can place a geocache in the world, pinpoint its location using GPS technology and then share the geocache’s existence and location online. Anyone with a GPS unit can then try to locate the geocache.
Geocaching for some reason not apparent to me stuck in my head. In the episode a presenter used his iPhone to locate some geocaches which the show’s produce hide for him in a forest. The caches were personal transportation devices (bike and skateboard). In the show this presenter was trying to evade some trained military forces who were hunting him.
Today I found a couple of geocaches in Malta (there are some in Gozo and even Comino). Unfortunately some people are complaining that some of the caches were stolen but some remain active. Some have even been found recently (7 days ago). Some geocaches involve hikes with incredible views and others even have climbing and some even have walking into dark caves.
I shall try convincing some of my friends to do this walk. I am not sure if it will be difficult to convince them to do this or really simple. Hopefully it would be the later because it sounds like a fun way to spend the afternoon. If you are who I would ask leave your response here. We shall see how many read my site 
Once done I shall post photos and results from the city dwellers gone treasure hunters.
Most Stunning Photos of Earth To Date
Posted by Malcolm Micallef in General on February 24, 2010
Quick post before the huge match Inter versus Chelsea (COME ON YOU BLUES!).
The two photos below are the most accurate, highest resolution true colour image of planet Earth to date. Each image is 2048 x 2048. I already placed the image as my desktop background. You should do the same.
Malcolm Vs Sleep
Posted by Malcolm Micallef in General on February 21, 2010
When the weekend comes around I take a breath of relief because in my mind I believe that it’s going to be a time where I can recharge. In reality I can’t remember the last weekend where I relaxed. It has come to the point that I am addicted to energy drinks and caffeine to continue pushing upwards and onwards.
When you have a busy weekend one where you know you don’t have time for rest or you need to concentrate an energy drink or coffee could be exactly what you need. One important thing to take note once drinking energy boosting liquids. It’s very important to keep hydrated or else you will suffer from a headache like one I have right now.
If you are getting owned at a LAN just crack open a can and wait for your ownage to increase ten fold…
For anyone planning on making a LAN between their closest gaming buddies here is a short list of games I suggest you should play. All the games below are now considered old but I like to see them as retro (plus they work well on the laptops we have):
- Call of Duty 1 / 2
- Unreal Tournament 2004 (if you manage to make it work)
- Age of Empires 2
- Commands and Conquer Generals (Zero Hour didn’t seem to work well)
That is the list of games we played over the weekend. We were only 5 players. Maybe next time we would be more so that some games will be better but I still really enjoyed it. All the games above allowed us to really enjoy playing. In teams and versus each other. In particularly enjoyed playing call of duty 2 in headquarters mode.
In that mode you are divided into two teams where you have to capture a point on the map and hold it. If you capture the point and you die you have to wait for the enemy to destroy the headquarters. The enemy would have a spawn time and they keep attacking until they manage to destroy it.
That is it for today I am having an energy crisis…
The Benefits of Pirated Movies
Posted by Malcolm Micallef in General, Rants, Technology on February 20, 2010
Just a quick post for the day since I am at a friend’s house (HI GUYS!) playing a LAN. We finished playing Call of duty 2 and now we all installing UT2004. The image to the left of this post shows the difference between a pirated movie and an original movie. A pirated movie you simply place in the disk drive and get your movie on.
When you purchase the disk you have to go through the ends of hell just to watch your movie. I thought viewers should be rewarded for actually purchasing an original disk.
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