Dragon Age: Origins for Mac, but not for me

I love my Mac, but it gets me down that the majority of games developers don't provide Mac versions of their games.  As a result I dual boot in to Windows using Boot Camp and only tend to buy games off Valve's Steam, mainly just to reduce the amount of hard media that I have knocking around.

There are equivalents for Mac, for instance http://www.macgamesarcade.com/ , which has a few 'big name' titles on it, but not an extensive range.  Mostly games by indie developers which tend to be lacking the depth and quality of the big names. 

Of course, there's Blizzard who always release a Mac version at the same time as the Windows version, yet this doesn't appear to have an effect of the quality of the games they produce, so I have to wonder why other developers don't take a leaf out of their book.  I think it has something to do with Microsoft giving developers funding for using their gaming APIs and hardware.

Anyway Bioware aren't bad at following up with Mac versions later, but it is hit and miss if a game will have a Mac version, so when Dragon Age: Origins came out I was so eager to play it and I decided it would be so long before a Mac version, that on November 15th I just bought the Windows version and had done with it.  

A few weeks later Bioware announce the release of a Mac version of the game.

I was pretty gutted.  

I much prefer playing games in OSX, they seem to be much more responsive and I just like spending time in OSX rather than Windows, so it annoys me when I have to reboot in to Windows just to play a game.

So here's the scenario:
  • I not only bought Dragon Age:Origins, I also purchased the Deluxe edition with all the extra content
  • I bought it when there wasn't even a hint of a Mac version on the horizon
  • I want to play it on the exact same hardware just using OSX instead of Windows
Now given all that I won't be buying the Mac version Bioware are not going to lose out by giving it me for free - is it such an unreasonable request?

For sure, I won't be buying anymore Bioware games for Windows... just in case they release a Mac version later.
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social experiment inspired by gary mckinnon

I'm sure most readers will be aware of the plight of hacker Gary McKinnon, the guy who hacked some US government computers, left messages and allegedly corrupted some data all in the name of seeking the truth about UFOs.  Sounds like a crazy thing to do and it is, a bit - the guy has Asperger Syndrome, which is a form of autism a kin to obsessive compulsive disorder.  He's due to be shipped off to America for torture and eventual imprisonment and probably gang rape because the UK government has no back-bone.

Apparently the computers he 'hacked' were only secured with Microsoft's most basic levels of protection and a set of default passwords, making me wonder why the person in charge of IT isn't being held responsible rather than Mr McKinnon.

Anyway, all that got me thinking - if people had access to a secure website, that they surely knew they shouldn't be accessing, would they go in anyway?

So I setup a site:
http://private.brindy.org.uk/

As you can see, it clearly states 'do not press this button' - I posted the link in to the public domain telling people not to access the site or press the button.

The results were interesting - I got about 40 hits over a 3 week period.  Of those 40 hits only 6 people clicked the button.  Every time the button is clicked I get an email with the IP address of the person who clicked the button allowing me to see where in the world they are from.  Of the 40 hits, only 6 people clicked the button.  One was from the UK, another one from Italy and four from America - the break down of the total was hits was 50% UK, 30% America and the rest random places in the world.

I immediately emailed the ISPs of all 6 'hacking attempts' on my website, but received no response from any of them.

Conclusion : I still haven't come to any, but feel free to let me know yours.
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My response to http://jackofkent.blogspot.com/2009/11/paul-clarkes-shotgun.html #paulclarke

So if he had a licence then it would have been OK to carry the gun through the streets?

Does the licence prevent him from being mugged or having an accident?

Would him having a licence reduce the risk of that gun being used to kill or badly maim other people?

All having a licence implies is that some official has somehow deemed (probably financially rather than scientifically) that the person who has applied for the license does not represent a risk to the public, it doesn't stop the other things you mention from actually happening. Thus, the lack of licence is not an issue and (subject to all the facts coming to light) this is a farce.

[Edit 21:36]

Earlier, @DaveGorman (yes, *the* Dave Gorman) put me right :

DaveGorman@brindy Surely having a licence doesn't allow you to just carry a gun through town in a bag. Protected? Lock & key? It's a sawn off shotgun?

brindy@DaveGorman *shrug* no idea, my point was that article implied that having a licence protects you from mugging/accident, which it doesn't

DaveGorman@brindy It does if a condition of the licence means the gun is carried in a way that makes it inaccessible in event of mugging/accident.
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Bonfire at Hopetoun House

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future proof your email address

I am still amazed by the number of people I meet who have an email address associated with their ISP - even if they've moved from that ISP to better things.  I myself had the email address christopher.brind@virgin.net for many years, even after migrating to various ISPs.  

It occurred to me that I really needed to future proof my email address and this is how:

  • Go to a domain reseller that allows you to manage email forwarding, I use http://www.123-reg.co.uk - they are relatively cheap, reliable, have good customer service and give me full control over my domain's DNS settings
  • Find a domain that you fancy and can afford the repeat payments on ... my email address is brindy at brindy dot org uk and costs me about 5 quid a year
  • Update the email catch all for the domain to forward to your favourite email provider ... I use Google Mail which lets me send emails from any number of email addresses that I own
So say that Google Mail shuts down - an unlikely scenario today, but who knows what will come along in 5 or 10 years.  Because I own the domain I can quite quickly shift the email forwarding to someone else without ever having change my email address.
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how to determine the best broadband operator for you (adsl users)

A couple of disclaimers first:

- I'm not comparing with cable - this is for people who want the best broadband they can through their phone-line.  The pros and cons of cable vs ADSL (or better) are widely discussed elsewhere

- I'm not considering the implications of BT's 21CN initiative, you can read more here:  http://www.btplc.com/21cn/

So, if you're currently using ADSL, that is you get your broadband through your phone line, read on ... otherwise, stop here. :)

Click this link and search your for your 'exchange':

http://www.samknows.com/broadband/search.php

The exchange is where your phone line is connected to.  The services enabled at your exchange combined with the distance away from the exchange determine how good your broadband is going to be.

In the 'Broadband availability overview' section have a look at the line that says 'LLU Services'.  If this is checked, you could benefit from switching providers, it isn't checked - it won't make much difference which provider you're with other than price.  

LLU basically means that BT have opened up the exchange and allow operators to get their own equipment in there, hooking up to their own telephony network.

Now have a scan down the right hand table called 'LLU operator presence' - if your operator is checked, then again, you're not going to get much better other than haggling over price.  Though I recommend you ring them and ask if you're on a package based on the 'local line unbundling, that you can see is enabled on their exchange', they may be able to upgrade you.

If your operator isn't checked then note which operators are and have a look at their websites.  For instance, if you're with Pipex and it isn't checked, but O2 is - get over to O2 and check out their deals.  You'll probably end up paying less and will end up with a faster more reliable connection.

Also, most operators are reviewed extensively here:

Check the forums to see if people have regular problems with their operator.

I personally use O2 broadband - they are excellent in all areas; technical and customer support.  I pay under £10 a month for 16mb, including a discount for having an O2 mobile.  Without the discount it should about around £13 a month.  For instance, O2's communication is excellent in terms of what is available on my line, when I am going to get billed and when I do have to call to speak to someone I get to talk to someone from Glasgow, just down the road.

Hope that helps someone out there... feel free to comment with questions, or if you want a recommendation for your exchange.

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Soreen with butter

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Christopher Brind
Date: 2009/10/7
Subject: Soreen with butter
To: feedback@soreen.com


Please see attached image which shows the extent of the 'spread' of butter.  The other slice had none at all, but I ate it before thinking about taking the picture.

Regards
Chris

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Cheryl pets giant wild animal

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Meta photography, jubilee point, argyll

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Bo'Ness Beer Festival

Had a great time at the beer festival last night - really good crowd
to hang out with as well, Danni, Stu, Steven, Kite, etc. Was planning
on taking pictures on my phone, but since Cheryl said she had the
camera then never got it out I missed that opportunity. Still photos
don't do ales justice really; you need to savour the smells and tastes
to appreciate them. I drank 7 half pints of various beers and some
cider. All pretty good local Scottish Ales including Blathan
(Elderflower), Birds and Bees (Elderflower), Bramble (Raspberry) and
some others I can't remember. I like my fruity beers. Was pretty
pished by the end and ended up having a kebab from 4-in-1.

Off to Dunoon later to see my Mum and Grandma before they shoot off to
America for the winter, and then going to drop in on Simon and Polli
tomorrow around lunch time after a pit stop at Ikea (gah!).

Stargate Universe started last night - have already acquired the first
episode to watch later. It looks bloody brilliant. Must remember to
buy season 4 and 5 of Atlantis on DVD. This is how I justify
downloading things to watch, instead of watching them on TV (which we
don't have).

Hitting the gym next week - plan on going Tuesday, and Wednesday or
Thursday lunch time depending on when I have the car. Need to shift
this weight, but Cheryl has built a food plan which I think will help.
Part of it is just eating smaller portions and cutting out the crap I
snack on. Current weight: 16 stone! (224 lbs, 101.5 kg).

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About

Been around a bit - online and off! Posterous seems like a great service, so I'm posting here for a bit.

I'm a geek/nerd/software engineer/software architect from England living in Scotland. I like Java, OSGi and Flex technologies.

I like heavy metal, guitar, running, sci-fi and all that good stuff.