This is me...

Paschal 'did me' during a long meeting about the current project. First time I've ever been 'caricatured'. The little monkey boy is Barns :)



Nic.

P.S. Project name is censored :)

posted by Nic @ 6:07 PM 0 comments   

Ahhh the memories...

When Argonaut and Nintendo made sweet love <3 - Shamelessly ripped from http://www.gamerevolution.com/

Nic.

posted by Nic @ 10:06 AM 1 comments   

Xbox 360...

Woot and all that - erm.. there was a new console released recently and I never really commented on it. The Xbox 360. Beyond a subtle incremental improvement in Dead Or Alive - is this console really worth spending anything on at all. I mean look...



...Tomb Raider looks like a badly photoshoped PS1 game on this thing... People have compared the Xbox 360 to the Dreamcast because of it's pre-launch to the REAL next gen. Please - the Dreamcast had some great games - don't compare... MS - BIG MISTAKE!!!!

Nic.

P.S. I never even commented on the 100s of Xbox 360s that no one was buying in Tokyo when I was there in December - erm... or maybe I just did.

posted by Nic @ 5:30 PM 1 comments   

Some new tunes and beats...

When I was in Jakarta meeting my sweetie - we ate at a resturant where there was live Gamelan (traditional Indonesia - well Javanese - music). Since I got back I've wanted to do something with some Gamelan sounds, so I spent a couple of hours tonight chopping up and adding beats and things to the traditional sounds of Java.

There results are HERE.

Also - Wayne (ploom2) was here the other weekends. Him, Barns (fleafall) and have been meaning to get to together for ages to start doing some music, and now Medulla Corp HQ V2.0 is live... it started.

Just a couple of loops - starts of songs can be found HERE and HERE.

Nic.

P.S. Does anyone even listen to these things anyway :)

posted by Nic @ 11:21 PM 1 comments   

Mini catch up Blog...

1: Scooby snacks...



...are ruining all that hard work I did dieting.

2: Nic - Don't forget your eggs are in the...



...shit!

3: I found something to put in this totally useless space in my house...



...a WI-FI Rabbit...



...apparently it tells you the weather and stuff. The totally useless space for my totally useless WiFi Rabbit even has a totally useless power point...



...handy :)

Nic.

posted by Nic @ 5:21 PM 0 comments   

Whale song - diddley pomp... long gone...

We love animals here in the UK... and this has been the main news story the last couple of days...


Poor thing. All it wanted to do was a little shopping and see the queen. May Mr. Whale's soul rest in peace.

Nic.

posted by Nic @ 11:52 PM 2 comments   

Winner...

Mercilessly stolen from Kat Dennings page...



Nic.

posted by Nic @ 11:51 AM 1 comments   

Feast your eyes...

Because videogame addicts aren't fat enough already (urban myth number 1221)...



...Katamari Damacy cake!

For more videogame cake goodness - click HERE.

Nic.

posted by Nic @ 10:30 AM 0 comments   

A thing of beauty...

Since moving into Medulla Corp HQ Version 2.0, I've found myself building a lot of 'flat packed furniture' - and I have to say... it's kinda addictive.

For regular readers I should tell you, the problem bed is a problem no longer. I went and returned it on Wednesday and with the help of Rav (Medulla HQ 2.0 Beta owner - remember?) we got the new bed fired up and ready to rock and roll (Yhantie is coming to the UK in March ;)

One of the many flat packed things I bought from Ikea was this...



Sexy - right? No... not the 10 year old widescreen TV (which I hope to replace soon) - OR the some what monsterous TV stand. NO - it's CONTENTS...



Please ladies and gents. Control yourself as I guide you on the tour of my console history.

When you've been doing this games design gig as long as I have - you tend to pick up a lot of classice hardware and software in the name of research. For the first time, I have every console I own under one TV.

Let's start bottom left with...



...the PC Engine (or Turbo Grafx to the Yanks). Out of all the console - this one has a special place in my heart. See - I was a 'computer freak' until the PC Engine. Coding away on my C64 and Amiga, it wasn't until the PC Engine that I realised the future of gaming did not lay in a one button Kempston playing Speedball.

The PC Engine is the console I would save in a fire. I love the purity of it. The glorious vertical shooters, the Bomberman series (a PC Engine original title) and here - rammed into this beauty is 'Ordyne' - contender for my favorite game of all time (arcade version admitedly). But look...



...the PC Engine is alive and well and sitting under my TV.

Next we have...



...the Sega Dreamcast. Possibly the most underated console of all time. This little box was sexier and almost as powerful as the PS2. It has some of the finest arcade ports of any console (cos the Naomi board was a Dreamcast) and here is one of them...



...Capcom Vs SNK 2. Okay - I hear you. Yes - this came out on PS2 also, BUT! The Dreamcast has possibly the best arcade joystick of any console, and I have one. Combined, I'm in fighting game heaven. Another of my fav games of all time.

Next - we move onto the 'current gen' with...



... the pS2 (tilt your head cos I'm too lazy to rotate). You all know what this thing is. Unfortunatly I seem to have screwed my chipped PS2 so this is my vanilla 'old skool' PS2. Here running...



...MGS3 - another fav game series of mine.

Next to the Sony we have...



...the GameCube. Contender for the Dreamcast's crown of most mis-understood console. Some great games on this thing, but here I am again flying the MGS flag with...



...the remake of MGS1.

Finally in this round up of the current gen we have the dusty...

...Microsoft 'Ass Box'. Only reason I got one of these is for 'Dead Or Alive' (another fav game series of mine), so here it is running a 10 year old arcade game...

If you want to rob me... please take the Xbox and leave everything else. You're welcome to it.

Up to the top deck we have right to left...



...the Sega Megadrive/Genesis. This was my sisters and I don't actually think I ever paid her for it :) THE classic game for this machine is 'Gunstar Heroes'. However, today we are rocking the 1st and best of...

...the Sonic games. Trivia fans, my Megadrive is modified to have a PAL/NTSC switch. This mod was done by one of the original Super FX chip creators at Argonaut (more on that later).

Keeping the Megadrive warm on these cold winter nights we have...

...the Sega Saturn. Hated by most, loved by a select few - the Saturn is a console worth owning, but not for it's 3D games. My Saturn has been pulled apart to many times and when trying to show you a game - all I got was this...



...hide your shame Sega Saturn - you will return again and rule with 'Radient Silvergun' once I work out why the CD drive doesn't spin up.

Moving on we have possibly the most important games console of all time...



...the Super Nintendo. Nintendo's last great console and the 'Playstation' of it's day. This is the ugly US version. The UK and Japanese version looked A LOT better. Damn dem crezy Yanks and their wacky deziginz - DUDE!. So many classic games for this machine, but here we see what is my fav platform game of all time, 'Yoshi's Island'...



...which trivia fans might or might not know was powered by the Super FX chip, designed and created by Argonaut, who I used to work for. Ahhhhhhhh - the good old days...

Finally we have a double team of...



...UK (behind this one) and US Nintendo 64's. Some wonderful games on this beast. 'Mario Golf' and this, 'Sin and Punishment' from the ever wonderful Treasure stand out as 2 of my favs.

So there you have it. Add a Sky+ box and a DVD player and I have a stupid amount of stuff plugged into one TV. My only regret is that I didn't have space for these...



...my Commodore 64 and (underneath) Amiga. Adding these would put everything TV based games device I've ever owned under one TV... Maybe I can work something out.

Oh - and not to be forgotten. Here's the handhelds I could find at the time...



The GBA and GB Color have gone AWOL at the moment... I'm sure they will turn up.

So tell me - is there really any reason to leave the house???

Nic.

posted by Nic @ 11:42 PM 4 comments   

Why didn't I think of that...

Every now and then you see an idea that makes you think..."WHY THE HELL DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT!!!". This is one of them...


"If you need help putting your relational databases into Third Normal Form, optimizing your indexes, or performing a correlated sub-query, Uyen is your girl. This database diva works in the risk mitigation industry, where she specializes in data analyses, data programming, and database management. She holds a Bachelor degree in eBusiness Management, and an Associate degree in Computer Programming and Software Development.

Thoughts on being ‘Geek Gorgeous’

What makes me “Geek Gorgeous” is my open-minded view on life, and my eagerness to learn and improve myself. I am fascinated by the constant changes in today’s technological innovations, yet at the same time – I enjoy and appreciate life’s simplicities.
Advice for girls who want to pursue technical careers
I would encourage a young woman who is interested in a career in the technology field to follow her interests because it is one of today’s most economically significant professions. Women’s contributions to technology have become more substantial than ever, and we, as a society, should embrace and embellish this accomplishment. Seeing is believing, and it is accepted and appreciated more than ever that women in technology are not only intelligent, but are also fun, savvy, outgoing, and beautiful!

Her Hero

Heroes are made everyday, and I consider anyone who takes a stand, no matter how small the situation or outcome, a born hero. A cliché, but I also consider my parents the biggest heroes because of the extreme effect they have on the most important people in their lives: their children. Sacrifices never boiled too deep when it comes to what they’ve given up for my siblings and I, but what makes them remarkable is the fact that they see these actions not as sacrifices, but as opportunities. Opportunities that would better their children's lives, which in turn would brighten their souls - and this was all the reward they ever needed."

YES - It's a calander of semi-attractive women who have geeky jobs! Playboy for Wired readers!!!

GENIUS!

Get you 'Geek Gorgeous 2006 Calander' HERE.

Nic.

posted by Nic @ 2:12 PM 1 comments   

It's official - I'm the luckiest man alive!!!

I'm getting married...



...June the 3rd.

Nic.

posted by Nic @ 10:45 PM 3 comments   

It's official - I'm an IDIOT!!!

I bought a new bed from Ikea at the weekend. It looks like THIS in the book. It was delivered today and Ravinder (owner of Medulla Corp V2.0 beta - for regular readers) gave me a hand putting it together.

What's wrong with this picture...



Take a closer look...



Do you see? Well - I didn't. We built the whole bed frame (took about 90 minutes) and dropped the slats on it...



...and it hit me - BANG! - I picked up the wrong size frame!!

See - the matress and the slats are for a 160cm width bed. But idiot boy Nic picked up a...



...140cm frame.

So here is the problem. It cost me £50 to get this thing delivered. Now - I can't fit the matress in my car, and I want the 160cm frame. So - I guess I have to dismantle the frame, make sure every single bit makes it back in a box - drive back to Ikea... admit I am an idiot and try and fit the 160cm bed frame boxes into my car.

It's a good thing I have a spare bed in the Medulla Corp studio...



...this room will be my womb for the next few days.

Nic.

posted by Nic @ 10:25 PM 0 comments   

From Mombasa to Miami, Beirut to Bangladesh...

Decided to post most of the pictures from my 2005 travels on Flickr... see the world from my eyes click HERE.

Nic.

posted by Nic @ 5:24 PM 0 comments   

No Pork in Starbucks...

Here's the tune I wrote in the Starbucks in Jakarta while waiting for Yhantie to finish work. Couldn't really here what I was doing over the Xmas tunes and noise... but it's kinda funky...

Grab it HERE

Nic.

posted by Nic @ 11:27 AM 0 comments