Adnaan Ebrahim and The Perfectly Porridge

After many failed attempts, burnt pots and the traumatising cockroach incident, I have finally made a really good bowl of porridge. Let me say that again. A REALLY GOOD bowl of porridge. The consistency is perfect. Sugar, Oats, Milk....well okay thats enough about my breakfast now because its going cold as I type.

Suzuki Gypsy: The "Indian Hummer"

Is there a better way to spend the weekend than a trip to the country? Not when it involves driving down a mountain (and by mountain I mean a really steep hill) in a Jeep and chilling with some Country Bumpkins in Ishwarpoor!

Ah yes...the wind in our hair, the bugs in our teeth and the unsettling rattle coming from the suspension as we balance precariously on loose boulders while descending the aforementioned mountain ( It was a really big hill! The pictures don't do it justice ).

AWD + Balls of Steel

So I've always liked Rally driving, and drifting is pretty cool. But what this guy does is friggin unbelievable! A high speed, single lane, 4 wheel drift in an Evo VI (correct me if I'm wrong).

And just who said a BCom was easy?

Ugh. Just Ugh. I'm buried under a mountain of backlogged college work that refuses to go away no matter how much I ignore it. Yet I find time to update my poor, neglected blog, after well over a month. Procrastination is a wonderful thing.

On to some rambling.

I love Japan. I have never been there, nor do I know any Japanese people but everything about it is so cool! The food which I have never eaten, the cars I have never driven, and the animes I spend more time watching than I care to admit. Its all-so-cool! My friend Krishna was in Tokyo the last time I spoke to her but now seems to have disappeared off the face of the Earth.

Japanese traditions are also really fascinating. The way they greet each other and all the minor stuff like exchanging business cards in a certain way. Also, there is a Kimchee flavored drink called Coolpis that I must drink.

2 litres of listerine STAT!

I have just emerged from a nice 14 hour nap. All seems right with the world. Except for the nastiest morning breath EVER.

I also feel a little hung over....I think it was the combination of a combiflam and that no-named green Chinese medicine.

In other news: My coffee PWNs Starbucks' any day of the week. Coming to India you say? Bring it you Limey Bastards!

Just how much realism is enough?

I was discussing this with someone the other day and its really quite a disturbing idea. To me at least. As the technology that runs our Video Games progresses, naturally we start seeing more and more realistic visuals. We demand photorealism in our games, from Racing simulators ( Gran Turismo series) to our First Person Shooters ( Half life series, Quake Series, etc). This isn't a bad thing since we play these games to enjoy things we can't do in real life.

Now this is the part that troubles me. How much is too much? We are reaching a point where the characters in the game can simulate emotion and feelings to an extent that is quite unsettling when know for a fact that all it really is, is just a bit of code. Further, you need to blow this characters brains out in order to advance to the next part of the game.

Here is an example : In Max Payne 2 ( one of the most awesome games of all time in my opinion ), there is a level where Max, the protagonist, is trapped in his apartment building by semi-automatic wielding crazies who were sent by a Russian Mob Boss to rub him out. As your sneaking up on two of these unsuspecting "cleaners", you can hear them talk amongst themselves. They are talking about their kids. One is saying how cute his new born daughter is and her first words (or something along those lines). Now the game expects you to kill them.




Maybe this is just me here, but I was really stunned for a moment. Of course in that moment I was greeted by the business end of a sawed-off shotgun. Now ( I'm on my 13th play through of the game), I can waste these guys without hesitation. But thats my point. Isn't it just making us too numb? Ok I know some of my gamer friends are going to call me a pansy for saying so but it really makes me wonder. With the implementation of Rag-Doll physics ( google it), this realism can be taken to a whole other level.

Just to get some more insight on this topic, Google some of these games: Manhunt 1, Manhunt 2 ( Already banned in the UK), Condemned: Criminal Origins, Condemned 2 , Bioshock. Another link for the Bioshock issue here.

War. War never changes.

Voted the best Video Game quote in the history of Video Games by the chaps at Gamespy.com.
Some 10-12 years ago a game called Fallout came out. The game was an instant classic with a fantastic story line, awesome characters and a superb RPG element. Its sequels, Fallout 2 and Brotherhood of Steel followed suit and were also huge hits, acquiring numerous game of the year awards.

Recently, Bethesda ( the people behind the Elder Scrolls games) bought the franchise for a hefty sum and are currently in production of Fallout 3. For fans of the games like me, this is superbly awesome news. Also it has been confirmed that they have got Liam Neeson to provide his vocal talents, probably as the narrator. The game is currently slotted for a Q3 2008 release and there are reports of an MMO in the works too. If anyone is interested I would suggest they youtube the game and see some of the awesome intro videos to get an idea of what its all about.

Edit: New info about the game released. Its an FPS.