AK Bell

HDTV just doesn't seem worth bothering with right now. There is nothing that uses it at the moment with XBOX, PS3, Sky HD and HD DVDs still months and months away. There are a few XBOX games I'd like to play with a better resolution but I'm not too fussed yet.

Even when they are machines that use HDTV, there will still be nothing on these machines worth getting. There will be few movies out, poor launch games and just because Sky can do HD doesn't mean that they TV shows will.

Next summer ask me again then I'll probably change my opinion. But not before then.

Azureus + Auto Speed = Decent download time without have to mess around

Also, don't believe the estimated time too much. It'll just annoy you. It'll be done when it's done. Sleep on it.

I've had these for ages but not got round to them: -

Spirited Away

A Mighty Wind

Dark City

Alien3 (bought them all together, but can't be bothered with 3)

The Apartment

Fortune Cookie

The Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

More bought for a laugh: -

The Money Pit

Mannequin

Mighty Ducks 3

Loaded Weapon 1

I usually have the problem of buying films I like but have seen millions of times before. So still in the sellophane are: -

The Fugitive

Superman I & II

The Producers

Three Amigos

Waynes World I & 2

Spaceballs

Robin Hood: Men In Tights

Event Horizon

Highlander

Who Framed Roger Rabbit

Does anyone else not get round to watching their DVDs because they don't want to watch them on their own? I do that. I buy them but then find no one else is interested.

Once every generation there is a woman who can write comedy and she is it. I bow before the comedic might of Victoria Wood.

There are of course many women who can perform comedy, and a few can do a good stand-up act...but it's hard to find a female written comedy that is funny. I'm not trying to be sexist, I wish that rule wasn't the case, but it's true.

They seemed to make an effort to show us the "hidden wall" of each room too.

I was forced to watch it at school too. It's just not something that kids should have to watch. I was shown it after the cold war too so there was little point.

I just watched the documentary that comes with the boxset. At last...some form of closure!

They just made headers harder in PES4 because they were so easy in the last one. Now you need to have a perfect delivery and a perfect head or you get nothing. I stick to low crosses now...but they are only really effective against other people rather than the CPU.

My girlfriend is more understanding than cool about games. I have to negotiate time playng games and time spent with her...but that's understandable. I've seen people get the balance wrong and lose their girlfriend (as well as being horrified when I saw them being ignored). I learnt fast that the sooner you offer to stop playing the more they'll let you play (it can backfire but rarely).

She'll happily play Monkey Ball or a driving game with me once in a while. I know she likes her puzzle games too (Myst, cards, etc). She'll not watch me play games though. And who can blame her. I don't like spectating either. To be fair, all games are very boring to watch.

It's a game design problem. All of the bits inbetween the storytelling are just filler but this filler is the actual game. So yeah, KOTOR has a good storyline and I enjoyed it, but I couldn't sit through someone killing some more creatures to get their XP up. Until that is fixed I'd rather watch a film with her and a lot of girlfriends will demand more time with you away from the joypad.

The couldn't make the US one too much like a mock-documentary. Our Office was made at a time when there was nothing but these stupid documentaries (the beginnings of reality shows). The reason we found it funny was because we identified with that.

The US doesn't have documentaries like these. So even the Americans who like watching the originals don't quite get this joke but get everything else. So the US version was made with this in mind, putting the documentary more in the background (but keeping it obviously) and putting in more standard jokes to compliment the subtle ones.

It doesn't mean that the US is stupid and just don't get the joke. It's that they have a different background and are actually attuned to more sophisticated TV (not better, not funny...I mean in production quality and knowing what they like).

I personally thought that they US Office was great once it attempted to get out of the UK version's shadow.

Not enough hidden lesbianism though. DS9 mirror episodes never disappointed there.

L Trigger + tap shoot = chip the keeper.  Just make sure you're facing pretty central to the goal, as sometimes it can bounce wide.

That's a tricky shot to pull off. If you're striker doesn't have good stats then it's probably not worth attempting. He'll hit it too hard and high even with a tap. And even with a good player you have to time it just right. I find I'm better off trying to slide it past the keeper but give the chip shot a go once I'm already in the lead. You'll also find yourself wanting to chip all the time when a simplier move would be better.

Tap R trigger + tap shoot does a lower chip that's more likely to hit the target but you have to wait for the keeper to hit the ground in front of you so it's hard to time.

I thought the mirror episodes were excellent. In fact, its the only episodes my none trek friends liked (and they didn't even get the in-jokes).

Was quite amusing.

I just have to apply a little bit of angle to the shot (up or down). Don't just aim straight at goal. It's really hard to do right.

I've recently taken to bashing the controller against my forehead when playing PES4. It's quite a new thing. Only started a week ago. I may stop playing for a while.

But when people we younger (like the same age of this kid) did no one else get really worked up when your mam told you to switch the machine off "right now" even though if you do you'll lose all progress and the save point is just round the corner. Daggers for eyes.

But I've played my boss a few times at work and now that he has got his head around the XBox controls he hammers me everytime.  Only 2-0 or 3-0 but I just can't seem to make the chances.  He uses some strategy (he moves everyone forward on offence and everyone back on defence, hardly the cleverest ploy but it works).

I can't break him down at all.  Even if I could just hold it at nil all until around 75minutes surely he's players would be knackered.

When he defends does he just try and put his defenders between you and the goal (as opposed to tackling your players properly)? When I was less experienced at PES I found I could sneak wins by defending like that, frustrating the other player, and making sure I finished my own goals (there is a knack to finishing too).

His players probably don't have to run to much too if your spend a lot of time attacking and he just lets you come at him. Pass it round a bit more, knock it backwards or sideways a bit more, get him to apply some pressure on you, and that should tire his players out more and draw them out.

I want the PES3 throw-ins back. And a free-kick system where it's possible to score...especially since everyone (including CPU) fouls you down confident that the free kick won't go in and they won't get a card.

It would be nice to feel like I always have control of my players too rather than have the computer keep on taking over from me forcing my player after the ball rather than a better interception point.

Did no one notice in the tv guides months ago that they were keep on saying who was fighting that week? When it's meant to be a surprise in the middle of the show.

The current event episodes are never as good as the story ones. They'll have a few episode plots up their sleeve for this series that'll be cool. Have faith.

It's definitely the best made comedy ever. Not just in the US...I mean best ever from anywhere. The way they keep so many running jokes going (either in the episode or throughout the series) is genius

I've been meaning to cut and paste these into one long video for a while now but not got round to it. Having to fast forward all the time is really annoying.

Peter Hook from New Order was being interviewed on Popworld the other day. Upon being asked "Out of the new wave of bands like The Bravery, The Kills, The Futureheads and that, who do you think is a bit rubbish?"

He thought for a few seconds, then said "The Bravery. They're.... brave, is all I can say."

To be fair, New Order can't go about saying any of these bands are crap because they all seem to be emulating them. It's giving New Order a new chance to shine and a nice little NME award for being around forever.

And yeah, I am in boro but didn't bother with the subways gig. I will give them another go though. I haven't listened to an album worth of their stuff yet.

I don't mean to sound like my Gran, but all this new music sounds the same to me.

To be fair, these new bands sound okay. If it's on the radio I'd happily listen to it. It's just that there are so many bands around at the moment making boring 80s ripoffs it's getting very annoying. Especially when people keep singing their praises because they are cool.

If you took the one good song off each of these bands you'd have a damn cool album. But instead we have a dozen similar sounding bands with one good song and a lot of album filler.

I saw Maximo Park recently too at a small local gig. They didn't seem very tight and it sounded awful. I was shocked to find that other people had heard of them and they are getting talked up at the moment. I much preferred the support act Art Brut, but my mate (a Killers fan, and Maximo Park fan now) thought they were crap because all he did was talk and shout over music. Pot. Kettle. Black.

I think the Subways are playing there this weekend. Another crappy band getting hyped to hell.

Didn't she meet Gambit way later, somewhere in creole-country, when she had been reverted to childhood?

And Halle Berry probably just wants to do the knife-fight against Callisto.

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You're probably right. My knowledge is far from absolute.