General Posts
Build your website for free!
June 17th, 2008
I don’t really like paying for things. Actually, that’s not quite true, I’ll pay for things if I need to but I’d rather get it for free (or at least at a discount price).
Some of the best free stuff comes off the internet so rather than pay for some expensive software, why not do it the EWD way: for nothing. Here’s my handy-dandy guide to all the free stuff you can use to build and maintain your website.
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Probably the most dangerous path in the world
April 15th, 2008
I’ve climbed and walked along some pretty treacherous pathways over the years but this is somewhere you really don’t want to be unless you really need to go there:
Not today thank you…
The joy of games
April 12th, 2008
When I’m not busy doing all the other stuff that fills up my day, I like to play adventure games. I can’t shoot, I’m rubbish at kicking and catching so the adventure game is my thing. A much more sedentary but cerebral activity. It is something you can do at your leisure, picking up where you left off and trying that locked door again in the vain hope it has become unlocked since you last played.
So what is an adventure game? The heart of any good adventure game is the puzzles. Marooned on in a desterted city, following the trail of a murderer, deciphering ancient codes or simply getting out of the room, the adventure game requires the player to think, to solve the puzzle and reveal more clues. And that all there is to it. The methods employed my require manipulating a lock, setting levers, talking to a others or collecting objects but they all lead to the solution of puzzles.
The very earliest adventure games were printed. You read a scenario and chose your next move. This took you to another page in the book and a new scenario. The wrong selection often resulted in you killed in some way or ending up back at rthe beginning.
The advent of computers changed all this. You could still die but you had more options. You could type instruction and the computer would respond, usually with ‘you can’t do this right now’. But ask the right question and you could move on.
Then came Myst. A revelation in adventure games – the first real point and click adventure game. The graphics were astounding, the puzzles mind boggling and the story unique. It set the standard and ever since then the the genre has just developed in complexity.
Some games require long conversation with other characters, some require the collection of endless objects. Other games are just one gigantic puzzle. It is this last type that I enjoy the most. I’m not too fussed about the storyline or the graphics as long as the puzzles are fiendish.
Anyway, if this sort of thing takes you fancy then Gameboomers is probably a good place to begin. If you want to discover mare about the games that I enjoyed then here’s my games site..
Hope you find something to keep you amused.
Tai Chi
March 30th, 2008
I’ve been doing Tai Chi for a few years now and it has changed my life. Not in the earth shattering way a traumatic experience does but in a much more agreeable way. The form of Tai Chi that I and many thousands of others practice helps to counteract the pressures of modern life and to cultivate health.
And it’s not difficult. OK so it is not something you can learn in 5 minutes in front of a DVD but like every endeavor if you practice regularly then the benefit soon become apparent. I not longer creak when I get up in the morning, don’t get colds and sniffles, smile a lot more and stress is a thing of the past.
So what’s it all about? There are many forms of Tai Chi, this video clip shows a style very similar to the one that I practice as taught by the Taoist Tai Chi Society.
The actual exercise is built around a set of 108 moves. It takes about 6 months to learn the set and the rest of your life to refine your technique. Even a simple move requiring a simple twist of the hand takes time to learn because we live such sedentary lifestyles that our tendons, joints and muscles are stiff and lazy.
Here’s an example of how Tai Chi can improve your health. Stand in front of the mirror and look at your feet, if they point out to the sides it means the tendons round the back are too tight. Some of the Tai Chi moves gently stretch these tendons and over time you will be able to stand with you feet pointing forwards, reducing pressure on your knees and making walking much easier.
If you live in the UK, £16/month is all it costs, and for that paltry sum you can attend as many classes as you like anywhere in the world. And you get a cup of tea with a biscuit. Bargain!
Getting Started
March 27th, 2008
I’ve wanted a blog for ages but I never seemed to be able to find the times to set started. Well I had a bit of time on my hands to I bit the bullet a loaded up good old WP. It took about 2 minutes to get the thing up and running. But I wanted the blog to look like the main site, this meant writng my own theme and to do that i needed some help. A quick search and I discovered WPdesigner and his excellent tutorial on building your own WP theme.
And that’s it. The result of two days sweating at the keyboard is in front of you now.
