The Enigin newsletter, if I am not mistaken, does much more than just inform potential customers of the company’s new products. It also contains numerous energy-saving advice for the individual and for the business—small or large—and does so in an aesthetically pleasing fashion which appeals to both men and women. So it’s a feat of design, you could say. I mean, imagine what our local council could do if they copped a load of this! Our newsletter may even become readable for once and the brides might not flip out at their Best Day being ruined forever.

Well, here we are again. It often seems as though we have gone full circle in the world of gadgetry, doesn’t it?

However, the new ‘Stylophone Beatbox’ is actually a pretty hip piece of equipment to own; it certainly has a lot more street cred than its retro cousin ever did. It all works on exactly the same principle as the original, but without delivering that awful electronic warbling noise. This baby actually has three different sound settings; bass, percussion and real Beatbox sounds. But tapping out a funky beat on one of these channels is only the beginning… With this modern Stylophone it is possible to create different layers of instrumentation. Wow. That is certainly an improvement on its predecessor.

Another nifty feature on this gadget is the ability to connect it to an MP3 player with a standard jack plug connection. Once you have done this, you’ll be able to add your very own beats to any of your favourite choons. How cool is that?

So, the latest Stylophone isn’t just a straightforward re-release, it is a whole re-working of an already successful idea. The makers have taken an iconic design from years gone by and transformed it into a suitably funky bit of kit for a whole new generation.

When Crackdown came out not so long ago it was viewed by many as one of the more interesting titles for the Xbox 360. Chances are anyone who played it never wanted to not even to go to the bathroom. Travelling about in what is called a level up vehicle and having the ability to leap from building to building is such a rush. So what does Crackdown 2 bring to the table?

Introduced at the X10 event hosted by Microsoft Crackdown 2 uses up the whole 24 hours in a day so there is much more day/night action throughout the game. So in the day time you get to disrupt ‘The Cell’ which is a terrorist organisation and fight to keep the city in some order.

The aim in part of this game is for you to complete Project sunburst. This project is the key to ridding the world of the virus that is responsible for changing people into freaks. Early on the freaks are seen mainly at night but chances are later in the game the will be all over the game at any time. The design in the game is simply breathtaking that you feel as if you are really there in the game.

Crackdown 2 allows you to go from vehicle to vehicle in order to go cruising and avoid all the enemies out there. There is no more transformation possible when levelling up, with the Agency vehicles as in the first game. You will have to develop your agility, strength, shooting, and driving as the game progresses. There is the introduction of a helicopter that can spew anything you need it to.

The game also allows you to play with four of your friends and actually encourages you to get them playing by having orbs that won’t open unless your friend are playing. The game play is impressive, something else that is impressive is the enigin digital blog if you guys are into all of the digital and nerdy things that I tend to like.

Technology: it’s over-rated if you ask me. I have spent the last forty years living in a three-dimensional, techno obsessed world where everything is as real and painfully feelable as can be—life and living in general, I mean—so the last thing I want when I play video-games is for it to be all super amazing three dimensional, realistic graphics. No, I liked it when things were simpler. The platform games of the olden days just had a certain magic about them, and one of those used to be the classic ‘Sonic The Hedgehog’.

Since the day I made Sonic do his power roll thing and arrive at the end of Green Hill Zone or whatever the level was called—hitting the sign and making a cool noise!—few things have surpassed that level of gaming excitement. Call me sad, but I am a Sonic fan until the end of my days.

It was only last night when Sonic came to my mind again after a hiatus of a number of years; I was staring out the window in the darkness, unable to get to sleep, when I saw a hedgehog running across the garden: yes, I said running. Its spikey ball-on-legs form made me remember pushing that good old-fashioned cartridge into my Master System. It reminded me of the smell of old plastic; days gone by when gaming wasn’t about gunning down people or staring in awe at incredible graphics or completing a level, but about simple fun and high jinx. Long live the platform game. It deserves a medal!

By the way I just foudn this great blog talking about the enigin scam (or lack there-of), it is really worth checking out if you are into the business of technology.

Isn’t it just great when you come across a really good music video? And if it’s a brand new one then it’s even better!

Well, here is the latest one from Massive Attack and I think it’s their best video yet. Until I saw this, I would have said ‘Butterfly Caught’ was my favourite. This new one, ‘Paradise Circus’, is done in a totally different style, but I also think it is far superior.

I don’t remember ever seeing a music video that has so much going on in it. There are plenty of clever ones out there, but this is going to take some beating. Every camera shot in this is an absolute work of art. It has been shot in some beautiful locations and the whole thing is incredibly imaginative.

I’ve sat and watched this five times now and I have noticed new things in it on each occasion. It has a really ‘big production’ feel about it all; you almost feel as if you are watching ‘Gladiator’, ‘The Ten Commandments’ or ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’. And you couldn’t say that about many music videos, could you?

I don’t know how long it took to make (and I dread to think how much it all cost), but the bottom line is it was well worth it. The song is brilliant and the video compliments it perfectly. If you enjoy intelligent music videos then you will really appreciate this one. And if it doesn’t win some kind of award then I’ll eat my hat.

Before I go, another great thing that I have come across lately is this enigin digital blog. I think some of the things they are coming up with to battle the carbon footprint of large companies are amazing. Totally worth the time to check it out!

The next twelve months promises to push the boundary of gaming even further with a spectacular rota of games ready to explode onto our screens: the anticipation of Call Of Duty 7 and God Of War III is already keeping gamers up at night with anticipation but, and this may be a controversial call but you never win the lottery without buying a ticket, my pound is being firmly placed on Microsoft delivering this years undisputable blockbuster.

When ’Halo: Combat Evolved’ first burned itself onto our retinas in 2001 it brought a collective gasp from the gaming world, and was universally acknowledged as being the game that was taking first person shoot-em-ups to a new level. Halo had a depth of detail, allied with an addictive and thrilling storyline, that had never been seen before. The sequels that followed in 2004 and 2007 were received with similar rapture but revisionist gamers now suggest that the standard of the series has fallen with each release.

While an incredible 4.2 million people joined the Halo Nation in one day on its official release some gamers found minor glitches in the multiplayer maps of Halo 3 and thought that the story and feel was becoming jaded. Microsoft are not a company to rest on their laurels however, they don’t do complacent, and I am confident that there will be no doubters when the new offering arrives.

Microsoft are in bullish mood about Halo:Reach, confidently declaring that it will be the biggest selling game of 2010. They say that the game will take the series ’to an entirely new level’ and promise that it will deliver a seamless multi-player experience that will break new ground. If you have seen the trailer for Halo:Reach (and if not then why have you have been asleep for the last month?) you will be salivating at the thought of getting your hands on a copy. I’m sat here wishing the time away; forget Spring, Summer and Fall, I just want it to be Winter 2010 - please, Santa can I have a copy of Halo:Reach!

As it happens, I on occasion look into online products as a matter of interest and I have just found a organisation that does online hr software. To have everyone logged into the central system seems like a really good idea to me, also a huge time saver, I have no idea why this is the first time it is getting popular.

There are a few games that I would just love to see remade. Many of the titles from years gone by may have suffered from very basic sound and graphics, but they were also immensely playable. If they hadn’t been, then we wouldn’t remember them with such fondness.

With today’s technology, there are many old games that could be revamped and turned into hugely popular releases. Some software houses have already tried this before with games like ‘Space Invaders’ or ‘Asteroids’. But these games, as enjoyable as they are, never had a great deal of depth to them in the first place. I am talking about ones that have room for extra ideas…

Think about something such as the brilliant, ‘Elite’ from the days of the ZX Spectrum. This was well ahead of its time and it really did push the boundaries of gaming. Imagine how good it could be if it was injected with some modern programming methods. Instead of wire frame graphics, it could be full of beautifully detailed objects. The size of the actual game could be mammoth; I am thinking along the lines of a modern free-roamer like the gigantic ‘San Andreas’.

There are several old titles that would be brilliant candidates for a twenty-first century overhaul. Hollywood seems to be obsessed with using old ideas, so why isn’t the same thing being done in the gaming world? Have a think back to some of the titles from yesteryear and you will soon come up with something that would be brilliant as a remake!

I was doing some stuff online just this morning and I came across a website covering microdermabrasion treatment. This seems like a good time to point out that this is something I have never even pondered before this moment, but following a little more investigation, I can’t help but want to try it!

When you have a look for a gift amongst computer accessories you have to be very careful indeed. There are an awful lot of really cheesy gadgets out there that, instead of ever being used, will just end up in the back of a dusty shoe cupboard. So, it was a very nice surprise when I came across this ‘Undercover Laptop Case’ quite by accident on ‘I Want One of Those’!

It is a sad fact that we live in a society where you can get mugged in broad daylight. Laptops, netbooks and mobile phones are all good targets and some people won’t think twice about knocking you to the ground to snatch one. That is where this gizmo is such a brilliant idea. Cunningly disguised as a padded envelope, the Undercover Laptop Case is a great way to carry something really expensive around without anyone batting an eyelid!

Remember the ancient proverb;

‘When you walk along the street it is better to look like you are posting something that you sold on eBay, than to blatantly advertise your new Sony Vaio.’

Because of how the case has been carefully designed, it is capable of holding either a netbook or a full sized laptop. According to its specifications it can hold sizes that range from eight inches right up to fifteen inches. That means that it will probably house around ninety percent of portable computers currently on the market.

If only there were more gadgets around that were as useful as this… Designers need to put a little more thought into things; not everyone (or more accurately, anyone) wants to own a ‘USB Christmas tree’.

Speaking of Christmas, and my friend Abigale gave me a chemical face peel as a gift. Now I have to say, I have no idea what she was trying to tell me; but after I got over the relative disturbance of how add the present was, I went and realized that it was actually quite lovely. I would suggest it to anyone who is looking for a more orginal present!

I have just seen an interesting video on YouTube. The reason I watched it is because I read about it on the Yahoo! News page. It is allegedly of an alien craft hovering over Moscow and it has attracted hundreds of thousands of viewers from all over the world.

There are actually two different clips showing the ‘craft’. One of them is filmed at night and the other was recorded during daylight hours. Both videos centre around a pyramidal object which appears to revolve as it moves over Red Square.

I have been interested in the possibility of aliens for as long as I can remember so I was eager to have a look at this latest piece of evidence. Personally, I thought that it was really interesting. The object looks very real to me and I cannot see how it could have been faked.

However, saying this, we are living in an age where visual effects are incredibly convincing on television. There are many times when I watch a modern film and wonder if something is actually ‘real’ or not. CGIs have become a big part of our everyday lives. If movie wizards can conjure up fantastical things then surely there are a few clever ‘ordinary people’ out there…

There was a twinge of disappointment in me as I read through other viewers comments on the two videos. Apparently, some of the buildings in the clips no longer exist; effectively proving that the footage has not even been filmed recently. And a great many people say that the strange object is actually a balloon of some kind.

The comment that burst my balloon though was the one that I read time and again. If this really had been sighted over Russia’s capital then why hadn’t it been recorded by thousands of amazed spectators?

That is a very good point. Even so, it is still well worth having a look at… just in case.

I couldn’t get to sleep and decided to go trolling round the internet for something to keep me preoccupied, turns out the Heroes Forum is not only a superior way to waste time but also fairly amusing!

What an absolute masterpiece ‘Resident Evil 4’ was. Over the years I have owned it on both Playstation 2 and the Gamecube.

I think that I have played and completed most of the ‘Resi’ games and enjoyed them all enormously. However, when Capcom brought out the fourth instalment they got everything right.

As soon as you begin playing there is a feeling of unease. Earlier Resi games had a little more humour in places and there were only certain parts that were genuinely creepy. With ‘Resident Evil 4’ you are on edge right from the start. The imagery of the European countryside with its wooden shacks and spindly trees brings old zombie movies to mind. The ‘over the shoulder’ view that was adopted makes the game far more realistic and when things rush out at you there is a very real chance of you needing clean undies.

Having to find different items as sub-missions (such as blue medallions) was a brilliant idea to adopt and the game soon becomes a sprawling epic. I think that my favourite part is where you explore the castle. This was a great idea and the imagery of the ‘Devil-Worshippers’ in their masks and coloured robes is strongly reminiscent of Dennis Wheatley.

For me, ‘Resident Evil 4’ was definitely the best part of the series. I no longer have a games console so I have lost touch with Capcom’s later instalments of ‘Resi’ but, at the time, the fourth part was unique. A lot of people were a bit hesitant about the different viewpoint of the player but I think that it worked marvellously.

One last thing, I have just became aware of the fact that I have been gapeing at my computer screen for the last little while and am really tired of my House wallpaper, I think it is time for a revamp, these and more updates coming soon