Write for this blog (and make it better)

The answer to my thought on making this blog bigger is this, it needs writers. Whilst I will write a blog post now and then, it is not enough to gain notice or for that matter have any substance to it so the answer is to get other people to contribute.




What I'm looking for is for anyone who can write a sentence and fancies helping out the blog, to write a short piece on any topic and send it to themodernfix@googlemail.com, where i will have a read and decide if your writing style is just what this blog needs. These will not be shared so don't worry about being shy, but it would be of great help in making this more than just a blog about whatever i think of.

So please, send your written contribution to themodernfix@googlemail.com and you might just get your podium for all the things you wanted off your chest. Any questions, send them to the same e-mail and i'l try and answer.

Thanks.

Can you imagine a world?

As i sat pondering what my latest blog post (after a general hiatus), i decided that it should be something that gets any reader of this blog (if any) to join the thoughts of myself and share their opinion.



Something that ends up hurting my brain from dwelling on it too long, is the question, "What would the world be like without.......?" This question can be adapted to anything and while it may seem pointless, considering a world without one thing, can often create others. To imagine a world lacking something that is part of everyday life can almost be beyond imagination. A good example of this is music. Take a second (although be warned, it may be on your mind for a while), to think about your world without music. No music on T.V., adverts, on the bus, on the radio, no mp3's. Its almost unthinkable because although we may not realise it, we hear music for a rough estimate of 60-70% of the day (sleep noted) which is a long time.

Without it, we wouldn't have iPods, CD players, radios etc, as there is no need for them. In many cases we would lack many feelings and emotions that music would bring to us. I'm sure even the cavemen had some form of music which emphasises even more that its been part of human life for a very, long time.

So, i ask dear reader, pick something, could be music, bananas, cars, anything, and imagine the world without it and make an email out of it and send it to themodernfix@googlemail.com and let me know your thoughts. I'l put them all into a post after i receive some to share with everyone. Just try not to hurt yourself doing it.

A look at the Tesla S model

As previous years have brought us huge revolutions in the automobile industry, none are quite as revolutionary as this. The Tesla S model takes petrol powered machines and buries them in the past as this fully electronically powered car works its way to the fore-front of every ones attention and their Christmas wish-list. Almost sneaking up from no-where, the Tesla was shown for one day only in the Menlo Park dealership to those willing to wait in line to see this early, yet impressive model.

With a base model at $50,000,(£33,803), this car is not exactly entry level price, however, no-one can argue the quality of such an automobile. With one charge of the base models battery (better the model, more battery capacity), the car can be driven for 160 miles. Two larger batteries available in higher models allow for 230 miles and 300 miles. A 45 minute charge fills the battery to 80% (on the base model). With room for 7 people (5 adults and 2 children), the stylish Tesla can hold the whole family, and with huge capacity in both the boot and the bonnet, it can hold all of their luggage too. A 17 inch screen on the dashboard displays things from GPS, Internet and car information, and no doubt will display movies, TV programs and pictures too.



With a 10 year battery life (if taken care of), it is nice to see that it will be offered on different financial options, so that you are not paying for the car 5 years after the battery has died (and you've bought a new one if it is the plan to sell replacement batteries). Models can be reserved now and Roadster customers given extra benefits and priority over the general public. Deliveries of the signature S model are expected in 2011 and the basic model in 2012.

With cars like this in the works, the future almost writes itself. One day it will take 2 seconds to charge our phones and then our cars. When we park our cars outside our homes, electric currents on the parking space will charge the car, and one day, electric currents in the road will constantly be charging our cars so that we never run out of juice. These are only ideas however i think they are possibilities and i hope to see them implemented one day.

A few predictions perhaps?

With the xbox 360 now 2 (and a half) years old, the Nintendo Wii 1 (and a half) and the PlayStation 3 just as old, could it be time to look forth to the next generation of console? At least for the xbox 360 given that it is the older of the 3. Now, chances are, we will not see another console for at least 2 years, especially as they are doing so well in the market, but that doesn't stop you from concept dreaming. Here are a few predictions of my own.

Remembering these are predictions and not facts;

Lets, start with the xbox 360, what will come next? Going against many other peoples predictions, i do not believe Microsoft would be so cliche as to call it the xbox 720. One rotation is enough thank you. Speed of processes will be increased and there will be an improvement on Hard-Drive space. It will be fully wireless and will allow for more than 4 controllers to connect at a time. It will be fully tested for mother-board issues so that the whole, 'red light of death' scenario does not re-occur.

Now the PlayStation 3. It is possible that the next console could be named PlayStation 4 however it is hard to tell. It will still be fast but will be a little more balanced. It will offer better downloadable content and a better online service(ye this is controversial). It will look a little less like a grill and will offer a better game line-up.

Lastly, the Nintendo Wii. This was a huge success as it brought a whole new concept to the gaming industry, however, for many people, this new way-to-game wore off fairly soon. This now makes it hard for Nintendo to come up with another console as they cannot just shake the 'Wii-mote' (mind the pun) and make it go away. This also makes it harder for anyone to predict Nintendos next big console release, but il have a pop at it. It will have a much larger HDD and will have better online content and will offer more functionality. People will be able to meet up alot easier online instead of having to share unique codes to link their consoles. And the name? Well that is a hard one. I couldn't even think of what it could be. Back to 'Revolution' again? I doubt it.

As i said before, these are only predictions but offer some ideas to think about. Only time will tell if some of these will actually come true (here's hoping).

If you have any predictions of the next generation consoles, please send them to:
themodernfix@gmail.com
and i will try to mention them in one of the next posts.

A brief look at iPhone 3.0

This is all over the innternet but i just thought id give a very brief round-up of the features in the iPhone 3.0 Software. With the recently announced iPhone 3.0 software, many new features have been added to every ones joy. This is just a quick list of the features that were mentioned at the announcement:

System wide cut/copy/paste

Push notifications and/or background apps

Landscape mode in every Apple app

Full Bluetooth support

MMS

Turn-by-turn directions

Spotlight for iPhone

Share Internet with a Mac or PC

As i mentioned before, these features were mentioned at the announcement, but it doesn't mean smaller features can't be added before the software is publicly released in summer which is a likely case.

Where is technology going?

In the past there has been some considerable breakthroughs in technology from the introduction of the CD to the sudden craze of High-Definition TVs. With all of these new ideas and improvements to current technology happening around us, one has to ask, "where do we go next?" The next big thing seems to be OLED TVs which are the thinnest HD quality televisions to come to the market, but even these are still getting worked on. There always seems to be something else around the corner but i often think, what if, one day we run out of ideas?
The introduction of the MP3 player brought a new way to listen to music, but whats next? What other method will be discovered? This is the case with many sides of the market and we find ourselves getting caught up in the latest craze and discarding our older products, however, i just hope this cycle does not one day end and we are delved into the dark ages.

Are games the new film?

It is not too long ago when everyone would flock to the cinema to see the next biggest film, (usually 3 weeks between), and now and then would sit down on a Friday night and play a little GTA: Vice City to pass the time. However, recently, the general public seem to only go to the cinema every now and then when a much-hyped film like Cloverfield or Watchmen comes out for our viewing pleasure. It is becoming a lot more common to seek and find that story element we so crave in the video games we now so dearly love.Could this new found respect for well written story lines in games be the step-up from the cinema many people have been waiting for?
Games such as Halo and Gears of War are prime examples of said games, where the player is sucked into the storyline without even realizing it and find themselves caring for the characters and sometimes even relating to their situation, (ok maybe not Halo or Gears of war). For many people, including myself, there is, in some cases, a sense of responsibility for the outcome of the story, especially in a game like Fallout 3 where any action will have some effect.
For our technology loving society, many people now look upon games as the 'interactive film,' and this appeals greatly to many people. Personally i do not see a day anytime soon, where cinema's will close due to everyone sitting at home playing their xbox 360's, but it seems many people enjoy the balance between the cinema and their own interactive plot lines. Only time will tell how this will turn out, i just hope it inspires people to make better films.

Where are all the games?

In a world that is lying in wait for games such as Killzone 2 and RES 5, has anyone taken the time to think of one little thing? The average gamer may not notice themselves doing it, but more than ever, most of their time is spent on waiting for games and not playing them. In most cases, there is huge excitement over games and the excruciating wait is always enevitable. However, once the game has been in our posetion for a week, maybe even a month and our 360's have barely had time to cool down, we have moved onto the next game. Its a constant cycle. I am not complaining no matter how this article makes it seem, im am merely saying, that the market is dominated with huge games, but most are played through once before exhausting the multiplayer maps and egerly awaiting the next big title.

Ipod Flash News

Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen has recently revealed that both Apple and Adobe are working together to make Flash available on the iPhone, working around the many technical implications that they have encountered.

It seems that the full Flash version is too big to be run on the iPhone. However, Flash lite isn't quite good enough, so it would seem that a new IPhone friendly edition could be in the works, bringing a smile to many faces. Fingers crossed we don't have to wait too long to hear more from this "collaboration".

Fallout 3: Operation Anchorage DLC

As the follow-up to Bethesda's chart topping game Oblivion, Fallout 3 brought great expectations and delivered on most, if not all of them. However, after so long, people started to grow weary of the super-mutant encounters and the Ghoul infested tube stations, and looked forward to some new challenges in the form of DLC(downloadable content). Finally it arrived. Operation Anchorage is available to download now from the Xbox Live Marketplace for 800 points.

Once downloaded, the average gamer may be somewhat un-nerved by the lack of notification on how to access the new content, but in opening a saved game, in moments a ditress call will be received, leading you to a new location. I will not explain the story in fear of spoiling the experience, but it is safe to say that it is a welcome addition to the original game.


This 4-5 hour scenario finds the gamer on a virtual reality mission to infiltrate an Alaskan military installation, re-living the liberation of Alska from the Chinese. Focusing more on the FPS side of Fallout 3, the player finds themselves rarely needing to use V.A.T.S. and using more of a crosshair reliant approach but stealthy none the less as is shown from the silenced 10mm pistol and the stealthboy you start off with. For the player who has completed everything, Operation Anchorage is a welcome new piece of story and it is good to see some quality DLC for a good price (debatable).

Welcome

(This started primarily as a test on Internet sociability) Hello folks. Glad to see that you have chosen to visit my blog, more than likely with the hopes of reading (and perhaps even watching), the latest news and reviews in the world of gadgets and gaming. Hey, I might even throw in some other articles for kicks and giggles. So yes, I hope to deliver up-to-date info on the latest in the electronic world. I also hope to get some people to help me in keeping the blog as good as it can be. In fact, if you think you would be good at writing articles for a blog such as this, please type up an article or review of anything gadget or gaming related(electronics in general) and e-mail it to me at themodernfix@gmail.com.

Thanks again.