Publication Date: February 19th 2004
ISSN 1445-1360
In this issue you will read:
Editorial: February 19th 2004
Software Review: SafeMail
Definition: Bludger
Project Gamer: A Machine for Gaming
Quotable: Agnes Repplier said...
Web Site Review: Dark Age of Camelot
The Great Australian Joke
G'Day Blokes and Sheilas!
I have been really sucked into the world of online gaming of late. It is a form of escapism and a great way to release some stress and tension.
Multiple player games are all the rage, with events being staged across the world. Check out the review of one in Indiana called AsylumLAN 15, as reviewed by Tom's Hardware Guide. It sounds like lots of fun. It reminds me of when I worked for DatWorks in Melbourne and on a Friday night we would play Quake until the early hours, with the bosses bringing in pizza and their mates from the local hardware store. Fun times!
I wonder if I could convince my friend Brian to set up one of these events? He has the expertise network wise. I could do the marketing.
Now the type of game I have got sucked in to is an Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game. The one I am playing is Dark Ages of Camelot, as I have friends that play it. There are many others but Star Wars Galaxies and EverQuest are well known. EverQuest is the granddaddy of them all and reportedly the most popular. The games all require software on your computer which then connects to a server. As all players can then interact on the servers that are created.
Each game has many web sites that support it. With player created groups and support sites each game has quite a community to it! For example in the game I play I belong to a group called the Highland Watch, that maintains a Web site called Hidden Knights, that includes news and forums.
Anyway this issue has a free trial of Dark Age of Camelot, the start of Project Gamer where I build a gaming machine, a great JavaScript for protecting your email address on your Web site and the usual other delightful tidbits!
Until next issue, have a great life!
Nathan Allan
TOP
This is a great little JavaScript for your web site that will conceal your email address from spammers. The creators sum it up nicely; "One way spammers get your email address is with programs written to extract addresses from web pages. These robots, as they are called, look for mailto: links in the body of web pages. A good way to protect your email address from spammer lists created in this way is keep your email address off web pages. But what if you want people to have your email address? This script, SafeMail, solves that problem for you." This really is a simple and fast way to deter spammers from farming your email address from your web site. I installed it on one of my sites in under 5 minutes. Name: SafeMail License: Freeware Version Reviewed: NA Supported Operating Systems : Web based Javascript TOP
Straight up I am telling you I am not a bludger! Anyone who has met one will know this describes someone who evades responsibility, avoids any sort of physical activity, and plain old doesn't chip in with their fair share of the workload!
A lot of Dole (Unemployment or Welfare) recipients get labelled as bludgers. This tag is sometimes appropriate too.
TOP
My last computer building project was so successful and I received lots of useful feedback. So I thought I would cover another machine I just built. This one was for a friend who wanted a low cost gaming machine.
Let me go over what a gaming machine needs. Firstly a decent motherboard, then a fast processor, but most importantly a high-end graphics card. If your playing games from CD_Rom you will want a decent speed CD-Rom drive, and if online a Ethernet card or connection.
In the next week or so I will detail what I found for this machine, and how it is an affordable group of components to boot!
Can you see the trend I have on making low cost, high quality machines?
TOP
We cannot really love anybody with whom we never laugh.
TOP
A few of you have asked what the game is I refer to on the front of my site so I thought I would briefly describe it.
It is a roleplaying game that takes you back to the time of Camelot, after King Arthur. There are three realms you can be choose to be part of, and multiple character types you can play. Personally I did not think I would like it as I prefer first person shoot'em up games. However there are many choices of characters where you can blast your opposition with fireballs or arrows!
There is a Beginners Guide that may fast track you a little, but playing the game is the best way to learn.
Now the actual software to get started will only set you back $20 but there are also monthly fees from as low as $10. Now this may seem high, but as a teenager I remember blowing $5 in 5 minutes on pinball and arcade games.
The Camelot Herald is the official site for all the news, updates and documentation on the game.
FilePlanet currently has a 7 day trial of the game available here. Although the game will take a lot longer than 7 days to sample properly. At least you could have a glimpse of it if you are interested.
TOP
Ending off Peter's Definitive Guide To Aussies. I got a real good laugh out of these!
A Definitive Guide To Aussies - Part Three
