The new update for Wii System Menu has been released, and now stands at version 4.0. This update includes a new SD channel, allowing the use of (down)loading Virtual Console games straight to and from your SD card. It now also allows support for SDHC cards (up tp 32gb, instead of the 2gb limit), meaning that loads of VC games can be stored. Additionally, Nintendo have released an update for the Virtual Console, called the Virtual Console Arcade; allowing for extra arcade titles to be downloaded. The current available games include: Gaplus, Mappy, Starforce and The Tower of Druaga, with other titles coming soon. These titles will cost between 500-600 Wii points to purchase.
To get the update, simply turn on your Wii and go to your Wii System Settings. Scroll to last page and click on Wii Update, and let it do its stuff. You will need to make sure that you have an Internet connection however. It may take a good 5-10 minutes to update also, depending on your connection and Nintendo’s servers – it took mine a while to update.
You can find more information on Nintendo’s website, Here.
Archive for March, 2009
Wii System update 4.0
Flash Websites – Why?
Why exactly do ‘web designers’ choose to make their websites completely in flash? Especially when they don’t supply a HTML version? Flash looks all well and good, when used in moderation, but isn’t very accessible. True, pretty much everyone has Flash installed nowadays and people use it all the time, but if you find that one of your users doesn’t have it installed, or use an old browser that doesn’t support it; they can no longer see your content. And if you are like me and use flash blocking plugins (to disable adverts, etc), the user will have to take additional steps in adding websites to the plugin’s white-list. Flash for menus is a no-no for me, because if someone doesn’t have flash installed/enabled, they cannot navigate through your site at all, leaving them stuck on your homepage. I don’t see the trouble in using plain old simple HTML, and adding flash elements around it when needed – not to static images. I suppose you could say the same for client side scripting such as Javascript, which again a non-Javascript version should be applied also.
</rant>
Steam – Left4Dead

I am so glad I managed to get Left4Dead after ages of putting off buying it, it is a fantastic game – the co-op gameplay is awesome, especially online. Many people have complained that there are only a few maps and that they have gotten bored with it after a few days, but even though this might be true, I always end up coming back to it. It is always somewhat different each time you play, and I have found myself playing Versus mode quite often as of late. I just can’t wait until the SDK is released, so that people can start making custom maps and mods. Also, the DLC should be available soon, meaning a new game mode and more campaign maps for Versus mode, I can’t wait!
Update: The DLC is now available to download, check your Steam client for updates.
I have always been a fan of Valve’s games, especially the Half Life series, they were amazing (roll on Episode 3!). There is something different about Valve’s engine that seems different than the rest, I don’t know what exactly, but it it is a good thing.
So, does anyone fancy a game of Left4Dead in the somewhat near future? My steam account is jamieoliver22 if anyone wishes to add me.
Internet Explorer 8 Released
The new version of Internet Explorer has been released today. It now finally fully supports CSS 2.1 and some elements of CSS3 (how many years late?), meaning that web developers should have less trouble and less workarounds will be needed. Plus, I can now use :hover on all elements, woo. The GUI is much similar to IE7, with a slightly more polished design; but I find that it is somewhat all over the place by default. I have never been a large fan of the GUI in IE7, it is almost they are trying too hard. I haven’t noticed any improvements in page loading to be honest, and I found that opening new tabs to be somewhat slow (having to wait a few seconds before they became ready). I also encountered a problem with ‘squashed’ fonts in Explorer and other applications after installing IE8, which I managed to fix by disabling ‘Use ClearType for HTML’ and restarting my computer – a pain.
In summary, I don’t see a large improvement over the previous versions, and most of their ‘claim to fame’ features have been around in Firefox, Opera and Chrome for some time. The increase support for CSS is most helpful however, it is about time that they caught up instead of being stubborn about it.
Anyway, I am still sticking with Firefox, and will be doing for some time. What do you think of it?
Is spring finally here?
The signs of spring are starting to peek through the cold wintry weather – the sun is finally coming out and the temperature is rising. Roll on summer, everyone is sick of the coldness.
On another note, the website is taking shape again. I have added a Twitter bar at the top (I started using Twitter a few days ago), which is pretty nifty. The template is starting to look more appealing and things are beginning to work properly (apart from multiple pages, I still need to fix them). I will be re-vamping all of the sub-pages in the next few days and sort out stray links; I have already updated my bio (including a not-so-great photo of myself). Plus, I need to fix Lightbox for my photos. Stay tuned anyway, shouldn’t be long now…
Please, if you have any comments of feedback regarding the new layout or any suggestions for improvement, please Contact Me.










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