Alex Kidman

But I do now know two other people called “Alex Kidman”. The surreality continues…

This one’s in the UK. I’m still keenly awaiting to see if the Alex Kidman who lives in Canada will accept my request, as by pure coincidence, he lives in the same city as my sister. I wonder what happens if you get two Alex Kidmans in one photo. Does the universe explode?*

* This Alex Kidman is fully aware of the works of one Dave Gorman in this respect, just in case anyone was wondering.

Must. Catch. Deadlines. Before. Become. Dead.

Meanwhile, at APCMag.com:

Nikon D90: HD video plus 12MP photography — sweet!: “Just when you thought DSLRs couldn’t go any further, say hello to the D90; one part ninja DSLR, one part high quality video camera.”

Yeah, it’s not a very good song lyric, all things considered.

This week’s been a bit weird. How weird? Well, how about this, for starters, from my Facebook status page:

And that’s not me talking to myself. Although I do feel compelled to point out that of the six other “Alex Kidman” identities on Facebook, only one of them accepted my friend request. Clearly, Alex Kidmans aren’t all that trusting of strangers, even if they do share the same name.

It’s also somewhat disturbing to note that a search for “Alex Kidman” on Facebook with default settings brings up seven individuals (including myself) with that name, along with “A comprehensive list of people who are just sh** — Australian Chapter”. Very weird. I’m not even on the list, by the way…

Or then there’s the other night, when I’m actually having a rare second of free time, and spending it (as one does) blowing away not-so-innocent pixels, in this case on Space Giraffe.

And then I realise that I’m playing a game written by a mildly insane Welshman with a ruminant fixation, in which I play an interplanetary ungulate that collects flowers with its hooves. And as I collect flowers, and my truly random, off-the-NAS playlist turns over, Bette Midler starts singing “The Rose”.

I don’t think that even surreal is surreal enough for that one…

Primarily due to Di having a forty degree temperature right now. So if you do happen to be one of my editors, go easy…

(in the meantime, I also wrote this for the print version of PCA, and it’s now live for your enjoyment)

Mass Effect (PC): “Epic plot and an intruiging mix of RPG and FPS make Mass Effect worth a look, though we can’t help but see some similarity with Knights of the Old Republic.”

Ah, now that’s better.

I wrote something else, although I have previously mentioned it here, so does it count? I guess I make up the rules, so heck, yes, it does!

Beijing 2008 (PC): “Nobody’s yet come up with a better method for simulating the various events than one that simply boils down to “bash buttons as frantically as possible”…”

Nope, Elvis just isn’t cutting it. The fact that my random playlist refuses to play “In The Ghetto” isn’t helping any.

Still, the writing work continues onwards, ever onwards, with another entry in the aptly described “irregular” Bluescreen series at APCMag.com:

Bluescreen: Telstra to sue Optus; wants to remain evil #1: “Telstra to sue Optus for providing crappy service, devious pricing with hidden catches and poor network quality. Telstra claiming exclusive rights.”

The switch to an all-Elvis playlist is doing very weird things to my subject lines, it must be said. Not that I was speaking from much of a position of sanity to begin with…

Thankfully, some things remain constant, including the influx of written articles. Two today, one each for CNET.com.au:

Beyonwiz DP-P2: “Beyonwiz’s DP-P2 is a PVR for those who don’t mind a bit of tinkering and setting things up. The quest for the perfect PVR still continues.”

And then for GadgetGuy.com.au:

Pioneer AVIC-F900BT: “Pioneer’s latest range of slick, in-car navigation systems come with all the extras, including an excellent and mostly easy to use interface, large AV-capable screens and plenty more besides.”

Another day, another news story, this time at APCMag.com:

Grand Theft Google: drive the world’s cities: “Ever wanted to hoon around the world’s major cities without getting a ticket? Thanks to a new driving simulator and Google Maps, you can do exactly that.”

Somehow, I just get the feeling that Elton John is lying to me.

A news niblet, live at PC Authority for your enjoyment:

XP Pirates, Microsoft is watching you: “Have you ever sat back and thought to yourself “Self — why doesn’t Microsoft accuse me of being a thief more often?”"

I’m really sick of being sick. This winter has been one long fight against colds, bugs, viruses and now this chest infection that doesn’t have the common decency to just go away, seemingly no matter how many antibiotics get pushed its way. Which is, in itself, and leaving aside the searing pain I feel each time I cough, a big worry…

That isn’t enough to stop me writing — the chickens demand pellets, after all, and I’m starting to wonder if  I could get the kids hooked on them — as can be seen today at CNET.com.au:

HP Deskjet D4360 Colour Inkjet Printer: “We wouldn’t want to lug it around all day, but it’s certainly not going to snap your spine if you’re moving it from site to site…”