Total Conversion

The big problem with Depeche Mode releases these days. This is from the Amazon UK website. "a film by Anton Corbijn". WTF? A standard def embarrassment in this age. I can't wait for this guy to let his ego go and let the music and artist shine instead of polluting the world further with his version of how concerts should be appreciated. Is it too much to ask to have the name of the band on the box instead of the visual director? #depechemode #wheresthebluray #wheresthe4K

My friend's Great Dane Carlos. Absolutely exhausted. My brain can't comprehend his body posture. Rest assured he is perfectly healthy in every way. Just an over excited pup. #dog #pet #greatdane

2016 just won't stop. #statusquo

In a nutshell.  I started a new save on No Man's Sky which has placed me on a radioactive world with a disabled ship and not enough resources nearby to repair.  I have died 3 times and have barely progressed.  Oh, and I am loving it. So here is the long version.  I woke up near a building of some sort with a few canisters of resources nearby.  I gathered what I could, but immediately noticed I was taking radiation damage which was depleting my shields/armour fairly rapidly. I entered the nearby building and scavanged a bit, but nothing substantial presented itself.  I didn't have a functioning scanner, so wasn't ablt to survey the surroundings too much.  After a few minutes I decided to set off for my ship which seemed to be a good distance away.   Probably my first big mistake!  Leaving a shelter. I trekked off over the landscape, making the journey which I could not complete without replenishing my shield/armour, but I figured it find resources along the way.  Normally on

Can't wait for the haters to start complaining. #trolling I saw a 1gb patch yesterday which I didn't install. Maybe this was it. Will check it out. I'm the worst person to ask opinions of though as I generally positive about the original. It's crying out for a decent flight model which is my biggest gripe. Autopilot landings. Ugh. http://www.no-mans-sky.com/foundation-update/

No Man's Sky is discounted on Steam Sale.  If I didn't already have it, I would definitely buy it, considering what I've experienced playing it.  I didn't buy it based on the promises, but based on the complaints of all the moaners.  I watched some clips and it intrigued me greatly. I've probably put 20 odd hours into it and even today, if I start it up, I will tell myself 15 minutes, but play an hour.  Weirdly I have spent half of the time on one planet! I'm waiting for the supposed patch before picking it up again, but I was wondering if anybody has been sitting on the fence due to the high price, would be prepared to pay? I think there is enough exploration content.  The ship to ship combat is rubbish though.

For Ronan Young https://www.youtube.com/shared?ci=n0-IvfOdTZE

I accidentally bought GTA V (non-steam version ) on Green Man Gaming My expensive mistake is somebody else's lucky bargain. Enjoy the key as I won't be using it: WHJM-5MFP-53CV-WE9J (RockStar Social Club) It was my mistake and they wouldn't refund it, so one of you beautiful people are welcome to take it.  It requires the Rockstar Social Club Client and their download servers in South Africa are pathetic so not really worth it for me. #firstcomefirstserved #therecanbeonlyone #becarefulnexttime

Wanted to check out the latest version of Balsamiq having done a trial almost 2 years ago.  Version 3 looks awesome and they say they support open source coders, so although I am not as deserving as so many others, I wrote my plea expecting it to be ignored.  They replied tonight and I ended with a lovely email exchange AND a license. If you're looking for mockup software for your development, I'm pretty sure you have heard of them anyway.  #balsamiq Sorry if this sounds like spam, but I just wanted to publicly thank them for the license! https://balsamiq.com/

Don't follow this link . You have been warned. https://quickdraw.withgoogle.com/shared/1eYnL5u2mlFT

Check the logo above my head ;) G'night all. Another dawn tomorrow. Tides go out, tides come in. Nobody cna explain it. (I'm rambling).

https://twitter.com/deray/status/796425979048689666/photo/1

It's 9th November 2016. Let's remember today with some classic mode. You can't change the world, but you can change points of view. If you change points of view, you can change the facts. If you change the facts, you can change the world... Win or lose today, this is democracy. Whether its Brexit, Trump or the ANC. Don't stop voting... or listening to Mode. This song comes from Black Celebration. If you ask many Mode fans, it's a top 3 album for a lot of them. Dark and grown up. Martin growing as a songwriter, Daniel Miller and Alan Wilder going crazy on the mix and just brilliant vocals along the way. A lot of early Mode doesn't seem as relevant. Too poppy and a little light on production, but these tracks are brilliant. Forgive the muted vocals on this mix, but I don't like to play the original tracks on this page just as a choice. We've all heard the originals many many times. The B-Sides on this album include Black Day and Breathing in Fume

This one's for you Donald! The opening sample sets the tone for this one. Policy of Truth is one of those songs that I liked briefly when Violator came out, but it soon got relegated as I listened to the rest of the album and even the little instrumentals that were the B-Sides. However, in mixes and live, its a dependable crowd favourite. The lyrics are sort of general and personal at the same time. This ambient mood is the one I prefer normally, but many of the other mixes have interesting takes on the song. It's been covered too, a few times, and they tend to be good. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_DAkq_ynCU

Fake plastic trees in Westworld . Brings a smile.

Through Your Eyes (feat. La Mar) YesYou Through Your Eyes Playing random music from Google music. This track had the audacity to have the opening lyric: All we have is this moment... Second line: For some twisted perfection... I'm in a bad mood so thumbs down. #inxs #21stcenturysyesterday #mystify

Just woke up. #youhadonejob

Can we please all donate some cash for Tim Cook to but a thesaurus and dictionary. #absolutelyincredible You keep using those words...

While it lasts! Free Borderlands: The Handsome Collection on XBox One. You don't need Gold, apparently. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/p/borderlands-the-handsome-collection-unlock-bundle/bvrk77xxgbwb https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/p/borderlands-the-handsome-collection-unlock-bundle/bvrk77xxgbwb

Regarding FPS Night. 11pm start time means I might miss you guys. Will be on before then.

Anybody playing with the Logitech Arx Applet on the Division?  Mine seems limited to a status screen only. The one in the video seems to have more functionality. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i38QsGswDJw

$30 For The Division is a good deal. https://www.greenmangaming.com/games/tom-clancys-the-division/

Took a few hours off work this morning to attend a memorial service for students who died during my school years. It was a time of revolt and rebellion against the Apartheid South Africa that existed until Nelson Mandela was released. Many of us never saw the footage, and they showed it during the event today. Family of the 3 kids who were shot were present and they relived those days in tears. I don't want to lose the memory of that time and this video is a stark reminder. I know our current Government is struggling to deliver and get rid of corruption, etc, but I would never want things to be like they were back then. https://youtu.be/KnWu4lAKDj0

Tim Wheatley Talina Christine  Challenge accepted ;) Courtesy of EMF.

Just took a new character through the first stage of The Division until the start of the Base Building.  Did it with more XP and also more confidence.  Died once, which was unnecessary  #bummer I was just about to get up and watch some TV and saw Good Guys Gaming GGG jump in.  I immediately exited uplay to prevent being sucked in for another 3 hours ;)  I still need to fetch my wife, dammit.

So, in the spirit of Elite Stories, thought I'd share my perspective of last night. We had barely met and there we were suiting up and using our limited funds to buy guns, ammo and gear for the mission we'd been thrust into. It wasn't an honour we'd earned. Others had died, we were next. There were no reinforcements. Nobody was coming to save us. In fact, quite the opposite was true. We were going in to rescue a squad who were sheltered and taking fire. They had sustained heavy losses and couldn't hang on much longer. We headed purposefully down the streets, checking our guns and making sure we had our grenades and medpacks on standby. It was brutal, but we made it to the rendezvous, battling past waves of patrols sent to stop us. We were in trouble, but there was always a teammate to lend a hand or a hail of bullets. Somehow we made it. Learning to watch our for each other and keeping a wary eye out for signs of sniper activity. We scavenged more ammo and m

Just Picked up The Division for the FPS Evenings.  Don't know too much about it.  Do I keep a character for those evenings or do we just all jump in at different levels?  Knowing my Internet, its probably going to download for 3 days ;( Edit: I deselected the PTS download.  I guess that's optional.  So maybe can play tomorrow night (Monday).

Steam Alert Rocket League, Doom, The Division on Sale this weekend.  I have the first 2 and can recommend them both.  Anybody with insight into the Division?

Post update and have doom planetside2 Star wars BF installed. What did I miss for the FPS evenings?

Inspired by Gillian Thornhill , I remember an encounter where a High R.E.S. proved to be too much for my greedy sense of judgement to handle.  I took on one or two targets to many, but I scraped out of there with single digit hull and around 3 minutes oxygen.  I hightailed it as fast as I could, which was limited by gravitational forces around me.  I jumped into range of the station and frantically entered the docking procedure.  As I lined up I was down to 8 or 9 seconds as I was (TOO SLOWLY) approaching the toaster racks.  As an inexperienced pilot, I had  never rushed docking before, but I had never seen the oxygen dip so low before and I had no idea what would happen.  Would I go into some kind of oxygen depletion for a few more seconds or would the game just blank to a death message text screen and then a rebuy?  I didn't want to find out so I thrusted some more, knowing full well, that it was too late and I wasn't going to make it to land.  At this point, the ingame audio

New System Feedback. Everything seems ok.  Getting 150 avg fps inside station during take off.  Drops to 135 just before entering the slot.  As I fly towards the planet it increases up to the 170 mark and as I point to open space it climbs to 195, just under 200.  Interestingly at about 12 km, I turned back and did a flyby pass the docking grate and it went upto 205 before dropping back to 170 as I got close to and buzzed the landing/departing ships at the slow.  I'm guessing some of the performance increases was that the textures were buffered into the RAM.  Currently using the default in game Ultra Setting, Frame rates not limited and using Nvidia Experience overlay to count the frames.   Not sure how reliable that is compared to any other method.  System spec is I7 6700. CPU seems to be running at around 3800Mhz and the 16GB DDR4 RAM is currently clocked at 3400Mhz. Video is an ASUS Strix 1070. Resolution is 2560x1440 on a LG 34" 21:9 Monitor. Very happy ;)

Upgrade update. Just completed  an hour of No Man's Sky at Ultra detail 2560x1440 with no crashes.  Bad news is that one of my SSD's failed.  The  one with Project Cars, Elite Dangerous, Rise of the TombRaider & 3DMark.  Probably the 4 things I most wanted to benchmark ;(  Lots to download this week. + BattleField4, Star Wars BattleFront & Mirror's Edge.  Still, I do have the Guardians 2.2 beta to test with.

Inside the Troubled Development of Star Citizen | Kotaku UK http://www.kotaku.co.uk/2016/09/23/inside-the-troubled-development-of-star-citizen http://www.kotaku.co.uk/2016/09/23/inside-the-troubled-development-of-star-citizen

I've put about 30 minutes into the Guardians Beta.  I must be burnt out, but visiting Farseer I was expecting to use fish for module upgrades, but I guess they took that out.  I was hoping to preview / test drive an Anaconda build and get something I can use as an objective to work towards when 2.2 drops.  I'm so not interested in most of the new functionality (passenger, ship fighters, etc).  I am hoping that the various bugfixes, tweaks and new graphical enhancements rekindle my interest which has been waning due to the RNG BS of 2.1 I'm also hoping that the Alien contact results in a major story swing with huge political impact which again would be something new in terms of campaign missions / alien warfare/ smuggling/ espionage/ alien sneak missions, etc.  The avatar editor thing in 2.3 has me literally baffled as to how they can sell that as a feature.  By then perhaps other long promised polish to existing functionality might make 2.3 sound more appealing. Maybe I nee

Future of Elite I think(hope) that every season release will have a big feature and the rest of the season smaller upgrades.  2 Planetary Landings. 3 Gas Giant Atmospheres + Water Worlds 4 Atmospheric Landings + Vegatation 5 Planetary Cities and Animals + Underwater .  I expect for each season they will continue to add extra platform tweaks.  Vulkan, Proper MultiDisplay and hopefully more immersive MultiCrew in VR.  Look right and see your ugly co-pilot who's located a 1000miles away in his pyjamas. I expect at season 6 they will have fixed some of major complaints voiced by outsidefactor

I'm loving the ED G19 Companion App.  I'm lucky enough to still have a G19, but the author has been very accomodating and made it work with Logitech Arx compatible keyboards and even non-logitech setups via a floating window for your second monitor. I couldn't find a decent video of the Companion App. https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/226782-Elite-G19s-Companion-app-(with-simulated-space-traffic-control) My setup is wayyy too messy for me to record a video ;( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbuzBb0J5aw

My new favourite quote: Redditor BaconBakin points out that while North Korea has 28 websites, GTA V has 83 websites. They added, "I think it's safe to say that San Andreas is more technologically advanced than North Korea." https://news.slashdot.org/story/16/09/21/2110242/reddit-brings-down-north-koreas-entire-internet

Some lyrics that are resonating with me today. You can't change the world But you can change the facts And when you change the facts You change points of view If you change points of view You may change a vote And when you change a vote You may change the world #depechemode #newdress #scepticism

If you had a 500mb Amiga, one company did a lot to make you save up for the RAM upgrade and/or another external drive! These take me back. https://www.humblebundle.com/store/cinemaware-anthology-19861991

Nostalgia alert. Kind of meta.  Video of remake of a 1989 era Amiga/ST Stunt Car Racer track remade round about 2003 or thereabouts for a video game that came out in 1998.  This game is worthy of mention because of the wonderful support from the developers post release.  Without holding back for a sequel, they added new technology support as the game aged. 3 pedal clutch support, 3d cards, multi core cpu, fantastic multiplayer and tons of physics and bug fixes were implemented over quit a few years.  Then things elevated to another level when the community built tools, patched the graphics, added new car models, converted 2d objects to complex 3d models, added new seasons with new physics, developed track editor & telemetry suite and tons of websites and utilities.  Hell, I even wrote one myself which was made obsolete by an even better mod a couple of years later.  I never quite mastered gameplay with a controller and I still don't have the desk space to unpack my wheel, but I

So if you're one of those people who hate the SPAM related to Hill Climb Racer, how about something totally different.  It's got Zombies! https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.notdoppler.earntodie2 https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/earn-to-die-2/id891194610?mt=8 disclaimer (when I said *totally , I totally didn't mean that) https://youtu.be/vIZ7s_GYNiE

Anybody else tempted to play through Bioshock Remastered?

I'm about 1 rank away from elite on all 3. Thinking of working my way slowly to 99% on all 3. Then trying to triple in one session and record it.

If you like racing games you could do far worse than Project Cars.  It's heavily discounted to about $10 on Humble Store.  Recommended.

I reached 6482m in beach. Check out how far you go: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fingersoft.hillclimb I got my highest for a single run. 3.92 Mil. My prev best score was around 2000 in the beach buggy. Turns out the 4x4 is a monster on the dunes.

This game is a few years old now, but worth a look if you've never played. Reminds me more of old school shooters like R-Type/ Nemesis rather than the manic Dreamcast shooter era. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4DDWIt9r3Y&feature=autoshare

If, like me, you grew up with a Commodore 64 (or Spectrum/Amstrad/Atari), alongside Elite, you might have played a ton of Nemesis, Delta, Uridium, R-Type, etc.  Going to Amiga, I moved on to Hybris/ Battle Squadron/ SWIV, etc.  Never got into the Dreamcast  Shootemups, but this old game took me back.  Decent visuals and of course a hail of bullets.  It has 2D levels rendered in a 3D engine which means interesting transitions between & during levels, especially with boss battles.  It's on Sale this week on Steam at a ridiculous price.    If the above ramble brings back any fond memories, follow the link to the free demo and download. http://store.steampowered.com/app/207040/ It is cross platform and available on Mobile, but unless you have a decent controller setup (Moga/Nvidia Shield), I wouldn't bother. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaO1djQMhF4

I finally muted Google's Recommended Posts on my feed.   The crazies appear to have gone...

I reached 5973m in highway. Check out how far you go: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fingersoft.hillclimb 1.5 million is my record for a single run.

https://youtu.be/f0DK9O-FxAQ https://youtu.be/f0DK9O-FxAQ

Help!  I think I'm stuck inside a planet ;) Was interdicted on approach to a surface landing.  Thought i could enter the atmosphere, but it triggered the too fast approach warnings as the interdiction nearly went through.  I am in an Anaconda which now has a 590 top speed (yay!) except I haven't modded it.  when I hit boost, my speed drops ;) I am trying to fly to the nearest space station, but I can't supercruise as I am mass locked by the planet.  have tried return to menu, but respawn same place (more or less). To add to the complication, I was attempting to deliver mission 1 out of 13!

NOVA LAUNCHER WHAT'S NEW 4.3.1 May 4 2016 Fix icons not appearing in some parts of Canada Wow. Klondike?

Thought I had lost my save game last night.  After a BSOD, NMS tried to start a new profile.  Played around with Steam Cloud & Deleting my Save Folders, but nope.   Kept starting on a new save.  Thankfully I realised I could reload a previous save because I hadn't saved any new restore points on the respawned version as I was killing the process instead of exiting.  Panic over.  Perhaps will do the odd manual backup just in case.

Any of you have a Star Citizen referral code to share?  Want to try it this weekend. Thanks in advance

No Man's Sky 3 minute review.  Worth $45 that I paid.  Hope they patch it in the next day or so as I'm off to a wedding.  Back in 24h!

My daughter made me think of Bjork today.  Needed some music while I was doing some coding.  I always tend to listen to earlier albums as they hold the most memories.  The Debut & Post albums are clearly my favourite, but some of the mixes and later singles get a lot of play too. Some of the songs I prefer the various remixes especially if I want something more up tempo.  However, some of the vocal tracks can send shivers up my spine.  I'm pretty sure that some of them drive most normal people insane because the vocals don't conform to any sort of norms. I expect its her total devotion to each track that makes live versions and remixes just as good, or even better.   It's something that other creative types do so well.  Enya comes to mind.  In the background,  Like Someone In Love has just started playing.  Who else uses a harp??  The vocal is strong and just forces itself into your skull with guile, subtlety and power.  It's such a weird and charming song and I gue

Whoever wrote this headline was trolling. Trump, GOP Convention Likely Target For 'Elite, Dangerous' Cyberattackers http://www.channelpartnersonline.com/news/2016/07/trump-gop-convention-likely-target-for-elite-dang.aspx http://www.channelpartnersonline.com/news/2016/07/trump-gop-convention-likely-target-for-elite-dang.aspx

The 2.X season of ED has just been a mixed experience for me.  I cannot tell you how wonderful Planetary Landing has been for me and I think it has made a massive contribution to my enjoyment of the game.   I am not excited by any of the promised features as part of 2.x (including Engineer), and I am currently hoping that 3.0 brings something similar to Landings.  I don't expect to land on Atmospheric planets yet, but I hope they model water worlds and possibly gas giants which would lead to some more exciting gameplay options. Currently what bugs me about the current status of the game is the balance of realism versus the intrusion of gameplay limitations.  The attention to detail with regard to physics and scale is awesome, but we have little gameplay "features" that aren't grounded in anything realistic.  I understand certain things like external camera views are not considered realistic, but how about explaining that with programmable drone cams.   Or have cameras

Excellent post. Originally shared by Kate Martin All righty. Let's review. As it stands this morning: * Police have registered a 57% increase in racist incidents, with attacks on European citizens living and working here, as well as a rise in attacks on black and Asian citizens by a surging far-right. (Leave voters insist that they didn't vote Brexit for racist reasons, and in most cases that's no doubt true. However the campaign and vote has empowered these people and helped to legitimise their attitudes.) * Two-and-a-bit TRILLION dollars wiped off the world economy. * Sterling now down to $1.3220 against the US dollar; at €1.20 against the euro. (In other words, we're approaching parity with that struggling European currency we were supposed to be freeing ourselves from even though we weren't tied to it in the first place.) * Royal Bank of Scotland and Barclays tripped automated suspensions on the markets after their stock dropped 26% and 18% respectively. (Note:

Brexit fever. Well done Iceland

I like to do more than one of these when I post.  This next one is also a Peter Gordeno one.  I'm not sure if he or Martin Gore did the arangement, but this one of my favourite B-Sides ever.  This is off Black Celebration and this song can bring me to tears or send shivers down my spine if I let it. ;) Don't ask me why.  Martin is so good on this track and the accompaniment is so understated and swells at the right moments.  I guess that's the instinct of a great band.  There are better audio recordings of this track., but I'm posting one with video.  If you don't know this track, I hope you enjoy it as much as I have for so long. On a separate note, if you see any comments from Karl N, he is the guy that expanded my knowledge of music 10 fold.  I was previously only familiar with what was played on the radio and my limited budget, but he introduced me to countless other bands.  Everyone should have one of those friends in his life. Of course, he is frustrated that

My mini tribute to Peter Gordeno ( Keyboard / vocals ) I love what he brings to the Depeche Mode live performances,  feel free to enjoy the whole video, but I love his improvisation when the crowd refuses to let go of Home.  Bear in mind, this is a video / concert that needs to be enjoyed in full.  not only for the excellent performance, but for the cameo by Alan Wilder! #depechemode   Sometimes when a band replaces a long standing lineup, they hit solid gold. Mark Hart for Crowded House, Warren Cuccurullo for Duran Duran and most definitely Peter Gordeno and Chritian Eigner for Mode. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntRdKCVBBRw

Happiest Girl Pulsating Orbitals Mix Related to the World in my Eyes Mode to Joy mix.  From the same disc actually!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XomWJyUGNKM

Sea of Sin Sensoria Mix Related to the World in my Eyes Mode to Joy mix.  From the same disc actually! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nX2mLpr3yA

To counter the slower Agent Orange, allow me to share one of my top 3 mode remixes.  Along with Get the Balance Right, what I love about this track is how it builds from a simple start, adding more percussion and synths, building all the way until the killer bass synth just after a minute and then the first verse.  The song just keeps getting better and keeps the building until 2 minutes in when it gets even better.  This is such a finely crafted track, I can play it on repeat for ages (I have). It's not even one of my favourite songs, but I think the percussion in this mix is what keeps me so interested.  All the little bits of synth that pop in and out keep evolving the track and when the bassline comes back round about 3.50 you get a gentle intro to the next vocal 30 seconds later... After 5 minutes it's nearly over and you're winding down to a close. I don't think there is a better remix cd than this one.  It comes from a World in my Eyes single of the Violator albu

Tonight I've decided to slow things down and post a few tracks that are very moody and would get very little plays when I was younger.  As you get older you realise that good instrumentals have "voices" and evoke atmospheres and moods and even trigger memories. One of the first tracks that really got me into instrumental DM in a big way was Agent Orange. Since then I've come to realise that there a tons of songs that didn't quite make the albums that are dear to me.  Nothing to Fear,  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjI-Dlw7vs4 This version is live at the Hammersmith Odeon.  Probably when I realised how much I love Alan Wilder s contribution to DM. During the Music for the Masses / Violator albums they also did a lot of b-sides with instrumentals.  St Jarna, Pimpf, Moonlight Sonata and others are waiting for you to discover.  Of course, Agent Orange was also from Music from the Masses, as can be seen in the thumbnail. As simple aside.  When I got my first decent p

Updated my blog after more than 2 years with some info on batch converting my older video files to X265 with WinFF.  Hope some of you find it useful. edit:  Would be a lot more useful with a linky http://istoff.blogspot.co.za/

I've been idly thing of a way to convert a whole lot of older standard def video files to a more efficient format.  With the advent of h264 and more recently x265, I wondered what options I had for a hassle free conversion tool. I've been googling this randomly over the past few weeks, encountering lots of links, but nothing that appealed to me.  Endless scripts & tools with weird dependency issues that I didn't want to entertain.  Sadly, I even downloaded a few before deciding to solve the problem myself. In a nutshell, I googled a ffmpeg command line with appeared to work with my test file.  I ran it on a few files and appeared to snip two-thirds off the file size without much tweaking.  Now, I'm sure the fussy ones among you could do it better, but here's what I settled on as my current solution. As some of you know, I am partial to Winff as my weapon of choice.  I have been using for years and have contributed code to the project to add features I want

If you need a track to kick start your friday13th you should turn it up. Nearly went for Wake up - Rage Against the Machine but went for the up tempo instead. #prodigy https://youtu.be/XQEBzauVIlA

I hope this resonates with some of you. I'm not an audiophile, but I've been very disillusioned with the sound coming out of my PC.  I've been thinking that Music and Games can do with a bit of improvement in audio quality on my older machine and spending money on expensive USB gaming headsets wasn't helping too much I thought. I eventually settled on an Asus Xonar D2 card as it has optical in/ out to let me connect to an AMP,  but I love the 3.5 mm jacks for 7.1 audio.  I have combined it with a Razor Tiamat 7.1 gaming headset as it is also 3.5 mm connector based, not USB. My initial tests were underwhelming, but after a few weeks I think things improved.  Not sure if it was just shaking the cobwebs out of the headset, but now it sounds awesome. Sadly, Asus Win10 drivers aren't amazing, but they certainly do the job now. Listening to lossless audio is awesome and gaming sounds better than ever. https://www.asus.com/Sound-Cards/Xonar_D2PM/ http://www.razerzone.com/a

Well, I guess this collection is going to grow in spurts. Listening to CD Bong 2 for this post got me listening to Get the Balance Right (Combination Mix) for the umpteenth time.  I've always loved the way it builds from 4 minute mark onwards.  The groove around the 5min mark building in each layer just hammered it into my head what I loved about Mode.  Each synth layer coming and going and the drum machine just being the foundation to an instrumental solo that makes this track my favourite.  So many later tracks are more engineered and polished and technically superior, but this one holds up. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ikiOWAToSg Discog link same as My Secret Garden Much credits to the Youtube poster Gabriel Marcelo for the turntable in the video.  Loved it. #depechemode   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ikiOWAToSg

This is a selfish post.  Since I first heard My Secret Garden on a bootleg tape many years ago, I have loved this song.  These were the days when certainly all I could lay my hands on were original vinyls.  Finding out about the wealth of b-sides and live versions that DM was putting out on singles was a revelation.  I've always loved this version of My Secret Garden as it evokes so many memories of that time.  It's a slow build which I always imagined involved Alan Wilder, but I could never be sure.  I was delighted to find this live footage so many years later.  Watching it tonight I remember how much I loved imagining what it must have been like to be present. When you finally see DG walk on stage and utter the words "Good evening, everybody"  it's probably very underwhelming for you all, but for me it was the best intro to a concert ever.  From this era, I would have to say the version of Nothing to Fear that they did live also has a special place in my memory

My first kickstarter funded project arrived today. Happy.

Growing up in Cape Town, I never heard John Peel's radio show back in the day.  I was exposed to him for the first time by my first "white" friend who luckily shared similar tastes.  I was introduced to the Cure, Smiths, Bjork, etc.  A few years ago I found an archive with tons of his Festive 50's.  Currently listening to 1981. New Order, Siouxsie, Joy Division, The Smiths, The Cure, etc. Ace. #johnpeel #british80's #angst

Humble Bundle still delivers the goods every now and then.  This is good value.  I have some of these, but nice to add to the collection.  Pity it doesn't unlock on Android/ PSN as well, but nonetheless, I'm eager to play through the Walking Dead games. Originally shared by Humble Bundle Gather 'round, boys and girls! It's time for us to tell you a tale… a tale of how you can get a bunch of sweet Telltale games at a price of your choosing! http://bit.ly/HBTellTale

Last night. The man made structures spoil it though.

My morning companion. Edge of my seat included as a distance ref.

My final post for this initial collection strays from the path in that its a cover of the tribute album.  For the Masses.  I was drawn to this album while flipping through the shelves in a store when it came out.  The artwork immediately screamed depeche mode ;) https://www.discogs.com/Various-For-The-Masses/release/37284 I'm not a Rammstein fan, but I love this treatment of the song.  I can heartily recommend this tribute cd as the bands are mostly bigger bands.  I won't name them all, but really you can't go wrong with bands like Smashing Pumpkins, The Cure, Gus Gus and Monster Magnet.   If there is a better tribute album, please enlighten me! I love that they took the time to break down the track and play with the melody after the 2 minute mark.   I honestly don't care for anything else Rammstein has ever done, but their live versions of Stripped are mostly pretty good too.   I don't mean to disrespect Rammstein and their fans, its just not for me.  Same thing go

Just to kick off the collection, I will make an exception and do 3 to to get started.  this is 2 of 3.  I don't intend to spam this group.  Maybe one a week or so... While the Goldfrapp Halo mix is far more commonly known, I love her treatment of A Pain that I'm used to.  This is probably my fave track off the Playing the Angel album in 2005. This version is from CDBONG 36 in 2005. https://www.discogs.com/Depeche-Mode-A-Pain-That-Im-Used-To/release/1637887 #depechemode http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqLXyowy_IA

First post from my collection.   Hope this gets some of you to rediscover my favourite band of all time.  The songs won't follow a theme, but I'll do my damndest to vary the styles and showcase unusual mixes.  I'll mostly post Youtube links + the album / release it comes from.   If you love the tracks, please +1 and buy them.  Some of the Soundcloud mixes won't be available, but do follow the authors.  I will credit as best as I can. From: http://www.depmod.com/singles/dream_on/b4114.htm About this track.  From the Exciter album.  This version has a tv cop show feel.  Love the 70's style. #depechemode http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytSsZ2LnQs8

Loop 100 http://loopgame.co addictive game.

It's rare that I find anything wonderful on the Internet anymore.  I'm so jaded and for a long time I have struggled to find something that both blows my mind and also entertains.  Enter Radiolab.org.  What a podcast.  Every episode is worth listening to and so well produced.  If you are a parent, I suggest you take a listen to this episode.  http://www.radiolab.org/story/update-23-weeks-6-days/ A riveting journey.  I was turned onto Radiolab by Scott Mosier on Smodcast.  I listen to quite a few podcasts and quality of content varies.  Radiolab is consistently excellent.  Give this one a listen http://www.radiolab.org/story/update-23-weeks-6-days

Space Dementia Missed your in game message. thanks .  Early Sunday morning.  Playing with sound off and no TS to keep the peace ;)  Much appreciated though...

Nostalgic Article on Elite C64. http://reset.cbm8bit.com/?dir=issue7

....Times has passed (just about 1 week or more) #harpmusic #wavyscreen

Massive Game Breaking Bug affects all users on one platform. Some of you may already have been affected. Source:  Personal Computer World December 6, 1984 #retro

I just backed this book on Kickstarter.  Not sure if the book mentions Elite Dangerous, but still a trip to relive my start in computers with my C64. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2146199819/commodore-64-a-visual-commpendium-second-edition

So I am slowly making my way back home to LTT 4961.  Sag A was Monday,  Great Annihilator was Thursday, and 5 minutes ago I found my first Neutron Star.  All of the above were previously discovered of course.  I am currently locked on a Herbig AE/BE system.  Have no idea what that is ;)

David Bowie has dominated my playlists of late.  However tonight I am listening to another departed soul, Michael Hutchence.  Being much younger when he died I was just so saddened by his passing.  Listening to Live Baby Live, the concert.  Another great Wembley concert.  A bit too light for some, too heavy for others.  What you need / Suicide Blonde / Need you tonight.   Excellent  This could be the start of a theme for the next week.  Probably Paul Hester next, but not sure one day will be enough for them.  Maybe just live performances will do. #INXS #CROWDEDHOUSE #ASHESTOASHES

8:30pm I'm here.  Made it. 73% hull left.  Considering I lost 16% hull on one stupid landing on a 0.8G planet, I reckon I could have done it with damn near 90% hull left. Still, exceedingly proud of myself for persevering and grateful for the endless encouragement and good advise. I'm off to see the Great Annihilator and then heading back.  I'm probably going to call it a night now (early).  I hope the 6 ELW's I found on the way remain undiscovered. It took me 2 weeks (exactly) to get here and about 830 jumps (I didn't have Captain's Log until day 3).

Of all the.... Discovered my first ELW after 10 days exploring. Chuffed as anything. Family insist I exit the game for supper. Duty calls, but... Please be there when I get back...

Instead of saying how far I am from LTT 4961, how about I'm 9480ly from SAG A. Kind of has a more "glass half full" vibe about it.

Random memory as I nibble on my nopasta lasagna. Back in the early days as I played the original Elite in the 80's, I always hated the smart bomb.  I was in school and many games had smart bombs, but I felt that no player should be able to kill all players near them in space.  It was too indiscriminate.  I don't remember if I ever conceived in my head that we would have multiplayer elite.   I reckon I believed it would be amazing but it was purely a speculative thought as the concept of networking barely had any meaning for me back then.  Last night in a chat with an American, German, Australian, Scot and myself casually independently in the same galaxy many light years apart, just made me glad to be in this community and grateful that Frontier delivered on what I could only dream of. dammit.  food is cold...

"take a look at the lawman, beating up the wrong guy, oh man, look at that caveman go, it's the freakiest show..." #ashestoashes #relevant

I'm not very good at poetry, but exploration gives you time to think. Left for Sag A on January 5, But a TS3 chat with Signal5, Left me spending many hours a night, In search of Mesonderite, Now I've 20 kylies left instead of 5.

Be prepared? Nah. So on the spur of the moment, I sat down this evening and thought I should do some exploring. I've never done a dedicated trip before so I headed out in my stripped out Anaconda with a 30+ ly jump range but taking along some SRV's as well. After 3 hours I ended up about 1230LY from LTT 4961. I'm finding stars & worlds with nobody else's name on them and I am starting to scan the bigger objects. Not sure how much use it is to scan the worlds that are < 2000 km in diameter. I landed on a system near Shapley 1 in my Anaconda. Very rugged ice world where I picked up some materials (nothing valuable). I had wondered off so far from my Anaconda that I realised that it would be easier to have it fetch me. The bloody thing parked on top of a nearby cliff and I spent the next 30 minutes driving up and sliding down trying to find a 4x4 route to the top. I'm pretty sure my Annie was punishing me for this sudden unplanned trip, but I was determi

Love the sense of scale of a SRV buggy next to an Anaconda. Also like the shadows cast by the buggy on the boulder drowning out the natural light.