The Dancing Poodle

I played the demo of Half-Life 2 over the weekend. Err, WOW! is about all I can say. Game play is very much like the original, but then, you couldn’t really improve much on that.

The two levels given in the demo are quite a good introduction to the game. The first (Arrival) allows you to ease into the game, giving you time to make sure your machine is setup correctly to make the most of the oh-my-gosh-spectaular graphics (I needed to install new drivers for my ATI card) without much in the way of battle. The second level (”Don’t go to Ravenshelm”) throws you straight into the thick of things armed with your trusty crow bar and the anti-grav gun, one of the funkiest weapons of the new game. There’s nothing quite like picking up a circular saw blade, firing it at a bunch of bad guys and seeing their legs drop from under them.

The new physics model used in HL2 is amazing, with detail going down to the way a cardboard box will fold when it’s been broken open. Yep, this is one game I will be buying… as soon as I get the money together.

Free JavaScript Website Popup Menu, Cross Browser Drop Down Web Menus from Milonic. Free for non-profit sites, provided there’s a link to Milonic on the page. Neato!

I love this stuff!

A guy at work put me on to AxCrypt, an open-source file encryption program for Windows. Such a program comes in very handy when sending .exe files through a corporate email environment. Encrypt them with AxCrypt and the email filters can’t tell it’s an executable. Just make sure the person at the other end knows the password…

Fedora Project have announced the availability of test 1 of Fedora Core 4, right on schedule. One of its biggest claims to fame is… Power PC support!

It’s available from here or from one of the mirror sites (see this list)

I’m Bored - Flying Gonzo

An old article, but take a look at this

I’ve been playing Half-Life recently (the original), and having a great time. Last night I turned a corner into a room, and a headcrab jumped out at me from nowhere. Freaked me out so much I dropped my mouse and my hand jumped off the keyboard, so I couldn’t turn and shoot the mongrel!

Anyway, someone sent me this link to a site that lets you download plans to make your very own headcrabs. Cool, eh?

Congrats to Glenn on the birth of his third child.

I hope no-one takes offence to this