Binky's Groove

iSon.

Sun, 01 Aug 2010 22:36:03 +0100

Macbook on my lap and fidgety yet sleepy son in the crook of my arm.

He doesn’t know that he’ll be coverting this tech in years to come.

Right now he just wants milk. He wants his mum.

Liver let die.

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:56:06 +0100

I’m cooking something new tonight. No wait, don’t spin on…
I’m cooking Liver and Bacon. The reason this is significant is because I’ve always hated liver and bacon. It’s just one of those childhood foods that I’ve never wanted to eat again since I left home.
Having read a few recipes, I reckon my mum used to over cook it (sorry mum) but it was always grey, chewy, and horrible. Just used to pick out the bacon, but even that felt tarnished.
So the plan is to make it taste yum and om nom nom my way through it having discovered a genius new dish (or spit it out and go bleugh!! like I used to).

Anyone got a phone number for Dominos just in case?

Vincent Lester Abbey

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 14:47:32 +0100

Vincent Lester Abbey

What just happened?

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 14:45:45 +0100

It’s been a blur. From the moment I woke up on Thursday the 1st July 2010 to the moment I started writing, just then.

A big blurry blur.

To say I’m pleased to finally have met my newborn son is an understatement. To say I’m proud of my wonderful wife is even more so.

Having read all the books, joined all the forums and prepared for the worse, a 2 hour labour was a pleasant and very unexpected situation to find ourselves in. From the “ooh I’ve got a bit of a dodgy tummy” to “It’s a boy, it’s a boy, it’s a boy!!” The feelings are quite indescribable, and I don’t particularly want to go into the gory details. Not least of all because you wouldn’t want to read them.

So I won’t.

I will say, however, that I’ve yet to stop beaming from ear to ear. Even through the sleepless nights (man, they weren’t kidding!) the amazing array of colourful nappies, and the, er, emotional moments. It’s just the best feeling in the world.

Finding the right words is kind of difficult. Perhaps I should just paste up a picture of me grinning like a happy, crazy, sleep deprived man?

So here are the non disgusting details. Vincent Lester Abbey was born on 1st July at 11.21am, having entered the hospital at 9.30am. He weighed 6lb1oz and had his own twitter account after 24 hours.

I’ve always loved Cat, obviously, but that morning she became an absolute legend in my eyes; giving me the one thing I always wanted over any shiny gadget thingy or iWotsit. So to her I say thank you, and to Vince I say, GET IN MY SON!!!

Apologies if this is garbled, I kinda need another coffee.

The day the football died?

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 09:05:00 +0100

I am hereby retiring from International football.
Last night’s match will be my last of the world cup and if it wasn’t for the fact that it was against the “winkers” it would have been an absolute travesty. When the likes of Brazil and Spain go to the lengths of diving and cheating to win, our sport is in a lot of trouble.

This clip from the BBC site shows the “incident” I’m referring to from last night.

It’s shocking, especially the bit where he lifts his head, sees the ref is looking and rolls around some more. What an arse. I appreciate this happens in the Premiership as well, but not as much as we’ve witnessed the last few weeks.

Football has died a bit for me this World Cup.. Let me know when video replays are in affect and I’ll be back.

So I was in the Apple Store again...

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 15:09:30 +0100

…and this time I managed to get some “me time” with the iPad. It’s shiny. I can totally see myself with one. I can see me using it instead of my iPhone and Macbook. It looks amazing showing off photos and video, using the internets is silky smooth and did I mention it’s just so shiny?

That said, it’s still a ridiculously over priced bit of kit that serves little purpose.

And that’s why I queued early doors for an iPhone 4 instead.

The Apple Hype Machine was in overdrive for this one; turning a normally half sensible geek into a rabid fanboi willing to queue with others outside of the O2 store on a blisteringly hot Thursday morning. What surprised me were the type of people in the queue. Far from the shabby looking converse wearing geek chic kids the Apple ads would have you believe, the people in the queue were mostly shirt and tie wearing tossers.

I, as it turned out, was one of them.

With a heavy heart I waited my turn and after 2 hours of waiting, an accidental bit of tanning, and 1 change of shirt later I was the proud owner of an iPhone 4.

It’s … OMG… It’s WOAH! … It’s… well, it’s pretty much exactly the same as an iPhone 3G but a heck of a lot faster. The new camera is fast, megapixely and actually rather good for a phone. The new OS seems to be working well and that’s about it. A jump from 3G to iPhone 4 = win. A move from 3GS to iPhone 4… only if you’re out of contract.

The best thing is, most mobile phone recycle companies seem to be offering around £200 for a good condition iPhone 3g+ so you’ll be able to upgrade for mostly free! Huzzah!

Have you ever queued for something that wasn’t groceries?

So I was in the Apple store...

Thu, 03 Jun 2010 23:23:20 +0100

I had to pop to the apple store today. Had to had to, rather than my “oh i just have to pop in here…” line. Yup my iPhone has developed a fault with it’s headphone socket and because I don’t have insurance and because it’s (typically) out of warranty by a few months it’s going to cost £130.

Nice

I wouldn’t mind if I’d been abusing the headphone jack, but truth be told I use it less than I use the stocks and shares app! So for that money I think I’ll just have to wait a month for my contract to expire and move to a 3gs or hang around for the next space future model.

Back to the store though, and the place was teaming with people getting their grubby little fingers on the new iPad. I’m being quite literal here. One of the genii was on hand with a squirty cleaner and an apple anti static screen cloth (only $39.95).

I have to say I still don’t get the buzz around the iPad. Perhaps it’s the fact I have a mini version already? Perhaps it’s because any additional functionality I get from my MacBook? I really don’t see who it’s aimed at! Certainly not the loyal apple following if I’m anything to go by.

It's the final countdown

Thu, 13 May 2010 23:51:13 +0100

Antenatal classes, check.

Nursery, check.

Carseat, check.

Pram, check.

Talking to the bump, and feeling the wiggling around and kicks, check, check, check.

Counting down the days until our little squirt becomes a real person now. The days seem to be getting a bit longer, and weeks stretch on a bit more than they used to that’s for sure.

Every “ooff” and “ouch” from @fragilecat makes me think that our little dude or dudette is getting stronger, getting more impatient and wanting to meet mummy and daddy already. S/he has to wait though. 8 more weeks. A bit more cooking to be done. A few more socks to be bought, and calendar days to be ticked off.

I heard a story this week of a guy on the forum who although was due the same time as us, is now proudly wearing his “Who’s the daddy?” Tshirt. 7 weeks early. I want to meet squirt, but I think I’d rather wait until things are ready. It must be heartbreaking to see their little guy boxed off from the world in Intensive Care. It sounds like the docs are doing everything they can though, and baby Max is doing really well. I guess he’d had enough of being cramped up inside and decided he just wanted out!

We’ll just happily wait, watching the little feet and hands and headbutts bulge away at mum’s tummy until our time comes.

See you at the end of the World Cup, Squirt.

Pain relief?

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 23:21:00 +0100

Back from our first antenatal class. Lots of pregnant people make it an odd environment to be in. A strange world where everyone is going through the same pains, worries, excitement and bladder control issues as yourself. Well, her.

These classes are your run of the mill, NHS affair. None of this paid for, cushions and hob nobs NCT business for us. This is why I guess we expected to be shouted at and surrounded by tracksuit wearing yoofs. With big hoop earrings and a box of benson and hedges hanging out of their fake Adidas pockets.

Thankfully people like that don’t tend to like learning, so taking a class outside of school hours would be like asking them to stop drinking AND smoking whilst they carried their poor unfortunate offspring.The NHS community midwife was nice though and talked reassuringly to the group.

Content wise I thought it was a little light, especially as half hour was taken up by an american DVD about the 3 stages of labour. Sorry. Labor. This is the kind of stuff we’ve read about already, and to be honest, seeing a 3d representation of a baby turn over in a see-through stomach creeped me out more than it did teach. I mean, I’ve seen Avatar in 3D ffs, I need better graphics than that. It reminded me more of that scene in Trainspotting with the baby crawling the wall.

Tonight’s class was specific to what types of pain relief is available (a cushion for the plastic seat would have been a cracking start) and whilst everyone knows what there is, not everyone knows the full ins and outs. So a few things cleared up there.

So what did I learn? Basically, that us men really should respect any woman going through this, and even more so if they choose to do it without the aid of modern medicine. I also decided that anyone trying to do this without an epidural is an absolute nutcase. I tell you now, if it was us chaps that were having to do this there would be no messing.

From what I can gather the choice is thus:

A - Do you want something that will help numb the pain a bit, but ultimately still hurt in the long run?
B - Do you want something that will pretty much get you (and the baby) stoned, numb you a bit, but ultimately not take away the pain?Or
C - Do you want something that means you can put your feet up and feel no real pain, relax, watch a DVD and wait for the babe to pop out feeling fresh and ready to face the world.All guys would choose C, stick Soccer Saturday on, and wait till we heard some crying.

Overall well worth going for extra info and perhaps I’ll take a few more notes next time!

Do I miss EA?

Sun, 25 Apr 2010 15:25:58 +0100

So I finally left the great big, slightly insular, world of EA and with it, the videogames industry. Do I want to return? Sure, I still love games, do I want to kill myself with a ridiculous commute to do so? Nah-ah.

I mentioned last time that it all felt bittersweet. It still does. That’s not to say I have regrets about leaving. Not yet anyway. There are things I miss dearly, but the more I think about those things, the more I realise they were already gone. Washed away in waves of redundancies and office moves.

The wonderful people (my remaining few chums aside, obviously), the fantastic campus we lived in with it’s constantly in-use football pitch, and our frankly rather good canteen. I miss my morning latte served violently with a slice of carrot cake by Grace. I miss her constant question, “Where is Johnny boy, still in bed?” And I miss drinking said coffee sitting on the sofas looking out at the lake. I still think Grace might think Johnny and I live together.

Working late for a reason (mostly the reason being too much table football or FIFA matches) with close friends for nothing more than wanting to get the job done. The feeling that you were part of something, a family of people from different backgrounds all proud to be working for this mega-company that gamers worldwide loved to hate.

I miss the marketing goodies and free games, shit, I think I almost miss marketing. I miss the ad-hoc breaks, the banter and the laughs. So many laughs. I miss the smiles of people arriving at the office and the wide eyes of those that were visiting for the first time. Yup. I work HERE!

I miss Mido and Ghali: the Egyptian geese. Heronboy, Ram-man, Wiggly and the Gwen-o-scope. I miss Sad-Sac, the corporate pastels, the accidental racial slurs in company meetings. I miss the cleaning out of the hutches, the crazy amounts spent on a magic piano and popcorn machine. The good Xmas parties, the bad puns, and the ugly testers.

And I miss, Mo. The one person who would never frown at you and never forget your name.

So do I miss EA? The answer is an unhesitating yes. Unfortunately though, I’ve been missing it for about 3 years.

Final, Final Fantasy.

Sun, 28 Mar 2010 10:05:25 +0100

I think this goes someway to explaining why Final Fantasy isn’t for me. I don’t know what is being said here, nor do I particularly care to find out.

There’s 3 stages of each weapon / items (can be less).

First, pick a weapon/item with an inherent bonus that you like (eg Quick Stagger).

Lvl this ‘basic’ lvl weapon to Star ability (lots of upgrading from the save menu - watch for 3xmultipliers)

Once that weapon/item is maxed you can use the rarer transmutes that you will have picked up (eg Scarletite) - that upgrades your maxed out lvl 1 weapon to the next lvl (sometimes Ultima). Rinse and repeat with this new weapon and get yourself a Omega Weapon.

My gorgeous Goddaughter, Ayla, the baby.

Sun, 21 Mar 2010 15:20:17 +0000

My gorgeous Goddaughter, Ayla, the baby.

Game Over.

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 13:50:10 +0000

I said the word “resignation” in the last post. Damn.

Last day on Friday (that’s tomorrow, guy!) and it’s all feeling rather bittersweet. These last 2 weeks have been really fucking tough. Not just on me, but the entire team going through the process of elimination. Sorry, consultancy period.

I’m hoping that by tomorrow those that still don’t know what is what, have been given some sort of light.

Me, I’m outta here. My bag is packed, my laptop is wiped and all I need to do now is hand in my badge and gun.

Reckon I’ll blog a bit more once my contract is terminated.

Who's the daddy?

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 17:54:13 +0000

Did I tell you I was pregnant? Well, not me. That would make me Arnie. Mrs Binks is though. Which is nice. Anyway, you probably know from subtle and not so subtle references on Facefook and Titter.

So basically I’m going to be a dad(dy) and in equal measures this is both ever so exciting and brick shittingly terrifying. Whilst having 3 younger siblings has given me a BIT of experience, I was a kid myself so I’m not sure how much of that counts. I’m very good at slyly stealing food from them and blaming the ripped wallpaper on the youngest one, for instance.

Let’s assume I know nothing then, and start from scratch.

Having now had a successful 20 week scan and watched the little guy/gal (here on in, “Squirt”) move and groove around, yawn and generally look like a real life (yet smaller and scannier) version of a little person, we are now working out what we’re going to need. We decided that stage 1 should be a pram/buggy/carseat thingy.

I’m honestly not lying when I say, choosing a new car isn’t this difficult. Everyone has their own advice, some anecdotal, some just from what they’ve heard. There are people that tell you to get the best and most expensive thing you can afford, whilst others say “it’s not a car, it’s only going to last 3 years and get covered, literally, in shit. So don’t spend more than you need to.”

3 nights last week and a weekend of searching for the ideal buggy and I think we’re sorted but damn, who knew a Ford Focus (The UK’s number 1 family car) would be so fudging awkward to get a car seat for. Nice one, Henry.
So whilst we’ve decided on what we’re getting we’ve still not actually got one. I can see this running and running, if only for the shits and giggles of watching wifey dearest try to navigate buggys around Mothercare and Babies R Us with all the poise and grace of Crouchy on Ice. All good practice though, eh.

This blog post is therefor an announcement of joy, and also a resignation of all my gaming habits.

RIP [GF5]Binky

Genius! gamefreaksnz: ronworkman: I need to remind the world...

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 14:17:12 +0000

Genius!

gamefreaksnz:

ronworkman:

I need to remind the world that I hate Paris Hilton again… and here it is and there you go. I do… a lot!

"I’ve stopped playing at the moment for these reasons, it seemed every game and squad I was put..."

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 11:01:20 +0000

“

I’ve stopped playing at the moment for these reasons, it seemed every game and squad I was put in was full of absolute mongs.
I was in the Apache and landed it to repair, as I’m repairing it the gunner switches to pilot, takes off, spins out of control for 5 seconds then crashes into a mountain.

I sat there just staring at the screen, then turned the xbox off.

”

- milknoodle (Eurogamer)

Greg Lines FAWM

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 23:23:04 +0000

Greg Lines FAWM:

Woo hoo! 6/14 FAWM songs done, and tonight we see my first ever collaboration with @MrBinks - Up With The Lark - http://fawm.org/songs/3422/

Battlefield moments?

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 18:29:59 +0000

So those “battlefield moments” that the marketing team would have us believe in. They’re actually real aren’t they.

I’ve been thinking about the differences between the new demo for BFBC2 and the other giant of the shooter world. Both are great and do their thing extremely well but crikey o trousers those battlefield moments, it’s them that make you remember your last hour of gaming. With the other one every (very good) game kinda rolls into one. With battlefield you can be halfway through your admin on a Tuesday and a wry smile will appear at the corners of your mouth as you recall that “moment” from the night before.

The moment the tank exploded before your eyes, inches from the place you were hiding. Or the moment you parachuted through the skylight stabbing one enemy and headshotting the other before arming the bomb. What about that time you and a squad member survived 12 minutes without dying in the apahe chopper causing utter mayhem for the ants beneath you. Not to forget the other night when a well placed airstrike swung the tide of battle your buddy got the final kill on a baddie fleeing to a nearby tank.

These are battlefield moments. These are the reason to play.

PMA from PNA

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 08:11:37 +0000

So with tumblr I can actually blog from a moving train. This is good as it gives me something to do, but also good for anyone that follows me on Twitter as it means they won’t get spamified by my bored brain.

3 trains cancelled last night, but you know what, it didn’t make me quite as angry as sitting in a traffic jam on the m25. This is a good thing. The walk to & from the station is also a bit annoyingly long at 20 mins but you know what, the positive spin is that it’s a bit of a health benefit. So let’s keep smiling and carry on.

I think it helps that I’m doing public transport by my own will and haven’t been forced into it this time. Normally there is a certain resentment about the whole thing. It becomes an ordeal. Not this time though. I’m seeing it as a holiday from the motorways. I’m sure my car understands. I’m not ignoring her. She knows that.

PMA.

"The club is massive,I am a Celtic fan and did not have to ask much about it. I always wanted to play..."

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 09:18:34 +0000

“The club is massive,I am a Celtic fan and did not have to ask much about it. I always wanted to play for Celtic and it works for all parties.””

- Robbie Keane - On joining Celtic, 2010