MasterDex

That's Ireland for ya. Hell, even I'm looked down upon for drinking Budweiser here.

Surely though a legal contract could be written up specifying that without sufficient evidence to support a claim of extradition to the US that he would not be extradited? I don't know, I don't particularly like the man - though I do support many of the actions of Wikileaks - but this whole things stinks of ulterior motive.

If the Sweden thing has nothing to do with the US then I see no reason why the Swedish government would not provide a guarantee to Assange that he would not be extradited to the US.

What a progressive country. It sure is!

Also worth noting that the crimes he's allegedly committed were made by two women in a country where rape charges are easy to come by. In most countries, including the UK, the charges levelled against Assange wouldn't be valid. Also, tweets from one of the women a day after the crime was allegedly committed, showed that she was still enjoying quite happily, the company of Mr Assange - Strange that she'd happily hang out with the man who just 'raped' her the day before. It's getting harder and harder to deny that these aren't just trumped up charges to get Assange into a room without a view in the US, especially when the British government are willing to break international law to extradite a man merely wanted for questioning.

In Ireland, that's considered a woman's drink. I've never, ever seen a man order it.

I'm pretty sure that was gameplay. The line about it being footage representing gameplay is just a disclaimer. It looks like it could be interesting but I think if games are going to offer choice, they really need to offer it properly. In this, it seems like you'll be shoehorned into doing what you're told, the only difference being how you do what you're told. I'd find it far more appealing if you could decide not to kill that guy and instead remix his memories so he doesn't do what your handler doesn't want him to do. The protagonist doesn't seem happy that she has to kill this guy, by her own hands or through a memory remix, so it doesn't make sense that she'd follow that course of action when the powers of a memory remix could, I assume, allow her to avoid it.

In recent times, using the term British Isles to refer to the archipelago has come under scrutiny. Personally, I like the term Atlantic Archipelago as a neutral term, or The British and Irish Isles. I do think the term British Isles is too politically loaded myself. Yeah, that was a pretty horrible news story but frankly, I was more shocked/outraged by the comments of this comedian. I don't really have a problem with stereotypes when they can be proven to be true to a strong degree and let's be honest, being a drunk, potato lover is very common in Ireland. I can't remember the last time I went through a week without either, and I've certainly went beyond moderation with both on many occasions. The hooligan part? I think the Brits have us beaten there.

I like it, it's very entertaining and Jodie FosterRachel Nichols does a good job at playing the "person out of time" role. I'm not quite sure where it's going with its political themes however. Is it arguing against corporate control over government or for it?? Still, I'll be watching it until it's cancelled in favour of something more mainstream (which seems to happen to everything good these days.) Has The Newsroom been mentioned here? I'm really enjoying it and it's great to see Jeff Daniels front and centre again...maybe he has been front and centre in recent times but it must have been in things that themselves haven't been front and centre. I like how the show is set up as well. It takes news from the past couple of years and builds the episodes around it. How long they can keep the whole thing going without stepping on a few toes but with Aarkon Sorkin at the helm, I'm sure they'll weather whatever storm comes their way.

I finally got around to finishing Songs of the Earth by Elspeth Cooper. It's a very good read and though it's not aimed at a young audience, it's quite an easy read. If I was to compare it to anything, I'd probably say it's a bit like Harry Potter but don't let that put you off. For a debut fantasy, it's quite a fantastic start and I'm very eager to see how the series progresses. If you look around, you'll see it's been highly rated across the board and it's certainly got my recommendation.

For sure. However, I think the argument that madbassman makes, and which many before him have made, isn't relevant today. Individual consoles don't need to be upgraded (unless you're talking about storage perhaps) yet the same can also be said for the individual PC. I think that's something a lot of people don't realise. As an example, let's say I was to build a new system when the advent of the next generation consoles roll around. Now, if I go bare minimum then yes, there's a likelihood that I'll want to upgrade before the following generation of consoles hit stores. Will I need to upgrade? Possibly, but possibly not. The system I have now has lasted me nearly seven years. Granted, hardware failure meant replacing the gpu, motherboard and cpu over the course of that time, but those failures came from a)a lapse in maintenance and b)an unfortunate event. Hardware failures happen on consoles too however and I can guarantee it's cost some people more money to replace their consoles than it's cost me to repair my PC. I'm veering off point however. A well-built and well maintained system will last as long as a console generation, even outlasting it, albeit with diminishing returns, without the need to upgrade - the want to upgrade is another matter entirely. Though it pains me to say it, it's largely thanks to the increased focus on console development this generation. With the PC version of games and PC games in general not aiming at high-end systems, upgrading your PC is no longer the necessity it was in the 90's. That said, you do need to look after a PC much more than you do a console but that's true of any PC; laptop or desktop, low-end or high-end.

Seems there's a lot of this going around in light of the Olympics. Is the idea that Ireland is still part of the UK really that prevalent?

Jaysus, haven't heard that brand in years. It's not sold around Ireland much anymore. You'd probably find a tap in a few pubs in Cork but ya'd be lucky to even find a single can in most off-licences anywhere else. I've heard of the drink before but it wouldn't be very well known over here. If you were over here, I doubt there'd be too much problem calling it what it is, unless you were close to the border/over the border. We have a few bomb type cocktails, one of the most popular is the Jagerbomb, just Jagermeister bombed with Red bull. I'd say if you were ever over here and wanted to order an Irish Car Bomb, the best thing to do would be to frame it so they know it's a cocktail.

You're completely right. In my experience, repairing PC's, I'd often work on an honour system because many customers were friends. You expect them to throw something your way but often times, they won't. Even when they say they will, there's been times when I've not received anything but a verbal thank you. If the honour system doesn't work on that small of a scale, it's hard to imagine it doing any better on a grand-scale. I think a good solution to the problem of piracy - There'll always be piracy, it just doesn't have to be a problem - is to start selling games in more consumer friendly ways. Take Tribes: Ascend as an example. It's free to play and you can unlock the weapons and classes without paying, but give the devs some cash and you'll do so faster or get access to new voicepacks or skins. That's a sustainable model, supported with new maps added for no cost - like Team Fortress 2 in many ways. How about if EA/DICE offered three ways to buy the next BF4 - Campaign Edition, Multiplayer Edition, Complete Edition - The two previous versions would be half the cost of the latter. People like me will just pick up the MP edition and others will choose the campaign or complete editions. How about a humble bundle style name-your-own-price deal for a new game? Set a reasonable minimum payment and allow people to pay more if they want, using charity as a booster if you feel you need to, or offering a little something extra, Kickstarter style. Just offering the consumer different paths other than buy expensive, wait for the sales/price drop or pirate could help a lot in reducing piracy figures. I have no sympathy for any publisher or developer that whines about their piracy figures instead of trying to reduce those numbers with intelligent, consumer-friendly methods.

I think I'll be able to get The Last Story finished before August begins. I got stuck into it last night and played it until the wee hours of this morning. I battled through the final boss battles, dying right on the last sequence. At that point, I decided to turn it off and get some rest but that little push tonight should do the trick. I'm a bit disappointed by the length of the game, I have to say. I'm just closing in on 27 hours. Anyway, even though it's still been a pretty shameful month of gaming for me, I'll be happy to be able to put The Last Story back on shelf.

Agreed. I was really impressed by the first segment so that's likely why I considered it so good overall. Watched the first fights for the two Irish lads earlier, good to see both of them winning. I think Paulstown Boxing Club's style of boxing really showed through with O'Neill - raw power and stamina. Back when I was training there, it was all exercise with only the last few minutes of training being devoted to sparring and improving technique. John Joe Nevin's fight was great. He might have a chance at the Bantamweight World Title if he keeps it up. He showed great skill out there.

I have to say I was impressed by the ceremony myself. From the sounds of it, I thought it was going to be terrible but they delivered. It made for quite a change from the usual opening ceremony too. What's everyone going to be watching in the Olympics? One of the lads I used to box with is fighting for Ireland today so I'll be tuning in to watch it. Beyond that, I haven't a clue what to check out.

I remember seen screenshots of this not too long ago. It looks interesting. I've said it before but I'll say it again. Minecraft has defined, if not created, a new genre of game. So what do we call it? Sandbox game doesn't do it justice and that's sort of taken up already. Sandbox-Mining-Builder? SMB?

I got a key myself yesterday...or the day before. I think I'll download it tonight. Not sure how much I'll play it. I'm not a big fan of console FPS games.

Ahhhh, I see what you're saying now. So would you say the labelling of other countries, like Ireland, as tax havens be more of a reaction to the taxation systems of the rest of the world as a consequence of having the state/federal system where most other countries don't? I imagine if/when the EU transforms into a federation that we'll have a similar system. For example, Ireland would have its own tax rate as it does now but there'll then be an EU-wide tax rate.

Is that for domestic corporations though? It was my understanding that foreign companies don't have to pay federal tax on income earned outside the US in these states, allowing foreign companies to use areas like Delaware and Florida to set up shell companies, essentially using those states as tax havens. Isn't there also less transparency required from these states for the earnings of foreign companies? That's a pretty good indicator of somewhere being a tax haven. I found this in relation to Florida, I don't know how up to date it is but if still true, I believe Florida could be seen as as much of a tax haven as Ireland. No personal income tax No inventory tax No corporate franchise tax on capital stock No state-level ad valorem taxes No ad valorem taxes on goods-in-transit No sales tax on food, medicine, or most services No tax on foreign source dividends, as defined by federal law. Aren't Wyoming and Nevada similar in regards to taxation? Personally, I don't really have a problem with tax havens. Most places could be considered tax havens depending on the beholder of the eye. Talking big about the tax havens of Europe while remaining tight-lipped about US states that could and have been labelled as tax havens strikes me as the pot calling the kettle black. If it's in our interest, it's a low-tax area to encourage and sustain growth. If not, it's a tax haven that should be admonished.