WTF

About the vita's formatting thing, I do believe it's based on actual poor translation from the fan event. Right now it's probably best to take it with a grain of salt till the release date in about 11 days. However with that in mind, to be fair this isn't as bad as a region lock. The thing is you cannot use purchased content from the store or dlc from a region until you change region. Lets be absolutely honest here, how many of us buy content from other regions on a regular basis on the PSP from other regions. I know I don't because it's a pain to switch between simple authentications. Not to mention if one is that bothered I suppose they won't have an issue to connect it to a memory card and then play it like that. As long as you can read the packaged or cab files that require no activation I'm fine with that. That's pretty much how I play the demos and stuff from other regions on my PSP without switching regions. Not to mention the carts that you buy from any region would work. Right now as it stands it's a bit extreme to do the formatting thing but at the same time it's not a big deal. The thing to do is to stick to a region where you plan to buy content from that's about it. The thing that currently interests me is the rumour about PSN games being sufficiently cheaper on DD as opposed to physical retail. I wouldn't expect it to be 40% like the rumour but 25% is good enough to offset memory cart charges. Initially I was of the opinion that retailers wouldn't have it but I think they're experimenting. For a while now I've heard that both gamestop in the US and game in the UK have been speaking with Sony about selling digital content via their online and retail stores. This actually pretty decent for them as that means the products don't take up a lot of retail space and they can downsize the stores into being mostly massive adverts. The physical carts would be bought by people who like physical products and for everyone else it would serve as an advert similar to how a theatrical release of films is primarily an advert as opposed to being highly profitable in the mid to low budget film scenarios. A way they can do that is to sell PSN cards and to give retailers a pretty good markup on the physical products. Also if they were to sell them digitally to give them a decent share thus encouraging digital sales. This would be better than the scenario that they will eventually face where as in the case of iTunes cards retailers don't make a decent margin. It also explains statements from companies like game where they say that they expect the vita to boost their business. They're not just going to say that for no reason. Also recently they have been selling PSN products on their store such as God of War origins collection which has been priced between 22 and 24 quid and is just a download code from the store. They're definitely experimenting in the months leading to the vita launch. I think there's definitely going to be some interesting price scaling structures coming to play. Not to mention they've been talking about scaled game prices now and to react as per the market reactions. I'm not saying all their decisions are excellent to the consumer but there's a lot of pluses here. LIke dean mentioned I think what I'd like the console platforms to do is to have a gift system where you can send certain products as gifts. I don't think it'll work on the PSN till they unify the store but it could on Live for the most part.

The list is definitely going to have a few additions and subtractions even at it's current state considering we do have a fair few decent films on that list since it was last updated in 2007. I suppose it comes as no surprise that I've seen them all. Many while growing up but a few during my university years. Also that list put up was from 1998. The updated list doesn't have birth of a nation or fargo. Pretty sure about 20 or so films have been removed

Welcome to the club .

Never been to either. I've not visited India properly in ages though I'll probably be heading next year for business. I'll be on the road so I'll definitely check it out. Though I have friends in B'lore and I'm sure they're bound to suggest something . Thing is I like the Mysore Thali a fair bit. I mean all those dishes put together makes it awesome. Not really fond of Kheer per se but I do love Gujarati sweets though technically the yellow Laddoos are the same everywhere but their orange laddoos are much better than any other state. With the exception of the lovely Sri Krishna sweets which exists even in the Middle East now. Now Keralite, that's something I've heard. I've not really come across Keralan though I have heard Kerala cuisine which is still better than adding the n to it since technically you don't call someone who comes from the state that afaik. I prefer my mother's vermicelli payasam to be honest since the thinnest of the vermicelli makes for really nice ones. Bah I suck at making that dish though.

There's a lot more really when it comes to pronounciations. It's Parme zan not Parme jan technically. Thing is the original word is Parmeggiano yeah but the word we use in English comes from the French usage which basically gives it a z/zh sound. The only thing that does irk me though is coupon cause it is a cou pon not a cue pon. We never say cue for coup which we do pronounce cou. The thing about pronounce and pronounciation probably has to do with the word enunciate and historically them being used together must have resulted in that pronouciation. Because I'm sure I've heard it pronounced both ways in plays. Regardless there is a common notion here that h is pronounced haytch when it's actually aitch. There's also the weird, I'm not sure where it originates from, pronounciation of debut as deboo which isn't technically British or American nor French for that matter. Penchant is pronounced differently in the US and the UK as well where the former takes after the French and the latter takes after how the word sounds which isn't entirely wrong because pendant is also a derivative of the same word yet we don't really go pendont. Certain pronounciations are always going to be that way. However the important thing is to not stand out ridiculously at a social function when you're not in your native territory unless you enjoy that of course.

Methane is an interesting one in the sense that Mee Thane is technically correct as opposed to Meth ane. The thing is it was originally ee thane and that's pretty much where it all comes from. Since Faraday (damn fool is pretty much the reason why we have differing pronounciations in Chemistry's Nomenclature) was the one credit to the discovery of ethane, pretty much all the alkanes are technically correct in the RP pronounciation as opposed to the US pronouciation. However when it comes to Methyl both are more or less correct (though in some ways the US pronounciation is more accurate) since the origin of the word is from derivatives of the word 'Mead' which has different pronounciations in a few languages. The best way to go about those names is stick to what your science base country of origin is.

I always try to see if I can get Welsh pronounciations right before I meet relatives there. It's not always easy but hey S4C's there to help lol. I do have serious issues with pronounciation personally because I tend to switch accents at the drop of a hat having lived in far too many countries in my youth (which I suppose I still am in considering human longevity today). If I speak to my older friends a lot of my regular acquaintances from here are confused if I'm generic Canadian or American (the ones who have no clue about accents), I can switch to a South California accent with ease but there's the issue. I can't drop my pronounciations or enunciations easily because I was raised in RP with a slight North London twinge. When I speak to people in the Middle East I immediately switch to Dubai-isms with the whole 'tell me'. I hate that. It's highly annoying cause you pick up a phone and call someone and the first thing they say is- 'So, tell me' and it's really easy to pick up. Just as easy as Yallah Bye. I can also switch to a slight Indian if I speak to someone from India and suddenly my Vs become Ws and god that's annoying. I really adjust my accent and my pronounciation to fit the group I'm talking to. However if I can't see the person and I'm on the phone then I speak in my normal Londoner. I've done other accents when I used to perform and my singing voice is definitely not British but more generic western as is the case for most people who sing here. I know there are a few pronounciations that irk me but it's mostly because I try to pronounce every word as appropriate in that culture. I suppose I have the attitude that if I can learn so why can't others. I must admit that amongst my acquaintances, those that are Dutch are the best at picking up pronounciations fast. I'm fairly decent but I'll have trouble with certain Mandarin and Icelandic words.

can't say if they can't play emulated ISOs until we see it for certain, such as the ones they put out on the PSN Store. Doesn't need a DVD drive for that. Also today's interview pretty much gives the reason for proprietary memory cards as 'letting everyone enjoy the same experience'. You'll find a world of difference using the low end and high end when you're using them on cameras for photography or filming. If there's a lot of data being read as the game plays you'd need something above 30MBps likely which can explain the costs.

@BHB I'm 1/8th Indian which is pretty diluted (nothing about me gives it away interestingly enough, except when I use certain food terminology). However if you've even remotely got one side with some remote Indian-ness to it, you know how it goes with extended families. I did spend a few years there but that was ages ago. However I'm pretty disjoint from that side and am more closer to my Euro-side. Long-winded story. I've also never really come across it being called 'Keralan' out there to be absolutely honest. It's a bit weird. And yeah @Dean a Tava is a type of griddle. However a dosa is basically what you could call it rather an a crispy crepe but it's a savoury. Also I do agree with not calling it Karnatakan cuisine because technically most Kannadiga food isn't the best outside of Udupi or Mysore. Tamil cuisine is a mixed bag really since there's far too many varieties that I suppose it becomes that way but Keralan was never a word till recently was it? Also really, I've never come across the cuisine being called Keralan outside of that annoying Indian food made easy woman and currently M&S. I'm familiar with some of the stuff you've mentioned from the few years that I spent there. However I would say that the Payasam dessert is pretty good as well as that uh dessert you make with what's called Ada (not entirely sure what it is but I presume it has rice flour as do a lot of things there). @TN is absolutely right about the UK, people assimilate cooking out here. It does work both ways though to be honest. Some new dishes are created such as the Chicken Tikka Masala which basically isn't even Indian cuisine but rather a fusion created in a restaurant (if QI is to be believed). People here are generally quite open to varying types of food. However that being said specific types of specialist cuisine is something that people here can confuse a fair bit. For instance a shawarma is not a doner kebab, a lot of people who haven't been to the Middle East make that mistake. The meat can be done in the rotisserie (the lamb shawarmas are similar but the chicken shawarmas are nothing like a chicken doner to be honest) but the bread used and the sauces used are totally different and that's what actually makes these things different. Turkish cuisine is pretty good and you often get good pide and Lahmecun here. Also pub food in England is really good provided you're at a good pub. I'm also often amused by my friends who visit from the US and find that most of our fastfood restaurants don't look terrible when compared to there. I've also heard the reverse wheree they're scared to enter certain fast food restaurants out there. In the EU, McDs underwent a sort of rebranding to resemble chic cafes (though the people who're in there are still eh at times) but there's free wifi which can be tempting at times - though I prefer starbucks or caffe nero for a meet with wifi. If you've been to London though you can always catch a quick bite at any Pret or Eat - they're not the best or the worst but sometimes they have some awesome seasonal specialties. Ponti's still do good gelato but I think some of their menu has gone a bit downhill. Btw these aren't remotely fancy restaurants just quick places to eat which are decent. I'm interested in heading out to the Danse Le Noir but at the same time not too keen on eating stuff in the dark. I do like to see the colour of my food. Speaking of Cornish Pasties, their fudge and ice cream are pretty delish. I still think the worst thing I've eaten is a seafood pizza at a fancy place in Cannes. Ugh that was disgusting :/ It is interesting to note that sometimes the best example of a cuisine is found outside that particular country. As for things to cook, this weekend if I have time I'll be doing a layered beef and flatbread dish. It's pretty good. One thing about living in the UK is you can easily become a breadie even if you weren't and there's an abundance of decent cheese which isn't processed at reasonable prices.

I wonder if we should share recipes maybe eventually. Technically I love baking but rice is sort of essential. One of the good things about living in England is the ample supply of Basmati Rice 10kg for 10 quid does seem like a bargain and you can always find a good source (that said I hope I don't jinx myself by saying that). It's sort of essential since once a fortnight I do make Biriyani, not as much quantity as my mother would but sufficient to feed 3 people for 6 meals. There's this dish that my mum taught me which basically is Cauliflower Manchurian (aka Gobi Manchurian). The one thing I find hard to make is a good dosa since I don't have the right tava for it. The one I have is just good for the various flatbreads that me and my partner make on occasion. If I'm feeling lazy it's always a pasta bake since that's something easy. When I'm home on weekends though we end up making carrot cakes, coffee cakes or even spice cakes. The most easiest recipes though just require puff pastry and feta if you're having a sleep in. Shredded Parathas and scrambled eggs with mild spices also makes for a good dish. A good dessert would be Umm Ali which is a middle eastern sweet that's not too hard to prepare if you've got pastry sheets but is delicious. Also biscuit pudding. The key thing to most dishes is spices though, which requires you to have a good nose. It's a lot like chemistry really. Although a personal annoyance is wtf do people here mean by fricking 'Keralan' there's no such thing as Keralan cuisine but rather Malabar cuisine and Malayali/Nadan cuisine (based on my experiences living for a few years in that state). Oh and speaking of pubs, it's nice living in the city when you have a wide choice of decent pubs. I generally do like the Harvester chains and I'm always close to a Wetherspoons wherever I move for some reason.

I forgot to post this the other day. Technically it's not just a weird or wonderful web thing but hey Could it be anymore awkward?

I hate toad in the hole but then again I hate sausages that's why and if you're curious Ethan it's not the worst kind of food to be honest just not my type -->http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/toadinthehole_83871 I think Balut still is probably quite disturbing. Then again I know my dad's side used to eat fried goat's brains -.- There's this really easy meal that I got from Nigel Slater which is pretty decent. All you need is a block of feta, some chillis, onions, olive oil and some bread like naans or well any soft bread would do. Even Khubus would be good as well as pita. It's really simple --> http://www.stylist.co.uk/life/exclusive-nigel-slater-recipes third one down. But I do know how to make parathas, chapatis and naans. Curry too. I'm not too keen on making seriously gross food but Italian, Lebanese and Indian foods come ok to me. I just need to own a rotisserie of some sort and I'd make shawarmas (they're similar to gyros but not the same).

It's probably cause of online retail competition. Most people buy from online retailers a lot more than from stores. I mean we've got amazon, play, the hut group's zavvi, sendit, thehut etc, gameseek, choicesuk, shopto and a lot more. There's far too many retailers in the online space that compete in the entertainment area. Many offer free delivery. Amazon was forced to hit zero. Many are now reintroducing paid options but it's really going to be hard to switch there. Amazon prime here is next day and they also have Amazon evening delivery if you choose to pay a premium and order before 1pm (the latter is definitely because the UK is smaller) but there's a lot of warehouses as well. Recently they've introduced the Amazon locker where if you're busy and can't be at home it'll be delivered to a locker where you show id and collect the item usually in 2 days. I think when you get more online retailers being highly competitive they'll be forced to do this. The online market is much more competitive here from the looks of it.

Steam Sale Tally that wasn't included before: New Vegas Gun Runners Arsenal New Vegas Lonesome Road Limbo Civ V Korea DLC Serious Sam HD Deluxe Deus Ex DLC (totally forgot about that one) Outside of Steam Red Faction: Armageddon (It was £3 on impulse) Gifted a bunch of games Indie Royale 3/5 gifted the other two. I got a few other things that I can't quite remember

Wait you still need to hit a floor value for free shipping on Amazon? Hmm out here they got rid of that. It's free shipping on all orders for supersaver went down from £25 to £5 to everything now. It also takes about 2 days to get to you from the point of dispatch(unless it's a big item in which case it's 2). Paid takes 1. The difference I noticed between paid and unpaid shipping for Amazon uk is that they head to dispatching soon asap for any paid shipping and it takes about a day otherwise.

So have you guys read about the SCEE exec saying we'd mostly be having tiered pricing on the vita. I think that's not a bad idea so long as it's not Namco Ridge Racer Vita like. I doubt it would be considering the wording in that eurogamer article about adjusting to how the market reacts and so on and so forth.

Let me explain what I presume the real reason for I am Alive not being on PC is. Ubisoft while okay with steam prefers to launch games through their launcher on the PC. I am alive is definitely not a great game. It's an okayish game and on top of that they'll be adding the UbiDRM. What that means is that there's two reasons people will not buy the game. It's not that yes everyone will pirate more like it's a terrible game with ubidrm that will lead to piracy. There's been gameplay footage floating around for quite a while now and honestly it's a frankenstein project from the looks of it. It's changed studios many times, it's had other issues. They decided not to release it etc. They're not going to sell this game for cheap but if they sell it for $10-15 on XBLA and PSN even if only 50k people bought it - that would offset just releasing it whereas if they did release it on the PC like they intend to, it's going to be received worse. Face it, a terrible game gets pirated because of curiousity unless it's on steam. It's nothing to do with PC being a high piracy platform, for instance skyrim is most pirated on the 360 more than any other platform; it's just that the way ubi would probably release it is not conducive to it selling well. So it sounds like he's mouthing off because he can't really release it a decent way that PC consumers would buy it and has less decision power. Ubisoft's release for this would be similar to From Dust which was a decent game and this isn't. From Dust sold a bit low (barely was in the top 20 steam chart for over a month during a slow period). I believe it's being released more as a lets get it out of the way since everyone keeps talking about it and won't shut up.

So November's almost done and so far barring what I'll be getting in the steam sales for thanksgiving after today: November Purchases after my last post --> PC Skyrim Orcs Must Die+DLC Humble Introversion Bundle Indie Royale 2 = Nightsky, Scoregasm, Fate of the World+DLC plus some non-steam stuff and gifts) Jamestown Oblivion repurchase Indie Royale 3 (already paid for - no idea what the games are yet). PS3 Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom (edited note, I disposed of my MVC3 copy to get this simply because it was useless, I'm glad I bought that on a gift certificate). Saints Row 3 (I really wish I could've convinced my partner to get the PC version, but oh well I'll pick that up later). Assassin's Creed: Revelations Collector's Edition Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes Hard Corps:Uprising Tekken Hybrid 3DS Tales of the Abyss (PAL gets it this week) Wii Skyward Sword Golden wiimote edition I'll be getting the last New Vegas DLC,Shogun DLC in the steam sale. Might get NWN2 and Dungeon Defenders too. I've held off on Anno because I know the price is coming down in a few weeks so I'd rather wait while I try to finish off some of the games I have. edit: I realised I've a few games that I bought off of gamersgate and sites like that which were cheap and I wanted to own them but since they're not added to steam not 'visible' to me.

I'm not sure about renegade ops on the PC, I've heard it's not a great port to be honest. A Dungeon Hunter 4pack makes it pretty decent too.

It's almost holiday season and while there's plenty of games most of us will also do plenty of reading. I figured that it's harder to dissociate all the books from the buy thread and sometimes we might use libraries (oh who am I kidding, I've not been to one in forever, to borrow books that is). So just figured the whole what are you reading thread would come in handy there. Plus it's also a good way to get suggestions, find books that you'd not normally read and the like. To start I'd recently finished Moby Dick as part of my read it in time for it's 150th anniversary celebrations to be done reading. I'd also finished rereading Dune. Currently rereading The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell (UK) (US) The forever war by Joe Haldemann (UK) (US) Stranger in a strange land. (UK) (US) I'm also reading a bunch of Scandinavian crime thrillers partly because of that BBC4 program from earlier in the year. There were a few titles that I'd missed out on in the past. I'll post them the next time.

Well we're scrapping the VAT exemption from the channel islands and reducing the cost from 18 to 15 at the same time. That's going to be interesting for the jersey merchants. Actually the life in the uk test is pretty easy but the answers in the thing are pretty outdated. I've gone through the stuff out of curiousity and I've got to admit that most people would know jack. But there were some interesting statistics such as only 25% of children come from single parent homes, much lesser than you'd imagine the way media portrays it and these were statistics from 2009. In the 1980s it was primarily people from the US, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. We only have 8.3% of the population from 'Ethnic Minorities' as per 2001 so it's impossible for 4.2 to be Muslim considering that's greater than all the Asians themselves put together back then. It'll be interesting to see the 2011 census changes as we've got a lot more global migration this decade.

Read the comics for all star superman it's standalone and about 12 issues if memory serves me right. The film would've been weird since it tries to bridge what would've been a 3-5hour long movie if you consider the book as a storyboard and compress it to under 90 minutes. It misses out on a few plot points. As always treat film and books as entirely different media, story adaptations will never be 1-1 because of the nature of the medium.