My Writings. My Thoughts.
The Ups and Downs of Pokémon X & Y
// October 26th, 2013 // No Comments » // General
Pokémon X and Y have been out worldwide for two weeks now and prove that the franchise is still going strong! I and many others have waited in anticipation for these games (I even pre-ordered mine back in June!) and have been enjoying them every day for the last 14 days. If you’re a fan of the franchise but haven’t gotten them yet, what on earth are you waiting for?? Are you concerned it’s not as good as people say it is? I felt now was a good time for me to voice my opinions on the game, now that I’ve defeated the Elite Four, the Champion, and caught all the legendaries on both X and Y. Please note: this isn’t a review! I just wanted to say what I feel are the pros and cons of GameFreak’s latest generation of Pokémon!
Coffee Machines: Which to get?
// May 13th, 2013 // No Comments » // General
I don’t talk about much outside the usual geeky stuff but bear with me on this one. If you’re a geek too, you’ll understand…
I’ve been a coffee lover for a long time. In fact, I can’t remember when I started taking a liking to it. I grew up in a family of tea drinkers, and drank tea since an early age, but at some point the shift changed over to coffee. It definitely got me through some gruelling times (Uni all nighters, for example) and now I can’t imagine waking up without having a good cup of Joe. The funny thing is, as much as I love my coffee, for the most part I’d never owned a dedicated coffee machine. I’ve often looked into the idea of purchasing one, but then decided to carry on with my Nescafé Alta-Rica instant coffee. I have one which takes ground coffee; a free gift from the Readers Digest if I remember correctly. After a while it became a nuisance because I could only make one cup at a time before having to clean it out. I really wanted to get a new one.
The Apple iPod and why I think people go mad about them
// October 16th, 2012 // 1 Comment » // Geeky Stuff, General
Anyone who knows me and reads my blog knows I’m what they call a Android “fanboi”. If given the choice over iOS and Android, I’d choose the latter every time. It’s boggled my mind how people can be so strong for Apple products when, for what they are, they are severely over-priced, have poor sound quality, lack connectivity, limits you to use proprietary software, and promotes slave labour.
A couple of weeks ago, I saw a “2nd generation” iPod Touch available for sale, second hand, for £30. It was only an 8Gb model – the lowest of those available for sale – and it was scratched and battered. Assured by the seller that it was in full working order, I decided to take the leap and buy it. I figured that it’d give me some proper experience with an iOS device without spending all my money, as well as give me another medium on which to test the Country Attire website on. At the very least, I could stick some music on it to listen to while I walk to work, saving vital battery power on my (Android) phone. The point of this blog post is to outline my experiences with (albeit, an earlier) iOS and share my conclusion. Continue Reading
Put your Nintendo 3DS videos on YouTube
// September 2nd, 2012 // 2 Comments » // Geeky Stuff
Three weeks ago I became the proud owner of a Nintendo 3DS XL, trading in my DSi XL for it, and I for one am quite impresed with it. There hasn’t been a single day where I haven’t done something on it, like play Super Mario, or take a few 3D photos. Yesterday, I put it through it’s paces and recorded the entire Red Arrows display at the Chatsworth Country Fair in glorious 3D! I wanted to put the videos up on to YouTube but it proved to be difficult. The tutorials I found online took differernt approaches to each other, and not one of them worked that well for me. So… here’s MY guide on how to get your 3DS videos up onto YouTube, so you can share your 3D masterpieces with the rest of the world! You’ll be surprised at how simple the whole process actually is…
Image courtesy of kotaku.com
The Samsung Galaxy SII and my Ice Cream Sandwich Nightmare
// April 28th, 2012 // 1 Comment » // Geeky Stuff
Since it’s official launch in October 2011, Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) has been rolling out for existing Android devices over the last couple of months. It’s probably safe to say that the most eagerly awaited ICS update to come out for any Android device is the one for the Samsung Galaxy SII – the best selling Android phone of 2011, and a phone I’m proud to say that I own.
However, the whole updating process has been an absolute farse for most SII owners, and has been racked with problems from the off. Even I had difficulties, and I’m a holder of a BSc Hons degree; and was the update worth it? In so many words: no, unless you know what you’re doing. Get ready for a rant…
Jenni’s birthday night out
// March 25th, 2012 // 2 Comments » // General
Tonight was the night of my friend Jenni’s birthday bash in Buxton. Took a few photos…
Jen and I enjoying her birthday night out 
Loving my new duffle coat! Its been keeping me warm through this cold winter.
// March 9th, 2012 // No Comments » // General
Andy Irvine is a web developer residing in the heart of High Peak, Derbyshire. He has over a decade of experience with various web technologies, specialising in OOPHP5, HTML5 and CSS3. He has created dozens of websites, and has worked with many Content Management Systems. In his spare time, he researches web technologies but he also enjoys playing guitar, photography, and cooking.
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