Manfrotto vs Crumpler: longivety or not?

Anoter long, long test, but this time for bags: Manfrotto vs Crumpler. For the last 5-6 years, I used what are primarily camera bags as my day-to-day bags, and of course, I could not have done so without coming to some conclusions.

I'll just state this in advance: there was unfortunately no competition. I thought I found a better solution to my day-to-day bag needs, but no. Back to the drawing board.

LG 34UC98-W: a belated review

I've bought a set of new displays, the LG about 8 months ago, and a Asus MG279Q some time later to replace my Dell U2414H and P2414H combo. First I bought a 29" ultrawide (LG 29UM67-P), but then I got an offer and I exchanged it for the then-brand new 34UC98-W. Needless to say I jumped at the occasion head-first. I've posted a short review on /r/ultrawidemasterrace back then, here is a more fleshed-out version of it.

Amplifying problems

Problems, problems, problems. Namely, you can't really get a decent amplifier cheap like we used to. But let me get into my setup and the problems that led to this realization first!

Surface 2 Pro: a long, grueling test

After using the SP2 for about a year, I think I managed to meet every good and bad side of the tablet. Unfortunately, it is pretty ugly.

Marvel: Unlimited Inconvenience

Marvel has a $.99/1st month special till the 29th, and as a user of Comixology, I thought I would give it a try. Spoiler: it didn't turn out to be that great.

Fractal Design Node 304

Fractal Design is one of the better sounding names of high-end computer cases, but my first case by them didn't really encourage any further purchases from them.

After a Raspberry Pi and the afterlife of Google Reader

Since I first discovered it, I was one of the heavyweight users of Google Reader. So after we (as in: a great number of journalists and other heavyweight users) all got shafted by Google, I had to go and look for an alternative. After all, while you can manually look up a dozen or so sites a day no problem, but the moment you have - like I do - hundreds of sites you want to keep an eye on, that's a different problem altogether. But it took me a great while to get the parts right. I guess I could say that at places, curiosity got the better of me.

Keyboards: a thousand papercuts

When you spend most of your life hitting away at a couple of keys, you might start developing some expectations: minimal downtime, feel of keys, sound, maybe even extra macros. Then reality hits.

Nexus 4: a problem of case

As some of you might have already heard, I've come across a Nexus 4 in search of a new phone after I wanted to stomp on my aging Galaxy S the umpteenth time. In a way I was lucky with that, as it came with a very good case, but as this Nexus 4 was brand new, I had to get online and chase down a case for it.

Third time is the fail

EA has done it again, this time with Dead Space: in the name of making a game more "available" for broader audiences, they just sacrificed the core of the series.

Doctor's orders: drawing and alcohol

Storage: An unRAID beginning

About a month or two ago I got fed up with my latest HDD loss, so I started looking around for redundant, easily expandable storage solutions that wouldn't cost an arm and a leg...

A new retro Invasion

A great old one has risen again from the depths of time. Or is it just a spectre, or worse even: a fake, a forgery to rob you blind while promising riches beyond its grasp?

Something else: Crumpler New Delhi 620

So far I haven't written a review on this blog on something other than games. Without further ado: my new bag, the Crumpler New Delhi 620.

Official mugshot: nah, don't worry, in life it is much darker shade of red

Lording over terror

Yes, Diablo 3 has been out for a couple of weeks now. And it has been unplayable also for quite some time. Warning, spoilers!

Models and textures are not really detailed, even on highest settings, but are OK from the usual far out camera

Retrospect: Mass Blunder 3

So, the big polariser of 2012. Good game, game of the year, exceptional or horrible ending. Moneygrab or the lack of funds. And a couple of story writers left out in the cold. Mass Effect 3 (Spoilers!)

Oh, and the face import was not working for the most loyal fans. Like me.

Beyond Duty

Well, Call of Duty 5: World at War was quite a mixed bag for me. It did turn out to be immersive, but at the same time, it still has quite many things that need work.

Clouded skies

Yes, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky is not that new, but I did not have an opportunity to play it till now. I have really mixed feelings about it. While it does have more than necessary old maps, it did have some fun elements, but it definitely is NOT a complete new game, maybe not even an expansion.

Skin is the new Kevlar!

Yep, its time to mince Far Cry 2 apart. To sum up, it does not live up to the f(l)ame. It is undeniably beautiful, but tedious, infuriating and boring as well. Plus, it gave me a headache due to the (yet again) faulty widescreen implementation.

Greys have blood too, you know

Sooo, lately there has been a surge of freely playable full games. Not "the absolute most popular" of their time, but nevertheless, good ones. One of these was Area 51. The basic story is the usual: bad aliens come, some conspiracy, kill'em all. Apart from this, its a good game, with goo story for an FPS, it runs very well even on average or below-average PCs. Even if it wouldn't be free, it would be worth its time.

Massive storyline

So, Mass Effect. Yes, the one with the oh-my-god-full-sex-scene engineered shocks and all its variations. Quite a good game actually, not perfect, but still there.