Sony's latest PS3 firmware upgrade (2.52) has resulted in a small but significant minority of machines (including mine) suddenly being unable to play discs. At all. That's right, no games, no DVDs, no Blu-Ray. Can still play anything on the hard drive, but that's a very small proportion of what we use it for.
Looking at the forums, Sony are being completely unsympathetic about it. I will be expecting a lot better when I call tomorrow.
Thankfully, my machine is still in warranty (just), but it does seem a bit much that if Sony break it after the warranty elapses, they are somehow not liable. And yet you can't choose not to upgrade (well you can, but then you can't do anything online).
Sunday, November 09, 2008
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Random Musings
A setback for the Villa at Newcastle last night. Watched in the not-exactly-salubrious surroundings of the Nag's Head on Upper Street. Thought we dominated the game and should have been 2 or 3 to the good before they scored - once they got in front they grew in confidence and we could have lost by 3 or 4. Think some of the squad maybe had one eye on Thursday's UEFA cup game against Slavia in Prague. Ridiculous that for the second time this season we have to play Monday-Thursday-Sunday - you don't see the so called Big 4 having to do that.
Got home uneventfully, moderately the worse for wear, but acceptably so considering 6 hours in the pub. Watched the Colts v Patriots game I'd taped from the previous night. A not entirely unexpected close defeat, but Jabar Gaffney dropped an absolute stone blind TD in the 3rd quarter from Cassell's only decent throw of more than 10 yards all night. More frustration. Game against the Bills this weekend is now crucial - winners will be set fair for the division, losers struggling for a wild-card. Only consolation is that other than the Titans, everyone is beating everyone in the AFC this year, so 9-7 could conceivably get you into the play-offs.
Woke to an extremely sore throat, cough and temperature. Followed my own rules (must go to office after night in pub, even if genuinely sick), and it was miraculously gone after a shower. Very odd...
M25 utterly shagged this morning, with the usual effects on the local roads. Mrs I tried to give me a lift further down the line, but the road south was even worse and we had to turn back. Took 45 minutes to crawl the 2 miles to the local station, not the best way to start the day.
Off to Arsenal v Man U this weekend, courtesy of those terribly nice chaps at McGregor Boyall. Bacon sandwiches and beer from 10:45 in the hospitality area - shall be pleasantly sloshed by mid-afternoon. Would like to see England v Pacific Islands if possible, but will play it by ear.
Have turned into a Facebook whore - gone from 12 to 30 odd friends in the last week. Starting to see the attraction at long last - seems there's a critical mass at which point reward outstrips effort.
Got home uneventfully, moderately the worse for wear, but acceptably so considering 6 hours in the pub. Watched the Colts v Patriots game I'd taped from the previous night. A not entirely unexpected close defeat, but Jabar Gaffney dropped an absolute stone blind TD in the 3rd quarter from Cassell's only decent throw of more than 10 yards all night. More frustration. Game against the Bills this weekend is now crucial - winners will be set fair for the division, losers struggling for a wild-card. Only consolation is that other than the Titans, everyone is beating everyone in the AFC this year, so 9-7 could conceivably get you into the play-offs.
Woke to an extremely sore throat, cough and temperature. Followed my own rules (must go to office after night in pub, even if genuinely sick), and it was miraculously gone after a shower. Very odd...
M25 utterly shagged this morning, with the usual effects on the local roads. Mrs I tried to give me a lift further down the line, but the road south was even worse and we had to turn back. Took 45 minutes to crawl the 2 miles to the local station, not the best way to start the day.
Off to Arsenal v Man U this weekend, courtesy of those terribly nice chaps at McGregor Boyall. Bacon sandwiches and beer from 10:45 in the hospitality area - shall be pleasantly sloshed by mid-afternoon. Would like to see England v Pacific Islands if possible, but will play it by ear.
Have turned into a Facebook whore - gone from 12 to 30 odd friends in the last week. Starting to see the attraction at long last - seems there's a critical mass at which point reward outstrips effort.
Sunday, November 02, 2008
Hamilton.....WINS !
Well, that was triumph to disaster and back again in a matter of minutes, wasn't it ?
The new wooden floors meant that when I jumped up and punched the air in my socks, I nearly went flat on my arse. Got me to thinking - what other top sporting conclusions have had me pacing around this living room and punching the air, and where does this rank ?
5...Germany 1 England 5, 2001
Sven takes over with England struggling to qualify after Keegan's disastrous reign, and this is the penultimate scene in the play. Owen hat-trick supported by Gerrard and Heskey. We didn't even play that well, we just took every chance. Meh...who cares ? Dancing around the room with son number one (then aged two).
4...Rugby World Cup Final 2003 - England v Australia
Astonishing that this is fourth, but I suppose the long period of English dominance made this seem almost expected, and we'd already won the game twice and had it pulled away by the referee. And then Saint Johnny, on his wrong foot. Tears in eyes, lump in throat. Marvellous.
3...Superbowl XXXVI - New England Patriots v St Louis Rams, 2002
17 years of following the perennially awful Patriots finally paid off in this upset over the "Greatest Show on Turf", who has been champions two years earlier and were expected to win easily again. The Patriots got well ahead but were pegged back by the experienced Rams. A superbowl had never been won by a field goal as time ran out before - it has now ! It may have been 3am, but I still jumped up, punched the air, and smashed my hand on a light fitting.
2...Brazilian Grand Prix 2008
Cruising to the finish with 6 laps left and the heavens open. Hamilton finds himself in exactly the spot he needs after the pit-stops, but disaster strikes with two laps to go when Vettel (surely a world champion in waiting himself) overtakes and looks good to hold it to the finish. Massa crosses the line for the win, but with two corners to go, Hamilton overtakes a limping Glock, who'd not changed his dry tyres for a memorable finish. Felt genuinely sorry for the Ferrari team, who thought they'd won when Vettel crossed first.
1...2nd Ashes Test, Edgbaston, 2005
Big crowd in expectation of an England victory, with the Aussies still a hundred away with only two wickets remaining. The defecit is reduced and reduced and reduced, for the loss of just one. Big Harmy rouses himself for one last effort, and sends a bouncer down the leg side to Kasper. A slightly thicker glance and it's four and the Ashes virtually secured for Australia, but Geraint Jones clings on. Technically it's not out, as the batsmen's glove was not on the bat at point of contact, but nobody cares. I wore a groove in the carpet for this one, and its top of the list because it was slow agony for two hours, and despair flipped to ecstacy with one ball. Amazing.
Anyone else want to submit their top 5 armchair moments ?
I will follow this up with the top 5 "I was there" and top 5 "I was in a pub" shortly...
The new wooden floors meant that when I jumped up and punched the air in my socks, I nearly went flat on my arse. Got me to thinking - what other top sporting conclusions have had me pacing around this living room and punching the air, and where does this rank ?
5...Germany 1 England 5, 2001
Sven takes over with England struggling to qualify after Keegan's disastrous reign, and this is the penultimate scene in the play. Owen hat-trick supported by Gerrard and Heskey. We didn't even play that well, we just took every chance. Meh...who cares ? Dancing around the room with son number one (then aged two).
4...Rugby World Cup Final 2003 - England v Australia
Astonishing that this is fourth, but I suppose the long period of English dominance made this seem almost expected, and we'd already won the game twice and had it pulled away by the referee. And then Saint Johnny, on his wrong foot. Tears in eyes, lump in throat. Marvellous.
3...Superbowl XXXVI - New England Patriots v St Louis Rams, 2002
17 years of following the perennially awful Patriots finally paid off in this upset over the "Greatest Show on Turf", who has been champions two years earlier and were expected to win easily again. The Patriots got well ahead but were pegged back by the experienced Rams. A superbowl had never been won by a field goal as time ran out before - it has now ! It may have been 3am, but I still jumped up, punched the air, and smashed my hand on a light fitting.
2...Brazilian Grand Prix 2008
Cruising to the finish with 6 laps left and the heavens open. Hamilton finds himself in exactly the spot he needs after the pit-stops, but disaster strikes with two laps to go when Vettel (surely a world champion in waiting himself) overtakes and looks good to hold it to the finish. Massa crosses the line for the win, but with two corners to go, Hamilton overtakes a limping Glock, who'd not changed his dry tyres for a memorable finish. Felt genuinely sorry for the Ferrari team, who thought they'd won when Vettel crossed first.
1...2nd Ashes Test, Edgbaston, 2005
Big crowd in expectation of an England victory, with the Aussies still a hundred away with only two wickets remaining. The defecit is reduced and reduced and reduced, for the loss of just one. Big Harmy rouses himself for one last effort, and sends a bouncer down the leg side to Kasper. A slightly thicker glance and it's four and the Ashes virtually secured for Australia, but Geraint Jones clings on. Technically it's not out, as the batsmen's glove was not on the bat at point of contact, but nobody cares. I wore a groove in the carpet for this one, and its top of the list because it was slow agony for two hours, and despair flipped to ecstacy with one ball. Amazing.
Anyone else want to submit their top 5 armchair moments ?
I will follow this up with the top 5 "I was there" and top 5 "I was in a pub" shortly...
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