Titled: “Xbox paedophile predators ‘move in on prey within two minutes of contact‘” and using an image of the original Xbox (yes, the one that stopped being sold in 2006) you can already tell this is going to be a masterpiece of journalism and in no way made up bullshit or sensationalist.

The theory highlighted is that due to wanting to seem more popular by having the most ‘friends’ that people will add strangers to their friends list and this allows paedos to “work though up to 200 contacts until they find a vulnerable child willing to interact with them“.

That isn’t made up though, these “findings come from a study of police logs of online conversations as well as 33 interviews with convicted offenders in Britain, Belgium and Norway“. Naturally anyone convicted of a crime mostly based around lying would obviously tell the whole truth about their operations and methods…

So let’s have a little look at reality shall we? So here are some of the points made in the article:

• “Sexual predators are taking advantage of young people’s willingness to add strangers as online contacts out of a sense of ‘competition’ over their popularity.”

  Really? Achievements & trophies are the measure of ‘success’ in gaming, not to mention the online gaming options of beating the other team. It is not who has the most friends. Plus there are parental controls for locking down the Xbox that a simple Google search would have revealed to the article writer.Additionally how do the paedophiles know these people are children? With a profile that does not disclose age at any setting I can’t see how they would know unless they were using leaked details from Microsoft or had previously targeted them via social media and thus using the gaming platform is not sensible at all.

  Finally where are these people getting their gamertag info from? Seeing as though that is how you add people on live I am curious as to how a list of “200 contacts” could be obtained without hanging out for hours in multiplayer games and writing down each gamertag that then appears in the ‘recent contacts’ section of the profile. Oh, no, wait, that’s right by default children aren’t allowed on Live if they were registered with the right (or near enough) birthday and parents haven’t over-ridden the controls.

• “Paedophiles are using Xbox Live to target victims” is the caption under the outdated image.

  Maybe, but why pick out that single platform when the issue is highly likely to be much more prevalent on facebook, twitter or other social media sites where privacy is un-wieldly, complex and can expose literally everything about you if not managed? I repeat, Live exposes very little about a person. I can see the name, location a bio (if someone has written one) plus potentially any friends or games if the gamer has made them public. No age, no address, no gender…see where I am going with this?  You’d need prior knowledge or a hacked list to tell kids from adults.

• “Conversation between an online offender and a child can now become sexualised within two minutes”

  Have you tried using Live messaging? Typing in a freaking twitter length sentence takes forever on the game pad. I highly doubt a child will have the messenger keypad or a USB keyboard. Voice comms are slightly different but then any parents, etc could hear the conversation and its obvious the kid is taking to someone (what with the headset and all) so that probably isn’t the best method.

  Adding someone as a friend, messaging them and getting a response, then messaging them back asking for sex (I mean, seriously? Is that how it happens?) would likely take way over two minutes and the struggle and stress once more seems so much more difficult than scouting for open social media profiles.

• “Prof Davidson, from Kingston University, added: ‘During our interviews, offenders said they didn’t need to bother with a grooming process when they could immediately ask children for sex or to meet so they could abuse them.‘”

  Well that makes no sense, how does that even work? Is she seriously implying that by accepting a friend request (which remember is locked out by default for children) that it consitutes the grooming process? I don’t buy it, supposedly people are groomed on social media (where more information is visible once friended) so it makes no sense that the same thing wouldn’t need to be done for gaming where more info is hidden. Why would it be more trusting via a gaming platform?

We’ll also ignore the fact that any paedo had better be bloody good at games or any chat request will consist of the paedo being abused by the other players, his avatar tea-bagged and if anything shunned as a total n00b. Anyone who has ever played multiplayer games on the console, particularly FPS ones, would know that conversations don’t happen. Instead abuse is generally hurled left, right and centre in a mass cacophony of noise until you retreat into a party consisting of just you so you don’t have to listen to that shit or you block all voice comms from anyone not on your friend list.  Oh look at that, we’re back to paedos put in a position where they’d struggle to know anything about the gamertag they are ‘targeting’ and relying on ‘text’ message comms.

Gaming platforms are probably the most stupid place to try and pull the immoral, illegal and disgusting act of paedophilia. Chances are if anyone found out a gamertag was trying to get into kids underpants then an army of geeks would have already found out everything about the paedo before he could quit his Xbox account and destroyed his online presence.  Gamers tend to be geeks, geeks tend to know about technology, knowing about technology probably makes them a stupid target for anyone to try and harass online because they can probably find you in real life, or know someone that could…

I’ll not talk at length about requiring a gold subscription for online games & activities over live, the fact that you can report people for offensive actions, the fact people are more interested in gaming (funnily enough) than chatting about meeting up, that you’d need to buy the consoles (which can be disabled by Microsoft remotely from ever connecting to the live service should you do something very wrong), etc. I don’t need to as any sensible person knows the Metro article was a pile of wishy-washy, un-researched crap.

The final sentence of the article had to make me laugh out loud too: “She added that children were always online via android mobiles which could not be programmed with parental settings.”

Wow, just wow.  So how do I use Android to contact people? Oh that’s right I don’t because its an operating system. It’s no different to a fucking PC or laptop in that it uses applications to communicate except it also has SMS functionality. Also, there’s an app for parental controls…I should say apps..plural and there is some functionality built in too. Just being connected to the Internet doesn’t mean shit unless someone knows a way to contact you via email, phone number, instant message or social media. This isn’t a movie where hacker-paedos suddenly pop text messages onto your screen by magic, this is reality.

Despite never bothering to read anything Sonia Elks ever writes again, and potentially also calling into question the merit of Prof Julia Davidson (as her research could have been taken out of context so I won’t damn her immediately) I have one thing to say…USE GOOGLE SEARCH!

Seriously, within 30 seconds of Googling I had the default security settings for Xbox Live, apps for privacy and methods for parental controls on Android mobiles which have pretty much debunked the entire article.  As always the issue of being stalked on a gaming platform can only really occur if the parents are not responsible. As always bad parenting is way more important and an issue than not letting kids play games.

The article should have been written as less of a scaremongering piece of crap and more as an advisory article, with links to places such as Live support pages, Google Apps and spreading awareness of privacy settings, not by linking together two easy subjects that historically cause debate: paedophiles and gaming. Of course that likely wouldn’t generate the social media traffic and hits to the website by outraged gamers…but of course when reporting web stats the people who actually visited doesn’t matter…just the overall numbers.

Case and point: this is my xbox profile…£10 to the person that finds out my age from that profile screen only and no other source:

Yeah…thought not.  *spends £10 at pub*

Suitably disturbed? Excellent, then let us continue…

Now if you haven’t already gathered I’ve been really trying to alter my life a little what with the whole lifescore thing, career decisions and so on. What better way to cement this commitment to change than with a permanent change of scenery? Well not spending what is likely to be literally thousands of pounds would probably be one, but as logic and reasoning fail me at the most crucial times yet run rampant when not desired then moving house seems a great thing to do. Really. No, really.

As some of you who know me are aware, I have neighbours with hearing that’d rival Superman yet somehow seem immune to the constant barking generated from their own yorkshire terrier that drives me insane (yet do I moan? No, no I don’t). I vowed my next house move would be to somewhere solid (my current place has tissue-paper for walls it seems and I’m thankful my neighbours aren’t particularly amorous) or even better totally detached.  Now, sadly, almost every single 2-bed house in the UK is terraced or paired which has made my life a lot more difficult but I’m sure with perseverance I’ll find somewhere that has a deaf neighbour or at least has walls that mitigate enough noise to allow the use of a surround system without the instant complaint from the neighbour (even when lower than my not excessively loud speaking volume).

I think you know where I am going with this…yep, I’m selling up and things are in motion.  I had the decorating sorted last week and I have more to do in the hallway.  I’ve had my EPC completed which is a mandatory (and rather pointless) thing that’s been added since I last moved house.  I had my house valuation and that was a kick to the nads, it seems I’m likely to lose about fifteen thousand from my purchase price. Gutted.

It’ll be sad in a way to sell up, I moved into that house in a similar situation – a newish job, a serious girlfriend and a determination to make it a home and not to let the house become a messy cesspit. That didn’t really pan out on any front so is moving an admission of failure in a way?  This time will be different…oh man, does it have to be different. I’m already moving on sans girlfriend, next time could be sans job! That’s too depressing to even think about, I’ll stick with the assumption that this is a new section to my new leaf and that things are finally on the up.  They’d better be, as I’m really hoping 2012 doesn’t start looking like the previous decade, because I’m not sure I can handle another year of stagnation, disappointment and regret.

In other news I’m halfway through a new site design, something a little less black…

I’d be interested in finding out if the overall amount of mail sent has declined over recent years. That is an immediate impact on reveneues but yet the Royal Mail still need to be equipped to deliver to the mail to any post-coded house so costs can’t really be made too heavily on infrastructure.

If you then take your 60p and try to deliver a piece of post by yourself I think you’ll struggle to find any train tickets or fuel pumps that would take you to your delivery destination.

“Ah”, says Mr Know-it-all, “I’ll just do everything via email then, that’ll learn ‘em!”.

Did you conveniently forget that it cost several hundred pounds for that laptop, at least £10 a month line rental, probably another £10 for your ISP and then electricity running costs also? Stack that up against a couple of pounds for a writing pad/envelopes and 60p per stamp and I think overall you’re still better off with the Royal Mail.

Not to mention each ‘boycot’ of the Royal Mail will further impact their revenues, reducing the economies of scale which made their operation such a bargain and thus raising the costs further…

Don’t get me wrong, a 30% price increase is steep, but it could very well be justified and unless you get your PC, internet and electricity covered by government benefits or your employer then email isn’t free…sure its likely to be fraction of the workload placed upon your internet connected devices but it isn’t free.

So, please, before you go into another Daily Mail style rant about something that realistically has less impact on your wallet than increases in food, utilities and council tax just think before you turn on caps lock and go to town all over my Twitter feed…I’m sure if you think really hard you’ll be able to find something else that actually does need complaining about. Thanks.

Note: I haven’t used post in ages, I have a book of stamps still going from 3 Christmas’ ago. I like digital, I prefer email, an online form or Twitter to writing and posting. It just irked me that this potentially warranted hike in prices kicked off such a shit-storm for little to no reason…but then as I finish this I realise that this is the Internet and reason has no place here!

My daily activities may continue in a seemingly endless cycle of getting up and either going to work (weekdays) or playing video games (weekends) with an odd pause for sustenance before hitting the sack, but beneath that simple veneer I’ve been making changes. Last month was a dietry alteration, a big one, and it allowed me to cull three more achievements!

Achievement unlocked: The last of the petty cash

Being more than just a way to shoehorn a Ghostbusters quote into my achievements, this acheivement was going to be one of three that would herald a massive drop in weight and make me thin thus conquering the weight loss achievements…well that was the theory…

In reality it just meant that I lost control of my generally metered intake of food. Where I’d cave maybe once a week and succumb to takeaway I was now eating rubbish at every opportunity. I bought ice cream and promptly ate the tub within 48 hours of purchase – I never usually buy ice cream. I ate popcorn, copious amounts of Haribo, everything I usually never buy found its way into my shopping basket and stopped eating the sensible stuff I generally have most evenings like a nice chicken pie and some potatoes with a side smattering of peas.

Needless to say, the end effort was actually no loss of weight, but an increase instead. With balance restored, I’m already back to a chocolate, crisp and snack free house and all the better for it…you know, apart from the remains of a large Dominos pizza and the left over chow mein strewn across the living room. But that gluttony was purely for celebratory purposes, you understand!

Achievement unlocked: My body is the Atacama

Alcohol used to be a vice I’d abuse to constant excess. In the last few years that has died down significantly, particularly in the last year or so where I no longer drown my sorrows every night. My vodka intake has dropped from over a litre bottle a week (or weekend in some cases) to maybe a litre a month if even that. To this end the challenge was actually significantly easier than I had expected with the only real hiccups being around social engagements where I’d naturally have a drink with a meal or similar.

That said, by the end of the 31 days I was really looking forward to enjoying a nice bottle of wine and getting down to a weekend of gaming with a vodka and coke handy. That sweet, happy and slightly giddy feeling after my first drink back was an experience I wanted to last forever…although I don’t drink much anymore, I don’t think I’d enjoy life as a tee-total.

Achievement unlocked: No added sugar

With alcohol out of the equation it made sense to do the fizzy drink challenge at the same time…otherwise I’d have to drink only beer and wine for a month further down the line!

Bizarrely this proved to be the most tough of the three to achieve thanks to my reliance on pints upon pints of cola every week. When working in an office that offers free soft drinks it makes things a little tougher to put out of mind, then when getting home the depressing choices of milk, squash or plain water were enough to test the very mettle of my being.

Luckily I proved myself strong enough to hold off temptation, and similarly to the takeaway food scenario, it didn’t seem to assist in weight loss in any way. This leaves just one further option open to me: excercise. Oh god!

So three biggies are toppled this month, saving £500, career decision and finally, payrise.

Achievement unlocked: More than a fistful

This one wasn’t quite as tough as I’d originally anticipated. I’d envisioned every lunch being baked beans and cardboard but by cutting back on a few things and being tight with take-aways, charity giftage, Christmas and avoiding full-price retail releases for games I managed to get £100 a month into a savings account. Boy was it worth it! I made a couple of pence interest…

I shouldn’t moan though, at least I know my holiday this year is covered financially and that’s way better than my usual situation which is panicking that the overdraft won’t hold out for the entire duration of my stay away.

Achievement unlocked: I immediately regret that decision

For too long have I been floating around IT and drifting through the various areas it has to offer. I’ve done a lot from hardware support to software support, from first through to third line support. After two false starts I’ve clawed my way back into the web-related arena (just hit the big twelve months) and been lucky enough to make the decision between coding or marketing. I’ve finally plumped for marketing and although the lure of messing around in the back-end of WordPress or trying to redesign my site every few months won’t be going anywhere I can finally say I have a focus and something to work towards going forward.

Achievement unlocked: Cross my palm with silver

Heavily tied into the previous achievement my decision to become less of a ‘jack of all trades’ was inspired by the chance to go permanent for the company I’ve been contracting for. As part of that process I was lucky enough to wangle in a payrise. Pretty damned good eh? Well, hell yes, BUT this momentous occassion also means that I am now going to be earning the most I’ve ever earnt.

You may think that is logical, I mean you don’t often get a payrise and earn less. However I’ve spent ten years trying to claw my way back to the salary I was on when I left my second full-time role. Finally I have managed that task and I have to say that a stone has been lifted from around my shoulders. Ten years of taking a step forward and two back have come to an end and for once I feel like I have a future that isn’t overshadowed by my past.

2012 has started off with the most amazing first month. It hasn’t all been great though as I’ve lost another grand-parent, but mostly, as years go, it hasn’t totally sucked from the get-go.  2012 may be the year the world ends, but it’d be the one year where I’d go out smiling as opposed to a twisted hulk of rage, hatred and bitterness. Probably.

Everyone brought their partners, which was nice, so I got to revist three old friends and meet 3 new people. One couple I had seen relatively recently so they didn’t quad-up my achievement *sadface*. In addition I don’t get triple the cheevo score. Achievement aside I had a great night all in all and very interesting to hear what had become of people since we’d last spoken. As usual I’d probably managed the least progression across the board, no partner, no tales of adventure and certainly no hefty salary with which to slap people about. It didn’t matter though as ultimately these great people were just as I remember them being and it took me to a happier place, mentally. On my drive back home instead of concentrating on the road I stared up at an angle towards where the windscreen meets the roof and wistfully transported myself back to the heady days of Sixth form over a decade and a half ago.

So far this has been my most enjoyable achievement, the result of which is a step closer to my achievement goal and a much needed nourishment of the soul. Living as I do in a cocoon of lonely bitterness, it was enjoyable to burst out and join the butterflies, even if just for one night only.

Another achievement down and starting to run out of the quick and easy stuff!

Next time I’ll use the webcam, my drinking and phone recording skills suck the veritable balls….

Oh, yes, this is littered with spoilers and profanity, so tread carefully all who read on…

ZOMG, totally busted by Imperials for crossing Morrowind/Skyrim border. Taking me for punishment. #EmpireSucks

posted: 17 First Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

Been tied up so unable to skweet, just got free. A dragon attacked us! A fucking dragon!! W00t! #crazyshit #run

posted: 17 First Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

Escaped from dragon with an Imperial guard. He wants me to join Imperial army, Lulwut?! They tried to kill me?!

posted: 17 First Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

It’s cold but I like it here, pretty flowers everywhere. I ate some blue ones. #TummyAche

posted: 17 First Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

Found a mining cave, went in to say hello but got attacked. They weren’t miners. Killed them all & slept in their beds lol!!

posted: 18 First Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

I just unlocked the “Newbie” badge on @RimSquare

posted: 18 First Seed via RimSqre

Took all of the cabbages in carts at Riverwood, they didn’t mind. Shopkeep asked me to get a claw back too. #chores

posted: 18 First Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

Drunk adventuring FTW. I’m totally desecrating the dead right now! Check it out…

posted: 19 First Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

Got the claw back but not before I found it it was a key. Kept the treasure for myself. Found some weird letters on a wall. #Awesome

posted: 19 First Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

Punched a chicken to death in the street…no-one cared! Am going to Whiterun, this place is dull.

posted: 19 First Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

Some bitch elf beat me up, I think it might have been @denoraek. Nobody helped me

posted: 19 First Seed | @chicken via Skwitter

Got bitten by a wolf, looks infected, bad times.

posted: 20 First Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

Found a farm, people keep saying I don’t look very well & should get some sleep. :/

posted: 20 First Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

EUUW! I’ve got crabs!! Well, what’s left of the mudcrabs I found crossing the river anyway. #NotTheSTD

posted: 20 First Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

I just ousted Jarl Balgruuf as Mayor of Whiterun @Rimsquare

posted: 20 First Seed | @denoraek via RimSqre

Hey babe, want to come to the mead hall later? I was an adventurer like you, once, until I took an arrow to the knee.

posted: 21 First Seed | @guard via Skwitter

Spoke to the Jarl, told him about the dragon attack. Found some people called ‘The Companions’ who want my services.

posted: 21 First Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

Got a girl-crush on the Jarls dark-elf second in command. She’s hawt! <3 #sexy

posted: 21 First Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

More dragons! This dickhead wizard wizard & the sexy elf want me to help fight it. Sucks to be me.

posted: 23 First Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

Ha! That was easy, dragons suck teh ballz! Shit got weird though, something happened to me when it died. #weirdedOut

posted: 23 First Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

I wish @guard would stop bothering me about his dragon-fighting cousin…I’m the dragonborn, okay?!

posted: 24 First Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

@denoraek Hey babe, missed you at the inn for the dragon killing celebrations. I used to celebrate, once, until I took an arrow to the knee.

posted: 25 First Seed | @guard via Skwitter

@denoraek Didn’t appreciate the explicit DM, I’m not interested in a night under the stars with a bottle of skooma. #blocked

posted: 25 First Seed | @irileth via Skwitter

#FollowFredas @denoraek @irileth @guard My dragon killing homies!

posted: 30 First Seed | @jarl_b via Skwitter

Got me a slave housecarl & I’m a Thane of Whiterun! In your face @irileth!

posted: 30 First Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

Sent housecarl home, stupid wench set off every trap. Needs to look up ‘sneak’ in a dictionary too. #grumpy

posted: 1 Rain’s Hand | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

Sorry for lack of updates, snowstorm cocked up the signal. Have been working loads for the Companions. #money

posted: 12 Rain’s Hand | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

Went to meet Aela tonight, she’s only a fucking werewolf!! WTF!…brb they want me to join. Aela’s hot.

posted: 14 Rain’s Hand | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

@denoraek @companions Shut up, that’s a secret!! =[ You think I’m hot? =D

posted: 14 Rain’s Hand | @aela_huntress via Skwitter

Lolz I’m a werewolf! I think I killed someone bare-clawed style…feel like hungover or something though!

posted: 15 Rain’s Hand | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

@denoraek Hey sexy, when are you back in Whiterun, got a great story about the time I took an arrow to the knee!

posted: 24 Rain’s Hand | @guard via Skwitter

This gang attacked the companions & killed our boss. I’m going to try and take over. #Winning

posted: 29 Rain’s Hand | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

More walking and questing. #sameoldshit

posted: 3 Second Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

Went to this remote place to help ghost of companion leader. Am now leader! Woo! =D

posted: 2 Second Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

@denoraek @aela_huntress Did you cure yourself too? That’s not gonna go down well with some…

posted: 2 Second Seed | @Farkas via Skwitter

@denoraek @Farkas Just Deno did, sadly, I thought there was some animal magnetism between us…

posted: 2 Second Seed | @aela_huntress via Skwitter

@aela_huntress @Farkas I thought so too…and there still is..

posted: 2 Second Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

Massive crush on Aela, she’s so sexy. #Girlcrushextreme

posted: 4 Second Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

Took a ride to Windhelm on a horse & cart. Boy said he was going to be an adventurer so I shot him in the knee with an arrow. #slowTrip

posted: 4 Second Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

I just unlocked the “traveller” badge on @rimsquare

posted: 4 Second Seed | @denoraek via RimSqre

Windhelm is so racist! Totally going to sue for racial abuse when I get back to Whiterun. Is it cos I is Dunmer?!

posted: 4 Second Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

Broke into this orphans house, weirded out by the skeleton & shit he had there. As I was caught I pretended to be Dark Brotherhood.

posted: 5 Second Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

@denoraek Go home Dunmer, Nords don’t need your kind stealing our Dragonborn rights!

posted: 2 Second Seed | @ulfric_sc via Skwitter

Crap now the kid wants me to kill some old lady…maybe later. :/

posted: 5 Second Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

I am at Dawnstar @rimsqaure

posted: 7 Second Seed | @denoraek via RimSqre

The sea!! No-one can sleep apparently so I’m going to a temple with Erandur to kill a ghost or something. #questing

posted: 7 Second Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

Erandur ran into the temple to unlock a door, now he’s vanished. Great. WTF, dude?! Screw this I’m going back to town. #QuestFail

posted: 7 Second Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

Another dragon attacked me and a bear, killed them both. Heh. Bags full of shit though, can’t run!

posted: 9 Second Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

Oh god this is soooo annoying but I don’t want to leave anything behind #encumbranceIsShit

posted: 10 Second Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

@HouseCarlWench Can you come and meet me to carry some of this crap?

posted: 10 Second Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

Made Health Potion(alc) and Weak Poison(alc) in last 24 hours. Craptr.rim/denoraek

posted: 12 Second Seed | @denoraek via Craptr

I am at Whiterun @rimsquare

posted: 13 Second Seed | @denoraek via Rimsqre

Sucks, I have to go up a mountain to see some beards because I can shout like dragons or something. #sigh

posted: 17 Second Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

Got lost and found some giants and mammoths. I can haz mammath burgerz? lolz

posted: 18 Second Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

Selected wrong satnav destination, am now in Riften. There’s a dead thief in the centre of town…I took his stuff.

posted: 19 Second Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

Some guy called Brinyolf or Brynjolf or something wants me to steal something. Sounds like a laugh.

posted: 19 Second Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

I am at Thieves Guild, Riften @rimsquare

posted: 20 Second Seed | @denoraek via Rimsqre

It all makes sense now, he’s in the thieves guild. I have to give up public skweets for security reasons

posted: 20 Second Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

Hey babe, haven’t seen you about, just checking you havent taken an arrow to the knee. Write me.

posted: 21 Second Seed | @guard via Skwitter

@denoraek Where’d you go off to? Assignment? Could you tell us what to do now?

posted: 24 Second Seed | @aela_huntress via Skwitter

@denoraek Lol, Farkas just went mental in werewolf form when we threw a stick. Aww.

posted: 25 Second Seed | @aela_huntress via Skwitter

Back! Am now Thieves Guild leader so I make the rulez! Bored of stealing though, want some action back in my life.

posted: 2 Sun’s Height | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

Killed the old lady for that kid, Aventus, then a naked courier delivered a picture on some paper. Weird man. Going for nap.

posted: 4 Sun’s Height | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

Noise woke me up, think there’s someone in m-

posted: 5 Sun’s Height | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

Freaky. This woman Astrid was from Dark Brotherhood. She lined up 3 people and I had to chose 1 to kill! Killed them all. 1/2

posted: 5 Sun’s Height | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

Hate bitches and their mind games. That showed her, heh. 2/2

posted: 5 Sun’s Height | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

I am at Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary, Unknown @rimSquare

posted: 6 Sun’s Height | @denoraek via rimsqre

Some mentalist jester brought a skeleton to the sanctuary, he talks to it. This shit is messed up. Might leave this gang.

posted: 9 Sun’s Height | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

@denoraek Spare some change for a veteran?

posted: 9 Sun’s Height | @Noster via Skwitter

Astrid made me spy on the jester, I had to get in the coffin with the skeleton! Euww! It stank. The skeleton spoke to me. #freaked

posted: 11 Sun’s Height | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

@denoraek Seriously, spare some change for a veteran, I need money for Skyrim Fried Chicken.

posted: 11 Sun’s Height | @Noster via Skwitter

Found a book about how to cast fireballs. Fried a rabbit, lol. Told a guard and he said I should go to Winterhold College.

posted: 12 Sun’s Height | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

@Noster I’ll give you a gold piece and some singed rabbit hide, but stop spamming – I’ll block!

posted: 12 Sun’s Height | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

Sorry for the lack of skweets, mad shit happened with the Brotherhood. Bitches be crazy, yo! oh yeah, I’m now the leader! Woo!!

posted: 22 Sun’s Height | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

Was just laughing at how I’m the boss of everything. Next thing you know I’ll be archmage, roflmao. Battery low

posted: 23 Sun’s Height | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

@denoraek Something we said? We haven’t seen you in ages…we need orders…I’ve been naughty & need disciplining!

posted: 23 Sun’s Height | @aela_huntress via Skwitter

@denoraek Could you come to Winterhold? We need students!

posted: 23 Sun’s Height | @TheWizz via Skwitter

Denoraek has walked 73.8km in 9 hours #SkykeRunning

posted: 5 Last Seed | @denoraek via Skyke

Got new battery from Dwemmer ruins…looking for a staff for mages and taking ages.

posted: 5 Last Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

I just ousted Savos Aren as Archmage of Winterhold @rimsquare.

posted: 5 Last Seed | @denoraek via RimSqre

^^ Seriously, you couldn’t make this shit up!

posted: 5 Last Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

Sigh. More dragon attacks. Should probably see what these Greybeards want. #yawn

posted: 7 Last Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

FUS-RO-DAH! Doesn’t have the same effect in a skweet. Remind me to show @aela_huntress and post a vid, she’ll love this.

posted: 9 Last Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

Bought a flame retardant rug for my living room! Didn’t even burn when I dropped a torch!

posted: 11 Last Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

I’ve been all over the Dwemer ruins for @Arniel with his stupid soulgem and now he’s ignoring me when I try to give him back the gems! The cheek!

posted: 13 Last Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

For the love of Talos these people are lazy. No sooner have I finished a job than another rolls in!

posted: 14 Last Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

@denoraek I’ve thought about your plan…let’s do it.

posted: 15 Last Seed | @jarl_b via Skwitter

Saw @jarl_b today, we’re gonna trap a dragon. lulz.

posted: 15 Last Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

I think this guard has alzheimer’s, he’s told me five times about his dragon hunter cousin. :/

posted: 15 Last Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

Just trapped a dragon using l33t shouting skills. I’m like a god. Seriously, bow before me. #jokingButNotReally

posted: 16 Last Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

I really shouldn’t have eaten that glowing dust. Feel ill now. #blech

posted: 18 Last Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

Made Major Health Potion(alc) and Cure Poison(alc) in last 24 hours. Craptr.rim/denoraekh

posted: 18 Last Seed | @denoraek via Craptr

@denoraek Just DM’d you a question…what do you say? xx

posted: 22 Last Seed | @aela_huntress via Skwitter

Happy days! Aela and me are getting married tomorrow in Riften. Bring presents. That means you @MavenBBriar. #stingybitch ;p

posted: 23 Last Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

@denoraek @aela_huntress Gratz! Can I DJ at the reception?

posted: 23 Last Seed | @jarl_b via Skwitter

@denoraek @aela_huntress Spare some unwanted wedding gifts for a veteran?

posted: 23 Last Seed | @Noster via Skwitter

@denoraek @aela_huntress Need mead? I can supply the finest!

posted: 23 Last Seed | @Talen via Skwitter

Hmm elswyr fondue, my favourite! thanks @aela_huntress xx <3

posted: 25 Last Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

Stocking up for long trip to save Skyrim. Went to get a horse from @louisle, but which one?!

posted: 26 Last Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

How did this guard find out I’m in charge of the Dark Brotherhood? Aren’t we a secret organisation! #FFS

posted: 26 Last Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

Have to leave phone here as it won’t get any signal where I’m going. Final battle time! Laters!

posted: 27 Last Seed | @denoraek via Skweetdeck

Hey babe, I was going to fight Alduin, once, but then I took an arrow to the knee. Good luck!

posted: 27 Second Seed | @guard via Skweetdeck

Let’s start at the top. The platform (or at least the installer) no longer runs on Adobe Air, it’s now some windows installer. Whether that is a good thing or not I am not sure, depends if the change means the program will become more vulnerable to being tracked by IT or able to be breached with any potential OS flaws.

When it loads it now occupies a permanent slot on the toolbar and taskbar. Previously I was able to have just the icon in the taskbar making it far less obvious I had Twitter updates flying by in the background if I was sharing my screen (especially as Win 7 allows you to hide icons on the taskbar too).

Clicking the X to close the app is no longer customisable, previously you could choose to minimize app to the taskbar, useful for those moments when the CEO circles your desk. Now it just closes the app completely.

It was customisable where shortened links used to bring up a screen showing you the full URL that it led to, now it opens in a new browser window immediately upon clicking. This means I’ll be going back to not trusting short URLs anymore unless I 100% trust the poster as being savvy enough not to link to a dodgy site or giving enough info about the link to warrant a visit.  This was one of the best features imo, why it has been removed befuddles me.

Removed a couple of versions ago was the deck.ly functionality which allowed you to post more then 140chars with a shortURL to the full post.  Whilst I understand why Twitter (now owners of Tweetdeck) might want to force the 140char limit – succinct messages being kinda the point of Twitter, I suppose – it was a useful feature and stopped the horrible ‘multi-tweet’ where the user now just breaks the message out over several tweets instead (particularly painful during a busy timeline).

Lack of settings shows a heavily depleted version of what used to be a great app.

The custom colourisation feature is missing now, so no more cunningly colouring the Tweetdeck UI to look similar to other applications open on the desktop. The whole settings area is completely stripped back to offer very little in tems of customisation.

A number of media items, pictures, etc used to open up in the Tweetdeck client, now they open in the default browser. Irritating when I have my web-apps open full-screen in IE and then a much smaller window in a script-blocked, ad-blocked FF for the odd checkup on news, links etc.  It wouldn’t be so bad but there isn’t even a right-click option to copy the URL, instead I now have to highlight the URL and CTRL+C/CTRL+V into a safe browser. Having someones photo open up full-screen on the second monitor isn’t what I’m looking for from a discreet twitter client.

Basically this seems to be an attempt to coax people back into the browser version of Twitter. Meh, Tweetdeck Fail and other such memes…

Whilst not a mind-blowing film in any way it did give me a new appreciation for special effects, acting ability and suchlike before the power of the green-screen and CGI.  Sure, I’m not likely to choose it over Anchorman or The Big Lebowski as a comedy of choice, but it was watchable and at points was quite humourous.

Having seen it I would now be open to seeing more films of the black and white era, just nothing as old as Metropolis. I think I need dialogue, the placards popping up every few minutes as something I didn’t get played out on the screen was a massive bore. Just like foreign language films with subtitles, I couldn’t persevere with it. I guess I need to be fully immersed in the visuals and audio.