At times like this I usually raise my head back, tilt slightly to one side and, veer off into some nondescript void.
Sadly no matter how many times I try I can't do it. I can't lie to you and I have no excuse for not being around for the last couple of weeks.
I've simply been away and busy, and busy being away.
But before you write me off thinking this blog is going to be a nothing but dribble consider this... has he actually been away researching?
They say life is all about experience and to consider yourself an expert I guess you have to experience those things that qualify.
Last weekend I decided to take this blog on the road and up to London for a). Valentine's; b). birthday celebrations and c). inspiration.
During the stay my partner and I decided to experience what has been described as the "most hi-tech eating experience in London".
Inamo in London's Soho is quite simply different and a real breath of fresh air.
Some of the (older) guys here at Herald towers laughed off suggestion of the restaurant. "What's wrong with talking to a waiter and doing everything normally?" they asked.
Nothing really. Change is good is it not?
At the core of Inamo's oriental restaurant is an interactive ordering system.
Diners place orders from an illustrated food and drinks menu projected on to their table surface.
You can set the mood, choose your table cloth, play a game of Battleships with the person sat opposite, and even order a taxi home.
A swift click on the table and a waiter or waitress delivers food or drink to your table. Look at another drop down menu and you can view the bill, with food or bar orders racking up as you order them.
The only snag was - after a few drinks - me placing my bottle of beer in the small circle assigned for cursor navigation and thus ordering plates of unwanted food. Eek!
Oh well.
So how many of you have been to Regent Street's Apple store?
Isn't it just THE weirdest place on earth? I mean, I'm into gadgets and boys toys but that place is just freaky.
It's like a temple for geeks.
You walk in and there's a massive open plan space - probably twice the size of the neighbouring Ted Baker store - and hundreds of people are just stood around either holding iPhones, iTouches or iPods or laptops.
Some are talking to guys in suits who look like a cross between medical examiners and scientists and others and on facebook.
Like mobile phone shops people can pick up all the different iPods and play with them... but most didn't have earphones in.
At the back of the room there's a a kind of theatre set up where lectures are given on how to use certain Apple software.
I walked in and felt like I was part of an experiement.
Ok so aside from my trip to London I've also been travelling at the world's oceans. Well, kinda.
A team from Plymouth Marine Laboratory has been working with Google to help populate the new version of Google Earth (v5.0 beta), which contains ocean floor, column and surface data from marine experts around the world.
PML's contribution to "Ocean in Google Earth" was based around research expeditions to portray the exciting, challenging and fascinating life of a marine scientist at sea.
Ocean in Google Earth combines underwater terrain and expert content to enable users to explore some of the most difficult-to-reach parts of the world.
Virtual travellers can swim around underwater volcanoes, watch videos about exotic marine life, read about nearby shipwrecks and contribute photos and videos of favourite surf and dive spots.
And - unlike a certain red-top newspaper seems to think, users can't see Atlantis off the coast of Africa.
Here's the latest titles:
Title: Street Fighter IV
Platform: PS3
Genre: Fighting
Price: £39.99
Hit count: 5/5
The Street Fighter series will always have its roots firmly planted in the world of coin-op arcades, but it’s been phenomenally successful on home consoles, and this fourth installment is a long overdue dose of frenetic ’2D’ fighting, next-gen style.
Featuring a mix of returning favourites such as Ryu, Ken and Chun-Li, as well as new characters such as Crimson Viper, Abel and Rufus, everything now takes on a stylised 3D appearance, squeezing every drop of power from the PS3 to produce an incredible gaming experience that will have fans of spinning bird kicks and the like salivating.
New game mechanics and a raft of special new moves ensure the series is moving on rather than reliving the same old razzmatazz on a different console and this is arguably the best blow dealt yet.
Title: X-Blades
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: Action
Price: £39.99
Hit count: 3/5
And you thought Lara Croft was the character to have stolen all gamers’ hearts.
In X-Blades, Ayumi proves that a lack of clothing needn’t be a barrier to unearthing a host of ancient artefacts in this hack’n’slash action frenzy.
For the most part, X-Blades proves to be a fairly entertaining action adventure that you’ll have probably played a dozen times before, but without as much flesh on show.
Magical powers expand upon the core combat to make disposing of the host of horrible baddies you’ll encounter all the more enjoyable, and the cel-shaded style of proceedings goes down pretty well on the 360.
The odd jerk here and there and control gripe mean frustrations will creep in after time, but this is still a pretty solid adventure.
Title: Little League World Series Baseball
Platform: Wii
Genre: Baseball
Price: £19.99
Hit count: 4/5
Little League World Series forms one sixth of the recent Fun4all series of Wii games, designed to get the whole family involved in gaming.
You don’t need to be a gamer with any record of console conquests to guess what this is all about, but it’s incredibly good fun, using the Wii’s remote motion sensing to the max, from spinning your pitch to hitting a home run.
Almost every area of playing a match is enjoyable and it’s all presented in that saccharine cartoon style that you can’t help but beam back at towards your TV.
While targeted primarily at youngsters, there are enough difficulty levels to keep you coming back for more and, when you enter senior or ’big’ territory, you know you’re up against the big hitters. A great sports title for all the family.
Title: Race Pro
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: Racing
Price: £44.99
Hit count: 4/5
Swedish development outfit Simbin and their founder Henrik Roos – who used to be a professional GT Championship driver – have built a solid reputation for unforgiving yet hugely entertaining racing simulations on PC.
This first foray into the world of console racing proves to be perfect timing as the under-the-bonnet effects slipstream seamlessly from desktop PC to living room TV, offering a considered learning curve before really unleashing the racing beast when you finally come to removing whatever stabilisers have kept you going so far.
Every car handles wonderfully differently, from the brilliant Mini that marks the beginning of your career mode, right through to the BMW and Caterham offerings.
While the graphics could have benefited from one more coat of polish, make no mistake, this is a racer that will suck you in and challenge even the most experienced of gamers...
Title: Eternal Sonata
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: RPG
Price: £39.99
Hit count: 4/5
It’s probably a first for a figure from musical history to be holding shelf space alongside the likes of Sonic the Hedgehog and the Grand Theft Auto crew.
But Eternal Sonata thrusts Frederic Chopin into the gaming limelight as, on his deathbed, the famous composer dreams of a young girl facing a terrible destiny and the boy who will fight to save her, leading him to the discovery of the light that shines in each of us in this enduring tale of good and evil, love and betrayal.
Yes, it’s one of those slightly bizarre yet ever so addictive RPG titles that next-gen gamers gobble up on release and, with a cracking battle system, incredibly atmospheric music (with some from Chopin of course) and a graphical style that is detailed to absolute perfection, it is an RPG fan’s dream – epic in scale and unique enough to stand out in a heavy crowd.
Title: F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin
Platform: PS3
Genre: Shooter
Price: £39.99
Hit count: 4/5
Just when you thought it was safe to peep out from your sight target, that creepy little girl that sent shivers down all shooters’ spines last year in the original F.E.A.R is back, in another dark dollop of intense first-person shooter action.
Beginning shortly before the ending of F.E.A.R., a Special Forces squad is on a routine mission when the city of Auburn is rocked by a supernatural explosion.
Alma, that freaky girl with immense power and a thirst for revenge, has unleashed her wrath upon the city and thrown it into chaos.
And so begins another awesome episode of close-quarters battling through the supernatural and super-organised human opponents that Project Origin throws at you.
Put simply, it improves on the original in almost every way, and provides gamers with the first real blockbuster gaming experience of 2009.
Title: House of the Dead: Overkill
Platform: Wii
Genre: Shooter
Price: £39.99
Hit count: 4/5
House of the Dead is a classic arcade series and Overkill represents the first foray into Wii territory for the light-gun shooting action, coming up trumps, for the franchise and the genre in general.
Graphically, Overkill is cracking and will provide some jump out of your seat moments, although the visual prowess does have a negative on the framerate when the action hots up.
This aside, you’ll love the X-rated dialogue and overall grindhouse feel to this production, which may be an acquired taste, but behind the blood and guts is the kind of technically accomplished title that we’re all dying to see more of on Wii this year.
Title: Destroy All Humans: Path of the Furon
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: Action
Price: £39.99
Hit count: 3/5
It’s the 1970s and Crypto finds himself in Los Paradiso, a Las Vegas styled environment upon which you (as he) must unleash another helping of humourous destruction upon the human race.
With an upgraded arsenal of weapons and the chance to dish out the mayhem from the comfort of your flying saucer, Path of the Furon does move the original on slightly, although some missions feel like re-hashes from earlier titles.
The graphics are a bit of a mixed bag but the 70s funk and disco fits into proceedings a treat – all in all you feel that you’re getting the final flourishes from a series that may be on a path to self-destruction sometime soon, though fans of Crypto and co will be hoping this isn’t the case.
GAMES CHART ALL FORMATS FULL PRICE
1 (1) Wii Fit
2 (-) FEAR 2: Project Origin
3 (4) Mystery Case Files: Millionheir
4 (3) Call of Duty: World At War
5 (2) FIFA 09
6 (6) Mario Kart Wii
7 (7) Wii Play
8 (-) My Fitness Coach
9 (5) Professor Layton and the Curious Village
10 (9) Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
Leisure software charts compiled by Chart Track, (c) ELSPA (UK) Ltd
