While this won't come as a surprise to most people, my Do-It-Yourself abilities rival that of a very wet flannel.
People can point out the handy 25-step assembly instruction guide, but still sadly I find a way to screw something in upside down, nail two pieces of something very wrong together, or glue myself to something rather than what was originally intended.
In short I am useless. And having just bought myself my first (and probably last) house, I have only reinforced that (dis)belief in myself.
With my parents out of the country on holiday and thus uncontactable, and my brother and friends (with the exception of Tim) being just as inept, I found myself guessing how to drill into a solid brick wall.
It wasn't the actual 'drilling' part I faltered on, it was more the 'what size drill bit', 'what size raw plug' and 'what size screw' issues that confused me.
For a short while I was playing a game of trial and error with my most expensive purchase in my 29 years of life.
Until of course I took a step back and considered that I am not the only person in the world with such lack of skills.
With that I ventured upstairs, switched on the PC and surfed the web tapping in sentences like 'how to screw into concrete' in the Blackle search engine.
Within seconds I was as knowledgable as my father. Within minutes I was easily as capable (or so I thought), and within hours I had something that kinda resembled what I had hoped to achieve.
Seriously though, the search engine saved me, both mentally, no doubt physically, and financially.
Now I know this sounds rather gay, but it also helped me erect my trellis and plant my three climber plants. (Note: Street cred count fading fast).
Not only is the internet good for learning how to carry out home improvements including gardening (check out the BBC's gardening pages), but it is also useful when you have lost the instructions to, say, the oven.
By tapping in the make and model of my oven into Blackle I was able not only to find out how to operate the thing, but also to download a pdf of the actual instruction booklet. Handy huh?
Of course everyone also knows that items online are cheaper than most high street retailers. If you haven't already check out http://www.kelkoo.com/.
Kelkoo is a price comparison website that allows you to compare prices of an item or product with dozens of website stores.
When buying an expensive piece of home furniture like a three-piece suite or a fridge freezer you can't go wrong.
Reviews:
Title: Dirt
Platform: Sony PS3
RRP: £49.99
Hit count: 5/5
Vroom! Rarely... no, in fact, very rarely does a game come into the office deserving the red carpet treatment. Then of course there's the late Colin McCrae's Dirt.
Dirt is gritty, awesomely fun and downright fab by all margins. It's the first title that, for me, proves the PS3's superior capability as a platform.
The intricate detail and playability - not only of the game itself but also menus - deserve awards. The soundtrack also gets you all fired up and the step-bystep audio instructions allow for an easy ride.
The actual game itself asks you to pit your wits against any number of challengers in arcade, championship and career modes. As you progress through the levels winning races, you can buy and change cars and build them up to provide you with the best chance of becoming overall champion.
The individual landscapes' graphics are unlike anything I've seen on the platform. Imagine MotoStorm but 10 times as good.
It's a pity that Mr McCrae himself is not around to take a bow.
Title: Guild Wars - Eye of The North
Platform: PC
RRP: £24.99
Hit count: 3/5
Just when you thought it was safe to go back to Tyria it all kicks off again in spectacular fashion. This expansion pack allows players to embark on further adventures on the battle-scarred continent. Join up with old heroes, meet new ones, battle ferocious things and avoid earthquakes which continue to rip apart the once peaceful plain.
This new title allows players the choice of exploring overground or underground with a unique sprawling underground complex of caverns that span the entire continent.
In total there are 18 multi-level dungeons filled with traps, puzzles and secret passages to explore which add a new dimension to an already successful title.
It all leads up to a face-off with a menace so great it threatens the very existence of the people of Tyria.
No comments:
Post a Comment