VWMN Tech

Running was a lot of fun back in the old days (before aches and pains took over), so I thought I’d write a quick article with a few points on how to get going. I don’t claim to be an expert or even close to one, but I do know a bit about the subject and how you can get started in a safe and progressive manner.

• Getting the best running shoes for your money is essential. If you don’t, then it will be hard to train to your potential. I know a lot of people who tried to save money on running shoes and regretted it, so don’t make the same mistake!
• There’s also the issue of finding a type of running that you enjoy. There is really no point starting to run on a regular basis if you don’t have a plan for how you are going to progress, because there’s no doubt in my mind that getting better is what makes running so addictive.
• You can make real progress relatively quickly with running, but that doesn’t mean that you should. In fact, the slower that you take your progression the better when it comes to avoiding those annoying injuries.

Hopefully this has helped you! Do any of you run regularly? I’d love to hear from you in the comments section.

The future of gaming is going to be completely different from what we know now – in my opinion anyway! Devices such as the Wii, Kinect and Motion are just the start of what will be a long journey towards greater interaction with games. If Microsoft and Sony can pull it off, then gaming will move away from the best graphics towards the different forms of input.

It’s not difficult to start thinking about where games will be in five or even ten years time. I think it’s almost impossible to predict, but I would bet that the major companies have lots of ideas in mind. Nintendo, at least, will have to do something to respond to the new hardware from Sony and Microsoft. Even though they were the first to come out with motion sensing technology, they risk being overtaken.

In the end, it’s all going to come down to the developers. As long as they stay away from gimmicks and make good use of the motion controllers then they will be a big success.

With that said, I can’t see there ever not being a need for a standard controller in some situations. Shooting games nearly always work best with a controller, as you often have to be doing several things at once. Complex sports games such as FIFA or Madden also will need a controller to be played fully. I think we’ll see integration of the controller and motion detecting, rather than just using one or the other. The Wii is obviously an example of this, but I predict that it will seem extremely dated in a few short years.

The Xbox 360 Kinect is being released next month, and there is a lot of hype about it. Will it live up to expectations though? I’m not so sure, as I think it’ll be difficult for the developers to build games purely to use the new control system, as a lot of Xbox users won’t buy it straight away, but trying to incorporate it into games using existing controls could end in disaster. Even so – I’ve ordered it and am eagerly anticipating its release!

The basic idea of Kinect is that you can control the game without using a standard controller. Instead, a camera system is used to detect where your body is. The goal is to detect when a person moves and then respond accordingly. It sounds great, and it can detect up to 4 different people at once. I have Nintendo Wii though, and while it’s fun to play, I think the motion detection is a bit of a letdown, so it’s important not to get carried away with the Kinect.

The great thing about the Kinect is that it can detect where a person is in 3D space, and it can track all the person’s limbs. This means you aren’t just limited to the movement of your hand, such as when using the Wii, and you don’t need to worry about throwing your controller through the TV screen by accident!

There are some things I’m worried about though. In a first person shooter, how is the walking going to be handled? Will Kinect really be suitable for games as they exist now, or will it only be useful for games that are developed specifically for it? I can’t imagine playing Halo using it, as it would be much too restrictive. Fighting and sports games should work well though.

Also, after a long day I want to sit down and relax while playing some games. I’m not sure I’ll really want to be standing up and waving my hands around for hours, so I hope developers take this into consideration. Subtle use of the camera, such as reading people’s facial expression, will be far better than trying to use overblown gestures to control a game that worked perfectly fine with a regular controller.

Lots of people seem to hate Nandos, but I love it. It’s not going to win any awards for food quality, but it provides tasty meals for a reasonable price. Here’s my “review” of Nandos – if you haven’t already tried it, give it a go!

For those of you who’ve never been before, Nandos is a restaurant chain based entirely on chicken. You can order chicken breast fillets, wraps, chicken wings, 1/2 chickens etc. Each dish can be bought in a range of different spice levels, from garlic and herb up to hot. Instead of ordering at the table, you choose your food and order at the till. This is especially useful if you’re with a group of people, as it means you avoid trying to organise the bill at the end!

My favourite dish is the chicken breast fillet wrap, which I usually get with a medium spice level. The chips come with “peri peri” salt (if you pay 10p) extra, so I always get this too. The spiciness of all the dishes may not be to everyone’s taste, as even the lowest spice rating still has a bit of a kick. Of course, there are a large number of side dishes available too.

For drinks you can get refillable soft drinks which is a nice bonus. The puddings are also relatively nice, although they don’t usually match up to the main course.

There are some problems with Nandos though. If it’s a busy night, then waiting in the queue to order your meal can be a bit of a nightmare. No one wants to be standing for 20 minutes just to order. The self service of cutlery (your meals are brought to you) may also put some people off, although it’s not really a problem for me.

The price is cheap, and you can usually get a meal for two people for less than £20. The meal portions aren’t as big as they used to be, but are big enough for most people and you certainly get your money’s worth.

Overall, Nandos is between a fast food shop and a real restaurant. It serves higher quality food than McDonalds etc, but the food is served very quickly. If you haven’t tried it before then it’s definitely worth a go, even if you just want to try something a bit different.