Sunday 23 December 2012

Christmas Aplenty, Wallet is Empty, Time to get Boozy!

It's that time again people. The time to spend silly amounts of money on superfluous items, unwanted gifts and ridiculous amounts of food and drink. Oh, it also may be something to do with celebrating the birth of a religious icon, but that has sort of got lost over the years for most people. let's be honest, what Christmas is really about in the modern world of course is tradition and fun. All countries have different ways to mark the big day, some countries make it a big week even. Here in good ol' blighty, the shops are shut, the buses are halted (Yay!) and most people generally take is easy. Or at least try too by cooking a bird that never sees the inside of an oven all year round, mostly being used as sandwich fillers. This year for me, things are on a tight budget so many things have been pegged back. But I do like the xmas-atmos; the lights and decorations, the presents, the games, the family...it's all good. Oh, the alcohol too. Tree up this year, I thinks it's a good un'. Included below is an account of how I go about buying the missus the perfect Christmas present, in true Jason Bourne stylee! Happy Christmas bug-lovers. 

Tree regretted eating Santa's bag...


MISSION PROFILE: Code - CGI-IG14 (Covert Gift Investigations - Ideal Gift)

(The following events take place between the 09.00, 13th of December and 09.00, 25th of December...)
....TIME TO COMPLETION - 13 Days....
Agent N.Bug Mission Log: 
Home agent SAK has recently had her birthday, and as festive period operations are only permitted after this date, I am now responsible for the task of finding that exclusive special gift for Christmas. With her minding and training duties for my little 'Bugs taking her time and love up during the year, its vitally important that I source a gift which she finds special and thoughtful, this is difficult on the back of the previous birthday mission however... and time is running out quickly. Phase 1, family interviews is the first objective....
....TIME TO COMPLETION - 10 Days....
Things have got off to a slow start. Many gifts have been located for my other 'Bug family members, but the primary gift for my better half is proving hard to decide on, let alone locate. Research via her family contacts has been unhelpful and inconclusive, as any ideas I had for an entertainment gift have been thwarted by her sister. My close family contacts have already shown me their gifts to her, and thankfully nothing I wasn't expecting. I don't want to be left in a position of frog-marching her down to the West End. A gift should have that element of surprise as well as quality. I will now initiate phase 2 of my plan, to get a selection list from her without letting on....
....TIME TO COMPLETION - 5 Days....
After a rather coy and seemingly innocent interrogation, I have acquired a short list of items she would like, but in the meantime I have discovered a promising item that she is hopefully unaware off. Taking my mission budget into consideration, I have purchased the more predictable gifts of perfumes, jewellery, DVD's etc... and made sure that even these are not duplications of other people gifts. The list proved a good move, and phase 3 has now begun. I have enlisted the help of stockist AMAZON to help, and everything so far is going well. The transaction has been made, and now it's a nail-biting wait for the package to be delivered. This gift will be a surprise and certainly in her interest, albeit not all that original, but it's that little bit of thinking about it that has given me results thus far....
....TIME TO COMPLETION - 2 Days....
Nearly deadline day now, and everything is going according to plan. My AMAZON lead came through for me, and the gift has been strategically hidden at my base of operations. Presentation materials have been purchased via the outlet Clinton, which proved to eat up a considerable amount of funds. With a foil paper, ribbon bow and seasonal tag, the gift now looks the part and such should achieve the desired satisfaction to make this mission a success. I'm getting a little nervous however... an unexpected reaction is sometimes something that can occur, but if my knowledge of agent SAK is correct, and my research and preparation is also on the money, everything should work out nicely. Final phase will commence very soon... the unveiling on Christmas morning...
....TIME TO COMPLETION - 10 Hours....
It's late on the 24th, and everything is set. I have been over all the gifts including the primary one. I have worries that I have been found out though, but have deflected this with a bluff about another, fictitious gift, which on reflection would also have been a good choice. It's to late now however, phase 4 is now in action. Final checks have been made. This is a gift in her interest, which has been kept a secret and hopefully will enjoy on Christmas morning. It hasn't cost the Earth, but is something that she won't be expecting, but is also something which she would have bought herself if she became aware of it. I'm feeling confident in a positive response....
....DEADLINE - 09.00 25th December....
After the predictable but appreciated 'smaller' presents, the gift is handed over. Agent SAK has a surprised look which makes me grin, and upon opening, words of gratitude and praise are received. My mission has been a success! I'm blighted however, as agent SAK has a counter gift to me, which makes my gift look dull and thoughtless as I am over the moon at receiving the ideal gift myself. I conclude that it's better to receive than give, proving the old line incorrect, because of the self disappointment that may ensue. Although everything has gone to plan, the ideal gift again proves to be elusive, and thus makes this, Mission: Impossible.

MISSION TERMINATED

(...This blog will self-destruct in 5 seconds...maybe)



The Pixel Empire


Tons of treats in the gaming world on TPE over the last month. We have expert but pant -wettingly funny analysis of Retro City Rampage by Alan, Me and Shane face off against each other in our second Hi-Score Duel on mental-music trip Rez, and Tom looks at several rather nifty mini games from the Playstation Network. Also, each of us have our Secret Santa gifts to unwrap and review. Who got the cold turkey? Me of course!

That's just about it for my last blog before the new year, hope I have raised a smile for three. Have a tippy-toppy non-humbug Christmas all peoples far and wide, and a prosperous and peaceful New Year. See you in 2013!

2012 Out!   'Bug...Out!


Saturday 17 November 2012

It's All Getting Hoop-Less!

Sorry about this, I know I usually try to cover several subjects on this very blog, but a situation has arisen which I feel the need to rant about.

As all my regular readers know, I am an avid Queens Park Rangers FC supporter. It's in my blood, my family, my life. At the start of this season I felt very optimistic and happy with the clubs situation. We had stayed in the Premier League the previous season by the skin of our boots, brought in new expensive players and had a manager in Mark Hughes well versed in the top flight of English football. I like to stay positive, and was convinced that we would not be involved in a relegation fight. During the first 10 games of this season, we had injuries and a bout of bad luck, but mostly leaked cheap goals which cost us dearly. But I still remained upbeat. I have defended our manager, players and owner to the point of arguing with some of my fellow supporters. The Facebook groups and QPR forums have been awash with fans calling for Mark Hughes' job since our defeat to Reading in the League Cup; some more articulate then others, some just plainly stupid, xenophobic and abusive. This was not helpful for either the club nor the fans moral, and for the most part, I did not agree with them. I believed in our owners words of stability and encouragement, and was sure things would get going soon. I was not alone. Many other fans shared my optimism, including my family members. 

However, for the first time in a long while, my faith has been broken. It started with the defeat away to Stoke. This was yet another game in which we dominated for long periods and should have at least left with a draw. That hurt, it really did, and my hopes in the club hinged on the next home game against Southampton. This was a team that like us had not won a game yet, and not even got a single point away from home. So, I did felt that inclin of confidence return. This was not to be. My team performed awfully, and Southampton took advantage of this, winning the game 3 goals to 1. In a similar position to us, they showed the fight, gameplan and spirit that is needed to escape the dreaded drop. We did not. Our collection of highly paid world-wide 'stars' hardly showed up. Our manager appeared to have little effect of what was going on, and while he admitted afterwards that the performance was bad, still refused to admit to his own misgivings as the core problem. It was typical that the players that had got us promoted 2 seasons back were the only ones who seemed to care. Jamie Mackie and Adel Taraabt are excluded from this rant because of this.

We are in a position now that relegation seems inevitable. No team has made a start to a season like this and survived in the top flight. As a club, we are 1 loss away from our worst EVER start to ANY season in the clubs history. We are the ONLY team in the top four divisions of English football to not record a win. How can that be? We have money, strong fanbase, rich shareholders, expensive players and management staff. Never have we had such an affluent state of affairs but we somehow cannot win any games, and at other times put in terrible performances when the shit needs to go down big style. So despite my previous good feelings, I have come to a point that enough is enough. Firstly, I so want our owner to stay on; he is excellent with the fans and has put a lot of time, money and work into the club. I respect him greatly and think he is a wonderful chairman. Unfortunately he also seems to be rather naive and stubborn. He has to swallow his pride and admit that on the appointment of Hughes he was wrong. Hughes has had his chance, with HIS players and it just has not worked out. A change needs to be made as soon as possible, this may result in either safety or relegation, but I think at this stage that matters little. The chances are we are going to be relegated. We need a minimum of 36 points from the remaining games to have a chance of staying up, and I just cannot see it happening. 10 wins and at least 6 draws from 26 games? Unlikely, given our crappy form so far.

So whats the solution? I have no answers, I'm not a football manager or a football statistician, I'm just a fan, but it doesn't take a total moron to see that things are simply just not right. Is it confidence? Coherence? Tactics? Training? I could go on with no definite answer. But, what does need doing is a change in the management staff. The cash and time has been given by the owner with no return, and if we cannot even hype ourselves up to beat another struggling team at our home ground then things are very VERY desperate  No team can have the likes of Junior Hoilett, Djbril Cisse, Jose Bosingwa, Bobby Zamora, JS Park.... all highly rating players and somehow cannot put their skills into a competitive match. It's the managers job to put these pieces together, inspire and train them up and if Mark Hughes was doing a jigsaw, he would still be trying to finish the edges! I hate to be penning these words I really do, because I cannot stand the manager sack-race that happens every season in the English leagues. I believe all managers should be given a chance at success, and strongly think stability is a key aspect to any clubs endeavours. Hughes has now had this chance and for even a hope of staying in the Premier League he has to go. Now. Times up.

We know how you feel Tony, Do the Right Thing. Please.


Relegation is something all QPR fans have to come to terms with. It seems a long time ago now that I was partying in Shepherds Bush singing 'Championos!' that now we face dropping back down into the Championship. It's very unlikely that we can now avoid that, so all we should hope for now is some better showings from a team put together by a manager who can make it work. I sincerely hope that the board of directors and our owner Mr Fernandes have not factored into the clubs finances the money the Premiership gives it's clubs, especially the upcoming big money TV deal with Sky and BT. This could prove costly to the clubs future. Clearly the wage bill will have to be cut, players will have to leave, but its the only way we can return stronger is to learn the lessons, regroup, lick our wounds and do it right. 

Whatever the future brings, I will always be QPR. Once a Superhoop, always a Superhoop. I am still fully behind our owner and hope he makes the right choices going forward, I still have optimism with my beloved football club and believe we can make it to the upper echelons of the football elite. I say this to all my fellow fans. I know you are all upset, but stay resolute. QPR is your team, through the thick and thin, that's what true supporters do.

'Bug..... Out! (And Hughes please Tony)



Thursday 15 November 2012

Run Rabbit Run!

Phew! Just got back from a 3 mile run that I had postponed for far too long. My legs are going to be furious with me tomorrow morning as I hobble into work. I make excuses of course, but my personal exercise regime seems to be very unbalanced of late. I work out at home, run and swim and still seem to remain the same weight and muscle mass. Agghhhh! It's quite obvious that given my age and general semi-unfitness, I won't be participating in any high level sports anytime soon. I do love to watch sport however and find it inspiring and entertaining. Well, mostly. One such sport, the so-called 'Beautiful Game' and one of the biggest money spinners has been annoying me greatly of late. I'm not going to bleat on about my own teams failings, I would going on for an eternity about that, but that is yet another factor why I am becoming more disinterested in the game of football. (That's soccer for those across the pond!)  It's this media and hysteria fueled race row that drags on, despite the fact that the overall majority of the football community in this country has evolved beyond such primitive behavior. I say overall, because in any walk of life and in any society of human beings, there will always be a certain amount of people, of all races, that insult and persecute a skin colour different from their own. Football is one sport that does still suffer from this to a degree. It's a sad but true fact. It will take many more decade before we get to a point where the matter has became completely insignificant. I have a friend at work who shares my views on this. He is from Uganda and a top bloke. Thing is, me and him are totally at ease with our superficial differences (skin colour), and use that as a source of humour towards each other. We agree that our differences make the world a much more interesting place to live, but also recognise the ridiculousness of terms like 'Honky' and 'N***er'. You see! I have to edit that in case someone reading this very blog gets offended. We actively call each other these types of names, in jest, because we are beyond that kind of thing, poking fun at those who still make such a fuss. He does not find it offensive because he knows me and knows I am in any way not that inclined, knowledge is power, and it's the same the other way. I mean, He flippantly greets me with 'White Boy!' It's just funny, do I scurry off complaining of racist abuse? No I don't! Hang on, I've gone far to serious now, this is not acceptable, so here's a video of me telling rubbish jokes.




Now that's off my chest, entertainment wise we are fully in the annual yawn-fest of the reality television programming. Okay, some could argue this medium is never ending in today's world of TV, but it's the so-called major shows that are doing the rounds this time of year. By that, I of course mean the biggest money-makers, seductively squeezing the pocket money from dizzy fame hungry teenagers drooling over baby-faced young men with average voices. The stay-at-home mom's also make up a substantial part of this telephony based income, mostly because its a bit of excitement away from the husband/football hybrid festering in the corner. Whilst I consider most of the run-time of these shows as an insult to the concept of time, a few aspects can generate a smile, but only from one - Ant and Dec's holiday in Australia,  also known as I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here! Of course, the age old gag that the term 'celebrity' is very tenuous to the people taking part is a given. The trick is, the public will know who they all are during the show, than promtly forget them. I mean, Hugo from Made in Chelsea? (???????!!!!??????), some random unknown Tory MP, and the slag from Coronation Street. Sorry, I mean the, ahem, 'actress' that plays the slag from Coronation Street. It's difficult to tell the difference. So we are now subjected to a few weeks of squabbling, bitching, screaming and the consumption of native animals testicles. Now that's entertainment! So who will win? The Ex-Doctor Who? The Ex-heavyweight champion? Ant or Dec's charming personalities? No, the winner as always is the shows management, giggling into their suitcase full of cash thinking "I can't believe people still fall for this crap!" But alas, we do, me included.


Tank Girl had really let herself go!


The Pixel Empire

The gaming goodness just keeps coming over at TPE. After the Halloween frights we are bringing you some really excellent stuff to keep your video game libido satisfied. Shane joins the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in both Darksiders titles, Alan takes apart one of his favourite Amiga classics ported to the PSP, and even finds the time to battle Tom at Motorstorm RC in our very first Pixel Hi-Score Duel, and I look at one of the weirdest games ever to be released on the original Playstation! 

And that's not all. In the coming weeks we visit New Vegas on the PS3 and feature 3 of the finest RPG's ever to grace the home gaming market. Enjoy, I know you will!


'Bug...Out!


Sunday 4 November 2012

Paying For It The Hard Way!

So, with the Halloween celebrations over and me finally tripping up over the hill at 35 years of age, all we have to look forward too now is several nights of pyrotechnical explosions whilst keeping the pets indoors, which will unsurprisingly defecate in the most awkward of places. And whats after that for us UK folk? That's right, Christmas. Prepare to empty your bank accounts for another year or be paying off catalogue retailers until the following Christmas! At least we don't have to shell out for Thanksgiving as well I suppose, so it could be worse. You could be an American.

I jest of course, I love the yanks, it would be a much more boring world without them that's for sure. So with the season of 'goodwill' on our doorstep, does it effect the mood of regular bus passenger you say? Well, no, 70% are still as miserable as usual, but it never ceases to amaze me the amount of regular hard-working people that  totally loose the plot once they have crossed that flip-door threshold. I mean, attempting to pay the fair with a £50 note? Really? Most bars and high street shops don't even entertain 'Big Red', let alone a bus driver who is given no float. Yes, we have to provide our own, so that means if people don't pay the full fare, we have to pay it for them or get disciplined by our company. Now, contact-less credit cards have just started to become widespread, and London buses will have the ability to take them, so anybody asking if they can pay by credit card I can now forgive, but by cheque? Yes, I have been offered a cheque... I didn't even realise that were still used in this day and age! It instantly reminded me of the 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit?' scene where Eddie tries to get on a tram by showing a cheque. I said the same words as the tram conductor, with added malice. The funniest thing however, is how someone can get so flustered and panicky paying for a measly fare. If they are on the phone, it suddenly becomes impossible for the phone to be put down, and marry this with a handbag or satchel,  it's muddle-time, shaking spaghetti arms searching for that pass or even worse, loose change. I often wonder, would they do this in a supermarket, a clothes store or a fast food restaurant? No, they would not. They would be sensible about it, but a bus is like something like nothing else with a mind melting field within, and all meaningful behavioral processes go missing from the brain, returning once the person has disembarked. Ahh, the joys of public transport! People who try to fare evade of course are another matter..for another day.

If he was around today, the drivers would be the least of his worries!

It's a Blast!


Whizz! Bang! Ohhhhhh and...it's all over! No, I'm not talking about the ideal length of a sexual encounter for a man, but for the pyrotechnic magnificence of fireworks. Come on, they are cool, and so they should be for the money that's literally burnt away. Only the proper display fireworks are the impressive stuff of course, garden fireworks bear a closer similarity to a box of swan-vestas lit up, just much shorter, below is a perfect example of this. Anyhow, I had a nice visit to the local display, paying £6 for the privilege per head. I should have just stayed in the car park, the view was better. The drawbacks with this firework month is of course many. Teens playing dumb ass japes with them, some even throwing them into crowed buses for shits sake. This is massively dangerous and not harmless tomfoolery at all. I would love to sneak a roman candle under their bed-sheets, just to see their reaction. The other annoyance of course is not wanting to hear them being blasted out of your more unruly neighbours at 2am, waking up with a jump to the apparent sound of the blitz returning is not amusing. Especially even more for parents or pet owners. Fireworks look great when done correctly, but isn't it getting to a point where selling them at retail level is just more trouble than its worth, with generally crap results and little satisfaction for the dosh it takes to buy them? Fizzle, pooff! There's a weeks wages up in smoke.


Well, that's it for this installment, don't forget to check out The Pixel Empire over the next month. We have some cracking stuff for your viewing. Shane takes a look at Darksiders while Tom and Alan battle it out on our first High-Score Challenge. For any gamer, it's too good to be missed!

'Bug... Out!


Thursday 25 October 2012

Halloween High-Jinks!

Ah yes, the last week in October. It's a special time this because it has a day full of wearing dark clothes, turning vegetables into frightening faces, smearing your children with blood and then traipsing the streets in the cold begging for pound-shop sweets. That's right, it's The Novabug's birthday of course! I also think there is an old Pagan based festival called Halloween on the same day, it's something to do with a man wearing a William Shatner mask and watching teenagers having sex. At least, that's what I got from the films. Oh, and that Rob Zombie makes terrible reboots!


I jest of course, for thy, it is the season of the witch! All Hallow's Eve, the banishing of evil spirits into the depths of hell. (I poured the Absinthe down the sink...) It's a day that many people hate with an unbridled passion, or love as it's a perfect excuse to dress up like a loon, play silly games and eat sweets with the children. I hear McDonald's workers get to do this on a daily basis. 


If you are familiar (spot the pun?) with The Novabug, you will know I have a strong connection with Halloween. If you don't, prepare to be astounded! My birthday is the 31st of October, the same day of my father. It's also the same day of my first nephew, who was born to my sister who herself was born on 16th of the 6th, 1966! My better bug-half went into labour with my second little demon offspring on Halloween too... but was not born the same day. Because of these facts, I have grown up with a tradition to celebrate Halloween considerably. Also, it's a great desensitiser for my children, as artificial frights should not be feared. The real world is far far more scarier. Just to get you in the mood, below is one of my favourite little scary tales based off a real legend, it's the story of Hex, a brilliant creepy ride at Alton Towers.




So I will be celebrating my 35th year of existence with a Halloween bash with friends and family, but I also have a plentiful amount of Halloween related reading material for you to peruse. If you enjoy or dislike this part of the year, then I wish you a enjoyable time either way, albeit making yourself into a deformed zombie, or sitting in the dark watching TV hoping that the door doesn't knock to often. Happy Halloween

The Pixel Empire - Halloween Horror Special

Me and the guys at TPE choose to give you all a treat this Halloween, by sitting around a flickering campfire in a gloomy wood, telling tales about scary video games, regaling about the creatures and moments that they have brought us over the years. We all have different pasts with these types of games, but it's spooky how some of our opinions match. And that's not all. Coming up over the next few days we each have a review of a horror themed game that will have your hairs stand on end. I reminisce about the blood splattered shock of Splatterhouse, while the guys look at the legacy of Silent Hill and the space-age chills of Dead Space. Enjoy!

The annual Ketchup Wrestling contest got a little out of hand this year...

Don't forget to check out all my other Halloween related articles this week. Going Trick or Treating? Or wish to avoid such thing? Read my Hub about it for some advice and tips I'm sure you will find helpful. Also, if you are planning on carving a Jack-O-Lantern, here's a quick guide that hopefully you will find useful too. 

In the meantime, keep an eye on my Hubpages profile, I will be writing a short spooky story for you all, hopefully will be published on the day itself. Have a great and fun-filled Halloween. Stay safe peoples and don't get too ill munching all those sweets! 

Update: My short story- A Dark Walk is available to read for free on Hubpages. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. 

'Bug... Out!


Friday 19 October 2012

Stupid People, More Stupid People and a Brilliant Horse

Something has bugged the Bug! It's not a laughing matter neither, its a matter of increasing worry to the safety of many small children. In my day job as a bus driver, I see some quite appalling driving on a daily basis, (Yes, some of that comes from other bus drivers too before you mutter that to yourself) I am convinced that 60% of the population of Britain simply should not be behind a wheel or handlebars. Motorists are constantly drilled about slowing down more, fair enough, I get that. But we hear very little about the actual responsibilities of driving itself, and a big part of this is the safe transport of children. This week, I have seen far too many examples of the totally insane and careless transit of small children, this came to a head recently with the story about the South African nursery school teacher ramming 19 kids into a titchy Renault Clio! This is an extreme instance I grant you, but day by day I see that kind of irresponsibility on the roads, and that's just in my local area. Vans laden with 3 or 4 kids perched on the front seat, none of which wearing seat belts of course, mothers puffing on cigarettes while simultaneously talking on a mobile, windows closed with a baby in the back. This gets worse when the protective surroundings of a modern vehicle is removed. Pushbikes with not only a toddler seat on the back, but also one of the handlebars! Some even have a trailer with fabric walls. The manufacturers of these implements say it's all perfectly safe, as would the subscribing assemblage, without considering possible and most likely mishaps. An exposed child being dragged behind you out of sight? Are you seriously telling me that is safe? Of course it isn't, even if the bike was rode by Bradley Wiggins. It was good to see that helmets were in use, for the rider, not the kids. I was disgusted. A complete disregard of basic safety. It doesn't need a car to cause utter carnage if an accident was to occur. It just takes one iPod trance induced pedestrian to walk across the bikes path or a miss-judgement of a street curb, and then calamity. These people have to realise that this is just nuts and jeopardises their own children's lives, despite their self assurance in their bike riding ability. Cars have the added protection of a metal body encapsulating people, with special child seats, belts and airbags, as so the risks are minimised as much as possible. This is not the case for bikes. Before you think I'm having a go at cyclists, don't get me wrong. Many proper cyclists are responsible and considerate too not only themselves but too other road users, and they take their personal safety as high priority, but placing children on a flimsy and unsteady bike is just waiting for disaster. If you have children, you should be grateful to have such an honour, and thus protect them with all your might, so get a bloody car or take public transport. If you do have a car, buckle your child in safely, securely and drive at all times remembering that you are transporting the most important part of your life around with you. Don't chat on your mobile, don't smoke, don't touch your make-up up. Accidents can happen at a split seconds notice, so just take the utmost care.
Are you seriously telling me THIS is safe? Insanity!

Sorry about that, just had to get it off my chest. Now, we all have read or saw the utterly deplorable behavior of the Serbian under 21 football team and their so-called fans, not to mention the deluded and inaccurate statement by the Serbian FA. Unfortunatly, it's no surprise to me really. Most of eastern Europe's football culture is still languishing in the 1940's, so instances like this, no matter how unpleasant were always going to happen at some point, and typically it happens to the England team. But this is a chance for the governing bodies of the game to finally make a point. Our own FA, which are pretty slow and inactive at the best of times actually responded quickly and strongly about this. But will UEFA or FIFA listen and respond appropriately this time? I'm saddened to think they won't, trying to appease both countries with menial punishments and weak statements. Any form of racism to any race is outmoded and simply ridiculous in this day and age, and so anybody who practices such prejudice should not only be immediately punished, but educated also. It's a sentence spoken a lot, but the majority of other sports don't suffer from this, but football with it's tribal and loyal roots seems to dwindle in the past in certain parts of the world. I'm sure things will progress for the better in time, but lately it seems to be taking far to long to do so.


No More Horsin' Around.

One magnificent horse!
On Saturday the 20th October at Royal Ascot, one of the greatest race horses to take to the flats will make his final appearance. Having never been beaten in 13 races, Frankel aims to make his 14th and final performance in the Qipco Champion Stakes. I'm not into horse racing as such, but this animal has caught my keen sports-fans eye for quite some time. Frankel will race only if the conditions are suitable, but either way we see the farewell of an utterly brilliant beast. He will retire to stud at a mere 4 years old, enjoying the pleasures of over 100 mares a year at around £100,000 per cover. (Horse Sex)  His owner, Prince Khalid Abdulla must be rubbing his hands at this prospect. Another thing that made me take notice of Frankel is the entire whirlwind story surrounding him like it's been written by some clever-clogs soap scriptwriter. Not only is the colts rise to dominance been dramatic and breathtaking, but also the turbulent and troubled life of his trainer, Sir Henry Cecil, plays a major role in the history of this horse. I'm not going to go into details, but the whole shebang just begs for a biopic to be made. The popularity of Frankel is unanimous among the racing select, and many others outside the sport, including my very own sister, have such an admiration and respect for this great animal. So while Frankel enjoys his success bed-hopping without a care, the movie machine will most likely start grinding out the drafts and castings too capitalise once again. Frankel - The Movie, most likely coming to cinemas in 2018 (ish).

The Pixel Empire

Gamers, have you paid a visit to one of the best video game sites on the 'net yet? No? Why not! Get your mouse hand over this link and go there immediately for some gaming goodness, brought to you buy the people that played these games extensively and then wrote about it your enjoyment. Latest reviews come in the from of my write up of GX4000 high point RoboCop 2, Tom picks the bones out of Dead to Rights 2 while elsewhere recalling the delights of Super Monaco GP, and Shane take a goosey at Forza Motorsport 3, a most revered racer indeed. We also have a bumper crop of horror titles coming up over the Halloween period too, so stay tuned. Remember, you can follow @pixelempire on Twitter or 'Like' the Facebook page.
All Eras, All Games, In Context.


Phew, well that's it for this week. My warmest regards and salutations to you for reading TheNovaBug-Blog. Have a good weekend and a prosperous few days onward. Until next time... 

'Bug...Out!


Saturday 13 October 2012

Bug is Back Bloggin'

Greetings fellow humanoids and maybe the odd intelligent rodent, Novabug has returned from his self-imposed blog obscurity to bring you many new delights. I have been plotting my first book again and trying to keep up with the review sites, but more importantly there is this...

I now write for an awesome new gaming website called The Pixel Empire. Founded by Mr Tom Clare, TPE aims to be the most comprehensive video game review archive on the net. We aim cover EVERY widely sold machine that there has ever been a game on. From XBOX360 and Playstation 3 to the classic Super Nintendo and the rare and forgotten Amstrad GX4000, we cater for all tastes, all genres and all ages. We are a retrospective review site primarily, we review games based off our extensive knowledge and experience. Of course, contemporary modern games get the attention too, and our regular headline features cover gaming throughout the decades make for a very unique and opinion based approach to gaming.

The Pixel Empire - Retrospective review site to stir memories and debate.


Our turbo-top team is comprised of our Editor and site manager Tom, myself, the excellent tea-drinking master gamer views of Alan, and the youthful eagerness of the talented Shane. The site is in it's infancy, but in time it will become a massive database of game reviews, gaming comment and genre features. If you are a gamer, or look back on those days when you were, this is the site for you. Follow us on Twitter @pixelempire or Like our Facebook page. To give you an example of what to expect, read some of our reviews below. 


Chris reviews Super Tennis, SNES


Alan reviews Speedball 2, Amiga


Shane reviews Scooby-Doo & The Cyber Chase, PS1


Tom reviews MotorStorm Apocalypse, PS3


Visit The Pixel Empire now and be a part of the Empire! Gaming comment at it's best. We welcome debate and comment on our reviews, and are more than happy to discuss with you about anything gaming on the social networking sites.