A finger on the Pulse

Posted on 13th May 2012 by Wehtam

For the RSS gatherers among us, you may be interested to know that the Creative Fail feed can be accessed here: www.creativefail.com/feed/

With an RSS feed address you can subscribe to Creative Fail using any number of news reader programs. Pulse (Android & iPhone) is a popular choice for tablet news readers, you can categorize your subscriptions and manage them within a visual and intuitive interface, plus it’s totally free.

Pulse RSS news reader for Android

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Future web design predictions, 2012 and beyond

Posted on 11th May 2012 by Wehtam

Responsive, responsive, responsive… Sick of hearing it yet? Admittedly it is a lovely feature to implement on a website, most importantly of course it works and we can see it working today. It seems every week there are new tools and methods to tackle the ever growing, ever changing range of device screen sizes.

The down side to responsive web design is that it takes time, trial and error to successfully implement with a bespoke website, you also have to consider the fact that mobile users wont appreciate an after-thought version of the desktop version, with content that’s hidden with CSS but downloaded nonetheless, using up their data tariff.

This is where modular web design will start popping up, websites where content appears arranged in boxes that are automatically rearranged and shuffled by the scale of a browser window. A design based on flexible, “floated” squares would be easier to implement, to make responsive and to interact with on a tablet device.

For jobs that don’t have much money in them, the responsive CSS framework will become your ally. There are many well documented frameworks out there that make typical site design a streamlined affair, many more will continue to emerge and offer the best balance of responsive features and ease of use.

I also predict that drop down menus (and other “:hover” based navigation) will begin loosing popularity, this will largely be due to their inaccessibility with touch screen device users. Some of my favourite websites become a navigational nightmare on an Android tablet or iPad. Secondary menus might seem like step backwards in terms of swish web design, but it makes for a mobile friendly website. In fact, this could see accordion scripts being used as navigation as these can also be operated using a few clumsy plonks of a fat finger.

As more literature on WebGL treacles through, many designers will try their hand at this exciting, albeit daunting new language. This might spark an influx in WebGL authoring programs and plugins, expect a WebGL game maker to come along in the near future and the obligatory WebGL MMORPG. It’ll be like VRML all over again, but better.

Internet Explorer 6 is no longer the bane of web designers, enter Internet Explorer 8, the maximum version of IE a windows XP user can install. Admittedly IE8 is a much more sophisticated beast than IE6, however its inability to support many aspects of new technologies like CSS3 and HTML5 means we still need to remain cautious and considerate when designing. providing your content remains accessible in an environment where these new technologies aren’t supported than by all means wield the awesome weapons of border-radius, text-shadow and transform.

You will never hear me claim to be a professional, I just walk the worn, web designers path like the next creative. It’s a hard business with exciting discoveries to be made at every twist and turn of this ever expanding quest, we need to stick together and help each other out. This short list was just a collection of observations I’ve made, your free to add to them, traveller.

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Realm of the Mad God – Cheap Ass Gaming

Posted on 7th May 2012 by Wehtam

Making a recent appearance on Steam, Realm of the Mad God by Wild Shadow Studios is a free-to-play MMORPG with a retro 2d twist. Hold down that mouse button as you progress through the realm, battling a wide variety of pixelated monsters. The game isn’t nearly as deep or engrossing as more wide spread offerings of the same genre, however its simplicity makes for a highly accessible and addictive button masher. Give it a whirl today, grab it on Steam or play it online in the browser.

Posted in Video games, Videos, Wehtam | Leave a comment

Another pure CSS drop down menu – CF Menu

Posted on 6th May 2012 by Wehtam

Recently I needed to provide a non-Javascript, drop down navigation menu.  Despite finding a suitable, pure CSS candidate online I did make some headway with a version I was working on initially.  I thought I would tidy it up and provide it as it may prove useful/educational.  I have tested it with modern browsers but not with older versions of IE, of course  browser support feedback is always welcome.  Please find the code below and be sure to comment with any problems you may run into.

The drop down menu uses three files, the HTML file, the CF-Menu.css file which concentrates on the functionality of the menu and the optional but recommended CF-Menu-Appearance.css file, which gives the menu a more fitting visual Aesthetic.

Check out the live CF-Menu demo

The HTML:

CF-Menu.css:

CF-Menu-Appearance.css:

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Film Review: The Thing (2011)

Posted on 5th May 2012 by Wehtam

“The Thing is a prelude to John Carpenter’s classic 1982 film of the same name”

~The back of “The Thing” DVD case

The Thing 2011 DVD Box

Does the above quote not make much sense to anyone else? I find it odd that a film presents itself as a prequel, going as far as matching the end scene with the beginning of the 1982 Thing and yet awards itself with the same name and incorporates all the same scenes and visuals of the 1982 version.

Prequel, remake, prelude… Whatever you decide to label it, The Thing turned out better than my expectations (which admittedly, were abysmally low). The film does have a number of chilling and atmospheric scenes under its belt, unfortunately it’s about 50/50 when the CGI works in the films favour or when it takes you out of the picture.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead played a decent lead role, though few of the supporting cast stood out and I was often blown away by the bravery of these “scientists”, especially when faced with flushing out a horrific alien within a poorly lit Antarctic research station. Perhaps the same could be said for the 1982 version, or perhaps they’ve all played Half Life.

Some classic monster movie clichés were in place but added to the mix was the “who’s the alien now” guessing game which might just catch you out.

The autopsy scene was back in full swing and shows how real model work can make you regret eating 20 scotch eggs before hand. As previously mentioned, some of the CGI was awesome and really demonstrated what would be impossible to achieve with physical rigs and effects. Some CGI however, looked either daft or too adventurous. The less visually critical masses however would probably find the whole effects offering a convincing package.

The running time felt comfortable, had a solid start-middle-end and concluded in an almost picture perfect scene to the opening of The Thing 1982. To conclude, I found The Thing enjoyable, exciting at times and surprisingly entertaining. It’s a no-brainer for the fans of the Kurt Russell version and I would go as far as to recommend it to the majority of science fiction fans. It could, and indeed should have been much better though.

I’ll give it a generous: 7.0/10

Posted in Review, Wehtam | 2 Comments

Be a Draw Something cheat – use a tablet

Posted on 5th May 2012 by Wehtam

In the world of Draw Something, the tablet holder is king.  Recently bought by Zynga, OMGPOP’s famous pictionary-style drawing app took the world by storm.  For a while it seemed like everyone was playing it.  Naturally any app that lets me waste time creatively gets a download and Draw Something was no exception.

The word was "Zelda" (even though this is Link)

It wasn’t long before I really started to feel guilty though, I quite thought I would be entering an arena of iPad and Android tablet totting artists, alas, with the exception of 8-Bit Chris’ excellent finger nail brush techniques, my random opponents could have been drawing with their elbows.  Of course, I only needed to try Draw Something on a phone for myself to realise just how difficult it is, something tells me this is how the game is meant to be played, as opposed to using a 10 Inch screen and a stylus.

If you want to show your opponents how to give Link, Snoopy, Elmo and other Draw Something character names a decent visual representation, you know what to do.  If, like me, you wish to add salt into the wound, also mention that it was “The best you could do on a Nokia 3310 until your arm comes out of plaster”

Posted in Apps, Creative, Wehtam | 2 Comments

Custom Creative Fail paint job

Posted on 4th May 2012 by Wehtam

Behold! A poor mobile phone photograph of the Creative Fail website on an Android tablet.  I had been meaning to revive the Creative Fail blog design for some time now, this week I finally rolled up my sleeves and created a custom theme for the site.  I deliberately went for a minimal interface with abstract design elements and an abstract logo.  I sharp U-turn from the textured, constrained feel of old.
The Twitter page has been given a similar overhaul with new imagery.  I am hoping to return to Creative Fail with a more regular input.  A large thanks goes to 8-Bit Chris for his continual additions and offerings from the world of film and game reviews,  long may his opinion bless this world.  More news as it comes.

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The Cutting Room Floor

Posted on 1st April 2012 by 8-Bit Chris

Machinegun Preacher-

If there was ever a title that was misleading it would be this one. Sounds like an action movie right? Well you really couldnt be further from guessing what genre it is if you tried.
Sam Childs (played by Gerard Butler) is a real-life ex-biker gang member. After finding god he turns to the church. He starts up his own construction company and eventually builds his own church at his home town in America. He decides to turn his life around by heading to East Africa to help repair homes that have been destroyed by civil war. There is affected by the plight of the people, especially the children. Against advice, he begins building an orphanage in militia territory. He also goes on an armed mission to rescue the children who have been kidnapped by the militia – who are being taken and forced to become child soldiers.
Butler, who is miscast in this does manage to pull off the performance well enough for you to believe the character. What i liked about the film was you get to see his ‘decent into madness’ as it were, where all he wants to do is help the children but no o9ne will finance his endevours. The film does get boring towards the end, because if like me you read the box and thought it would be an action film you will be dissapointed. For me possably the best part of the film was the ending where it shock you to find out that the film is based on a true story and shows you clips of the real man, who as of now is still alive looking after the children.
If your up for an action film then this isnt for you, but if you want a good story, thats real, and good acting then give this a try

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Cheap-ass Gaming

Posted on 4th March 2012 by 8-Bit Chris

Back in the day I was a huge fan of cyberpunk rpg Syndicate, hell its still on my top 10 list. When i found out that they were rebooting the classic franchice Syndicate into an FPS i shouted betrayal!
The single player story feels like a Deus Ex hand me down. The levels are linear going from point A-B killing swarms of enemies with the occasional puzzel thrown in. The graphics are above average, but its the style thats impressive. If your into that cyber-punk look, like myself, then you would have to agree that its a visual orgy. The unskippable cut-scenes are stiffly animated but well acted, so although the likes of Brian Cox and Rosario Dawson have certainly looked better. There are some great ideas, such as the Dart 6 – an embedded microchip that allows you, among other upgradable abilities, to slow time and see through walls. This, and the fact that your powers recharge faster when pulling off headshots and killstreaks, encourages a fast and furious style of combat that feels markedly different to most FPSs.
The online co-op greatly improves the game, seeing up to 4 players work cooperativly to achive set goals. For instance you might have to assasinate a enemy leader or steal hard drives for your corporation.
Overall Syndicate is just another average FPS but with an entertaining co-op mode. Wait till its in the bargain bin to pick this one up.

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The Cutting Room Floor

Posted on 3rd March 2012 by 8-Bit Chris

In Time (2011)-

Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried star in the new sci-fi action film “In Time”. Will Salas (Timberlake) and Silvia Weis (Seyfried) live in a futuristic world where time is the currency. In this world, people stop aging at 25. Once they turn 25, they only have one year to live, unless they find a way to get more time. They can get a job which earns them time, but on the flip side there is no money so currency is time (a cup of coffee for example would be say 5mins).

Will lives in the ghetto where people constantly are timing out (running out of time and dying), while Silvia lives in the rich New Greenwich where people have centuries. It’s extremely dangerous to have too much time; those with centuries are usually accused of stealing and are immediately killed.

When Will is accused of murder, (after being given time by a man whos had enough and subsequently commits suicide) he takes Silvia hostage and they run from the timekeeper (Cillian Murphy). Several times, they find themselves cutting it close with only seconds left on their clocks.

The concept is extremely unique and innovative, however, it was disappointing to see “In Time” fall short of what it could have been. Justin Timberlake acts as decent as ever and Amanda Seyfried is decent as Silvia, but she and Timberlake don’t have much chemistry.

I don’t think the script was very well written, because the story switches half way through from being a sci-fi case thriller to being a bonnie & clyde/robin hood style , “steal from the rich to give to the poor senareo. This also leaves your mind boggled wondering things like how easy it is to break into thes banks and steal time (just driving a van through a big window, where the bank has no security), how a rich girl suddenly becomes a hardened gangster bird and how the “villian”, played by the always excellent Cillian Murphy, dies by running out of time (in a world where everyone constently checks how long they have left to live).
All in all its an average movie, an interesting consept let down by poor execution. Avarage at best.

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