So, along with the new WordPress 2.1 we have a new version of the comment-spam-killer Akismet. It’s good, but not 100%, so I’m experimenting with other plugins as well.

A really nice idea is that of automatically turning off comments after a certain length of time (i.e. 3 months) as I’ve noticed almost all my comment spam is for OLD posts.

James McKay has already done this and offered it up to the internets here. It is made of 100% WIN and I like it very much indeed. It has many settings to fiddle with, although the defaults work right out of the box too.

I’m also using a ‘captcha’ service from ProtectWebForm.com that appears to be a free service – what nice people. They have a cunning method of detecting if you are using a proper web browser or something without Java Script, which most humans have turned on, and will only show you the “enter the magic secret code” form if it thinks you are an ROBOTZ!!!onetyone.

So far, after turning those on I have NO comment spam – wahey! I’m very happy.

… could be replaced by a steaming turd rammed between the pages of each Metro and it would still be funnier and less offensive.

It’s like watching old episodes of 70′s sitcoms and being horrified by the old jokes about how women have breasts and men are lecherous. Wow, what astonishing insight! It’s like the last 30 years of progress didn’t happen for Rick Brookes who is apparently the author of such tripe.

(Today’s “strip” featured an office manager staring at his secretary’s large breasts and saying “It’s people like you Jennie that make the world a better place” – in case you were wondering what tipped me over the edge)

I do try not to even look at the page its on but the Sudoku is on the same page and I like giving my brain at least some exercise on the train to work – it certainly won’t get any from the rest of the Metro.

I should probably just buy the Sudoku game for the DS and just walk past the tempting free stacks of Metros each morning… but I’m weak! I cannot resist free stuff…

Most are re-hashes of the existing US ads, but there are some that are a little more M&W…
Check them out at Apple UK’s site.

This Joy of Tech cartoon, that is.

My friends at IGDA London have teamed up with the Science Museum to put on some great talks next Friday evening – a good way to find out more about the history and future of UK Games development, as they are open to the general public.

Game On Events: Level Two

What will games of the future look like? Who invented the first video game? How do you go about making a modern computer game? Why do we enjoy playing them?

These are just some of the questions that will be answered in the Science Museum’s second series of exclusive gaming events, which are being held to complement our fantastic Game On exhibition. On four nights in January and February visitors can gain a deeper understanding of video games from experts and industry insiders. The Game On exhibition will also be open until 21.30 (on 2 Feb) so visitors can experience the exhibition after normal opening hours.

2 February, 19.00–20.30
Games Gone By: A history of video games
Join us to look back on the history of the video game from a UK perspective.

Eighties Games You Might Still Play
Dave Green, Editor, Channel4/games
The 1980s and 1990s saw a massive explosion of innovative games and games design, especially in the UK. But as technology progressed these games were relegated to rubbish bins and second-hand shops. Dave Green looks at these retro games and asks, do we still want to play old classics – and do we sometimes play them without even realising?

Game Makers: Then and now
Andrew Oliver, development director, Blitz Games
Discover the game developers’ side of the story with Andrew Oliver, once a bedroom coder, now a development director at Blitz Games. How has the industry in the UK changed and what is it like to work in gaming now compared with 20 years ago? Can you make a successful career in gaming and not be a geek?

Game and Able
Iain Simons, gaming author and Director of the GameCity festival
The UK video-games industry has generated some of the most exciting, innovative and esoteric titles. One particular trend from the UK is that of the game-designer brothers. Why were so many companies formed by brothers, who really should have been arguing like normal teenagers? Iain Simons traces this trend across three decades, attempting to explain why it might happen.

For more info see the Science Museum’s “Game On Events” website.

Seems to have broken the Flickr integration – oops!

Ahh my pics are rubbish anyways… but I shall have to sort it out for bobble’s site.