Dropping Some Crazy Updates!

While the PC version of Minecraft is finished with the Beta portion of it's life, the XBLA version is still trying with all it's might to be just like its older brother.

And I can confirm it is doing a great job so far.

I have spent most of today on the Creative mode of my map building, destroying and re-building my newest project, Nerd Tower, and the surrounding village, originally named... Nerd Village. (Naming it didn't occurred to me until just now..) I will try harder with the names...

Of course Creative mode isn't the only thing featured in the update, there is a multitude of items, both new food and new blocks to play around with.

But I honestly cannot stop playing creative mode. My houses no longer suffer the wrath of having a lack of resources! I don't have to use a pick to re-design my house, I just punch it if I don't like the way it looks.

edit:

So since I started my project I have had a new idea...

I want to make my map a community map, full of buildings and creations from all of my friends. I'm writing this as I watch the first of hopefully many friends build... something castle-like with vines and such. Kudos to her, because even though the exterior design is quite simplistic it does look quite brilliant next to Nerd Tower.

I'm thinking of uploading photos to Facebook of all these buildings as they are finished. But more on that once I actually get a few people to contribute.



So I think that's it for now, I will be writing again in a couple of days I hope, with updates on the creation of the village.

Happy Minecrafting!

Oli

The Trouble With Trolls

In the years I have been using the internet, I have noticed a growing phenomenon, which we should all be ignoring.

Trolls

From their hovels underneath 'Ye Olde' English stone bridges, Trolls have been harassing Internet users for as long as there have been Internet users. Having studied these mythical creatures I have found that they feed on the negative energy generated from the comments they leave on Blogs, YouTube, and other such social interaction websites.

Do Not Feed The Trolls

Now, the best way to banish a Troll is to starve them of attention on your pages. If there is no negative energy to harvest, there will be no more Troll. Alternatively, blocking them works just as well (if not better).

If that doesn't work you could always try a circle of protection surrounding your computer, or is that for Witches... Might be worth it either way.

Since Nation of Nerds is a small blog, with barely any readers, we haven't had any trouble with Trolls, so I have no first hand experience, but all the time I see Trolls on YouTube, and various forums, and the people just feed them unknowingly.

This is what they want. They want to annoy you, and bait you into an argument you can't win. The trick is to burn them.

Burn them with Comments! Or don't, it may just make it worse.

But yeah, go with the blocking thing.. That'll work.




Oli

The Finale

I have just watched the final episode of Save the Supers, a show created by Sandeep Parikh and uploaded to YouTube.

If you couldn't tell from the title, the show is about a team of Super-Heroes, who battle evil and tackle budgetary problems on a weekly basis.

Since the first video I have really liked the show, and while the videos themselves aren't that long, you still get to know the characters, and the storyline is easy to understand yet still manages to be funny within a 5 minute time limit. But I think the best part for me are the Super Villain cameos, made by well-known Nerd Icons (I won't spoil it, you'll have to watch them yourselves).



Anyway, just a short post today. I wanted to get something posted about Nerdy things (not that Korean Rap isn't Nerdy).

So, Share with your friends, Comment and watch the Yogscast.

Oli

Oppa is Gangnam Style

I know I said I would be writing more often, but I've been busy so I thought today as a bit of a break from the Nerd, I'd write about a certain Korean Artist, which after watching his video I just couldn't pass up.

So, hopefully you've seen the Korean music video by Psy, called Gangnam Style.

For me, it was arguably the best thing to happen to Korean Rap since the... other good things which happened in Korean Rap...

Ok, so you may have worked out that I'm not an expert in Korean Rap, but even I know that if it's good enough to be shown on television and YouTube around the world then it has to be brilliant, because I have not seen any other Korean songs in my relatively short life.

And the dance...

I had seen the dance before, but I had no idea what it was until my friends started dancing the Gangnam Style in a rock disco we go to sometimes, it was the first and only night so far that I have danced at that disco. (But that's usually because they play Metallica and Avenged Sevenfold... Not many opportunities to dance really...)

In any case, Psy has to be the coolest guy I've seen all week, partly because of the song but mainly because he Suited Up!


In related news, Psy also released the... well, the same song, but with another artist by the name of Hyuna singing with him. Even though it's pretty much exactly the same, it's had a much worse reception. I'm not sure why the people don't like it, but then again, a few days ago I saw a YouTuber berating his fellow commentors who like Minecraft, by saying that they weren't true gamers because Minecraft has bad graphics.

It's unexplainable. (And in the case of the Minecraft Commenter , infuriating)

But I still like both versions. And Minecraft.



I will write again soon, so in the meantime, share with your friends, comment, and read Game of Thrones.

Oli

A Nerds Lament

So a couple of days ago I decided to venture into Birmingham, in search of a new, hopefully luckier, dice set. Sadly, the only place I know of to get dice is a tiny shop hidden away in a dark little alley in the city. People walk past this shop all the time, for example, when I was walking up to it, I was behind a group of about 20, none of whom paid any attention to it, much like that pub in the Harry Potter books, it must only be visible to Nerds...

I'm not sure if there are other shops like this in England, I haven't seen one anywhere else, and to me, it's depressing, I mean, sure, Nerds do seem to buy everything we need right off the Internet, but still... I like the journey to the city, walking around the "Nerdy" shops, always saving the best for last, that quiet little shop in the centre of Birmingham, unnoticed by the masses. There should be more shops like this, where Nerds can go to meet their kin.

Sure, you could argue that we have video-game stores, but since the creation of games such as Modern Warfare, they've become increasingly mainstream... I suppose, inferring the need for Nerds to shop online...

I know that every other social clique has their own place to socialise, and even though we do pretty much Own the Interweb, and even with the creation of games such as Guild Wars, where you can buy Guild Halls and hang out with friends there, I still think that there isn't any substitute for time with friends IRL.



In other news, I will be trying to write for this blog more often than the last few months, I haven't really had any inspiration for posts recently, but I'm getting back on track.

Share, Comment.. Play Minecraft,
Oli

The One Where I Run Out Of Ideas

While I'm sitting here with my laptop, watching Slither (starring Nathan Fillion from Firefly no less) and I thought that I would be kind, and give you all something to read. But then I found I had writers' block. I want to write, but I don't have anything to write about. Well, I have one thing. So, they decided to call one of the characters on Slither Grant Grant. Really? Grant... Grant? You can't see me, but I'm shaking my head in disappointment.

And that's me all out of ideas.

So, E3 hmm? I watched the Microsoft and Ubisoft presentations on YouTube (To be brutally honest, I only watched the Ubisoft show because Toby Turner was co-hosting) and this year of upcoming games looks quite interesting. I think the new game to watch in my opinion would be Watch_Dogs from Ubisoft Montreal. A sandbox game, where you have the ability to hack into any electronic device, which you can use to your advantage, and by doing so, literally use the city as a weapon (I recommend watching the video, it does a lot better job than I just did of explaining, but I'm just going to blame that on the writers' block)

The other game that really interests me right now is Assassin's Creed 3, now set in Colonial America, spanning 30 years between 1753-1783. New game mechanics, such as Naval battles, and not just that, but also navigating ships through storms, while avoiding unfortunate swells (Makes for difficult sailing). Even though I think that this will be brilliant fun, what I really want to do is use the bow and arrows, while hanging out of a tree. But of course, that's just me. Anyway, I'm looking forward to October 31st this year. You won't see me trick or treating this year.

That's all I got. Considering I didn't know what I was going to write, I think I did quite well, don't you?

Anyway, I'll start thinking about my next post right... after Slither finishes.

See y'all next time! (That's my American typing, pretty good, right?)

Oli

At The End Of All Things

Ok, ignoring the grossly over-dramatic Lord Of The Rings reference for my title, it is the end of an Era (oh yes, with a capital "E"). I am going to be moving away from friends for a while, and I'm terrible at Goodbyes, so I thought instead of stumbling my way through, I should write something infinitely better than anything I would say IRL (I already have a movie reference, so I know I'm doing better!).

I know this isn't what we at Nation do, apart from the title it's not Nerdy at all, but I felt I had to write about what's important to me. It would be easier to write a status on Facebook, but that's not how I roll. I don't think I'd be able to fit everything in anyway (hmm, I believe that's what she said).

Anyway, to my friends, (and of course, my sister) even though I don't spend as much time with you as I probably should, you should all know that I will miss you. It was brilliant hanging out with you, and drinking with you, not so much the part where you made me dress-up, but still... I wouldn't change it for anything, unless you'd be willing to delete some of those photos... no? Nevermind, I had to ask.

I hope you know that you're all bad influences on me, I hardly ever went to clubs before I lived here. But apart from the inordinate amounts of money I spent, it was always good times, so thank you all for making me drink. It's not often that I meet so many people that are as brilliant as all of you are, which is obviously why we were all put into Awesome-Block, as if that were a question.

I've made a promise to Bryan that I will see you all again sometime, so it's not my fault if I just show up at some point.

So, I'll end this post with a cliché.

As I said, I don't like goodbyes, so this will be a See You Later. (See? All that cliché-y goodness. Was it worth it? I don't think so)

Oli