Site of the Week delayed by a week

Hi all,

Just a quick post to let you know that I am delaying my Site of the Week for a week, because I am enjoying a nice, relaxing weekend.

Back tomorrow!

Pete

Site of the Week: Idiot Toys

Hi all,

A day late I know, and I should've posted this at the end of my last update, but the reason that I am a day late in updating this site is due to having attended a wedding yesterday for my manager Belinda, and our IT guy Mark, at Frenchy's restaurant in Como/South Perth, followed by a night's stay at the Broadwater Pagoda Hotel. A big thanks to both Belinda and Mark, and their parents, firstly for the invite, and then for great dinner and night.

Anyway, onto the reason why i've had 286 visitors (at the time of writing this) come to the site; it's time for Site of the Week!!

Site of the Week: Idiot Toys: Tech reviews for the bored
Site URL: http://www.idiottoys.com/

Visit this site if...: Since you're reading this, i'm going to assume that reading blogs is something that you enjoy, and since that's the case, this site will have you interested. That being said, if you're the type of person who enjoys reading about or purchasing new electronic devices (and I guess this is probably directed mainly at the male readers), then this site is for you!

Synopsis: I'll start this review firstly, by doing a bit of a background on myself and the electronic devices I have. Lets see, I have 2 iPods (iPod video, and iPod shuffle; one for use in my car, and one for use at the gym), a Nintendo Wii, a Nintendo Gamecube, a Microsoft Xbox, amplifier+sub for my car, etc etc etc. Anyway, you get the picture. I like gadgets and electronics, and I like them a lot. Which is why when I am looking at possibly purchasing something to add to the collection, I like to make sure that I am buying quality, or something that at the very least comes very well recommended.

This is where Idiot Toys comes in very handy. The guys that run the site have it setup in typical blog style, with the ability to read archived reviews from as far back as 2005, as well as being able to comment on the reviews.

The best feature of the site is that it is updated daily with the latest gadgetry, with reviews on items from mp3 players and mobile phones, to cameras and other devices. It's not item-specific, and on any given day, it could be anything, so it's really pot-luck as to what item they will highlight, but all-in-all, its a great site to have a read of.

That's it for this week, hope you enjoyed it.

Until next week, good bye!

Site of the Week: EaglesFlyingHigh

Hi all,

Well, I have finally defeated that evil nemisis called sinusitis, so now it is time to get back to doing stuff I normally do, which is work, watch a lot of sport, a bit of gym work and some web browsing too. Oh, and some Nintendo play wouldn't go astray either (that too, was put on hiatus, whilst I was battling the symptoms of sinusitus, such as not-quite-so-migrane-strength headaches, soreness behind my eyes, etc).

And since all is well with me, it's time to resume my Site of the Week column, and with the AFL (Australian Football League for those non-Australian readers out there) pre-season underway, it's time to include a website dedicated to greatest team in the competition, last year's premiers, the West Coast Eagles. I give you:

Site of the Week: EaglesFlyingHigh.com
Site URL: http://www.eaglesflyinghigh.com/

Visit this site if...: Lets see. I guess this site really isn't for people who don't follow Aussie Rules footy. For those still reading, this website gives you the latest news, rumours and other information on the West Coast Eagles, and a whole lot more.

Synopsis: For once, this isn't a website that I found by reading FHM magazine. To be honest, i'm not really sure how I came upon this site in the first place. I think it may have been in conversation at work once, when someone out of the blue asked me "if I read those AFL fan websites?" At the time, that was most certainly a NO, with the only website that got my attention being the official website of the AFL, afl.com.au.

However, curiousity got the better of me at the time, and I decided to investigate what all the fuss was about, and it's a decision I certainly don't regret. As usual, I head to the one-and-only Google, enter in the search parameters, and "BAM!", at the top of the list was EaglesFlyingHigh.

The front page contains all the latest feature articles on offer, as well as an up-to-date AFL ladder (highlighting where the mighty Eagles are positioned) and the latest injury list, complete with estimated time back on the field.

However, the feature which I love the site for, is the forums. The forums are structured into topical areas (general team discussion, travel, drafts and trades, etc), and allow for all fans of the club (as well as fans of other clubs who want to shit-stir or find out what our thoughts on things are) to openly discuss the latest news on the club, rumours that may have been circulating, and just anything Eagles-related that may be on their minds.

Again, this was a nice short-and-sweet review, leaving it up to you guys to explore the site yourself, after giving you a taste of what to expect.

Hopefully, the site's of the week will be back to it's weekly timeslot, as long as Mr. Body can stay illness-free from now on. On a side note, i've noticed myself getting ill after exercising (sinusitis after golfing; flu/colds after gym exercise). Coincidence, or my body telling me something about steering clear of physical exertion? You be the judge!

Until then, good bye!

Site of the Week on hiatus!

Hi all,

Just a quick update to say that i'll return to weekly updates once i've got rid of this stupid sinusitis once and for all, which will probably be a few more days at least.

In the meantime, if you have any good sites you'd like me to review/plug, let me know through the comments area below.

Until then!

Pete

Site of the Week: DIME

Hi all,

Well, it's been a while. From my last Site of the Week, i've turned 28 (i'll update that in my profile some day), played Supa Golf, visited numerous relatives during the Xmas/New Year period, been to Burswood Casino, worked a fair bit, and also contracted a bout of sinusitis (which I am still getting over; the morning headaches being the worst of it).

Anyway, it's that time again, so here we go!

Site of the Week: DIME
Site URL: http://www.dimeadozen.org/

Visit this site if...: I believe this is the first site of the week that touches on one of my great interests; music. But this site isn't a source for any kind of music. It's specialty is live concerts or live recordings of songs/sets. If music isn't your thing, you should probably stop reading now, and go back to browsing the web.

Synopsis: Up until a few years ago, live CD's and live recordings of songs were something that didn't interest me. Quite often what you heard on the radio or on the artists' main release CD was digitally altered to sound good, and when compared to their live performance, was much more preferable. Nowadays, whilst still not a huge fan of it, I am more tolerable of live performances, and in particular, acoustic sets such as the MTV Unplugged series, or more recently, the Foo Fighters' Skin and Bones album.

This is where DIME comes in. I first came upon this site's existence when reading FHM, and they had a special on musical websites. Like some other BitTorrent websites, this one requires you to create a username and password to be able to gain access to their database of torrents. Once you've done this, you'll realise this community have a very wide selection of music to get, ranging from acoustic to rap; dance to gospel and rock to ska. Basically, it has music genre categories to suit everyone.

I can't really vouch for the quality (bit rate, format, etc) of all files that are available for download through the torrents, as that is entirely dependant on the person who chooses to share the file, but if there are rare live recordings that you've been longing to listen to and get, this site is definitely a good start. And for legal reasons, the usual disclaimers are at the bottom of the main page to make sure everyone knows that the site itself doesn't host the music files; it merely allows people browse other people's shared files.

A nice, short and sweet review for the first review of 2007. I am now off to test 2 new acquisitions for my Nintendo Wii; Need for Speed Carbon and Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz.

Until next week, good bye!

Pete

Site of the Week....officially returns next week!

Hi all,

Due to a busy Xmas/New Year/Birthday, i've delayed updating until next week, when Site of the Week returns bigger and better than ever!!!*


Pete

*Site of the Week may not be bigger or better, so see a doctor if pain persists.

Site of the Week: PokerListings.com

Hi all,

It's been a while hasn't it? Between now and my last post, i've enjoyed one of my best weekends away from Perth, staying at the aforementioned Broadwater Bungalows Resort. If you're looking for a great place to stay in Busselton, I strongly recommend going there. Nice, relaxing atmosphere; it's close to all of Busselton's sites and delights; and has a great pool and spa (I spent 3 hours there on the first day, coming out looking like a prune!).

I've also been playing my Nintendo Wii a fair bit. The early favourite was Wii Sports (and in particular, the ten-pin bowling game). It also proved to be a good multiplayer game when I had a couple of mates around this past weekend (Daz I hope your arm has recovered by now!). I'm currently playing The Legend of Zelda - Twilight Princess. Took a while to get adjusted to things, but now it's all good. Do yourself a favour, get one of these game systems (unless you live here in Perth, where nearly all stores are sold out of them), its heaps of fun, and great for cardio health too.

This will be my last site of the week for the year, as I will be a bit too busy over the Xmas/New Year break to be able to squeeze in another site of the week whilst visiting relatives, watching the cricket and just chilling out (by playing Zelda and Sports). But don't you worry, Site of the Week will return to normal as of the 7th of January (ish).

Site of the Week: PokerListings.com
Site URL: http://www.pokerlistings.com/

Visit this site if...: If you're curious as to how the world of online poker works, and want to know what the best sites to play on are, and which offer the best sign-up packages, then you'll want to at least visit this site to see what it's all about. For those that aren't new to the world of online poker/gambling, this site will still prove useful through other means.

Synopsis: A little history lesson: i've been playing online poker for about a year. Most of the time, I play on the fake money tables, just for the fun of it, and safe in the knowledge that i'm not gambling away my life savings. I've also played on the real money tables (for just a little over half a year), with my gameplay (and wallet) limiting me to tables where the betting is as low as $0.10 or $0.25 (per round of betting), to tables where the blinds are $1 and $2. I've had my fair share of wins (which I promptly cash out in the form of a cheque), and i've also had some really bad beats (my four of a kind Kings lost to some other player's four of a kind Aces just to name one situation). In any event, i'll only ever play with what I am confortable gambling with, and IF I lose, then i'll not go back and play for a few weeks at least, instead of throwing good money after bad.

Anyways, back to my review. You're probably aware that there are hundreds of poker sites on the internet nowadays, so how do you know which ones are the best to go play at (be it for quality of players, security for financial transactions, deposit bonuses or some other reason)? That's where my Site of the Week comes in real handy, in that PokerListings has done all the work for you. They offer site reviews (like I do!) on the latest and greatest poker websites, making it easier to find the site that best suits your playing needs.

This is not all the PokerListings has to offer though. On the front page, you'll find links to other helpful things like Poker Strategy (to help you play the game), Poker Forums (to discuss things with other players) and links to the World Series of Poker and its associated tournaments, to other things such as an odds calculator (the odds you'll hit a winning hand, which will help you make the decision that Kenny Rogers wants to help you with; knowing when to hold them, and knowing when to fold them).

Anyway, i'm sure you'll find this site helpful (if you're interested in trying online poker, be it with fake or real money), so give it a look-see!

Since I won't be posting anymore until early January, to all my readers, have a Merry Christmas, and a safe and prosperous New Year!

Pete