Star Trek Online turns 2yrs old – Releases new ships and feature episodes!
I know many of you MMO gamers out there (including myself) are playing in a galaxy far far away (Star Wars: The Old Republic) right now, but i just wanted to mention that other big space franchise – ‘Star Trek Online‘ who turns 2 years old this month.
Despite some of it’s faults (read our review of STO here), i have a soft spot for STO, and up until SWTOR came out, I found it had one of the most engaging systems for drawing players into an MMO story.
For Star Trek Online‘s 2nd birthday, they are releasing Odyssey class, and the Bortas Klingon Flagship to players (useable at rear admiral level), and a trailer for their new featured episode. Plus STO is now free-to-play, so if you are MMOing on a budget, it’s well worth a look!
Leave your old PC in 2011. Time for an upgrade without breaking the bank!
Time to upgrade your PC?
So new year, new start. You have made a list of things you will change in 2011 and you are positive about this promising year. Yet, the one thing that is holding you back, is the one thing that should be your trusted tool, your PC!
While your computer may have been your best friend for many years, technology can move so fast, you are bound to need an upgrade eventually. If you have been getting by using old versions of applications for email, word processing, web browsing and spreadsheets, eventually you will run into problems, so make this the year you upgrade.
Upgrading your PC can be extremely expensive, so below are 3 ways to leave your old PC without breaking the bank.
Part exchange your PC
Many tech companies now run a part exchange programme as part of a conscious effort to recycle computer parts and reduce e-waste. For example, HP work with PC Part Exchange to run this service. You can choose any HP products that are part of the trade-in offer and exchange your old computer for cash regardless of the original manufacturer.
For your old computer to qualify for HP’s minimum part exchange value it must be operational and include the following:
- Desktops: Base Unit, Monitor, Keyboard, Mouse, Kettle Leads & Restore CDs.
- Laptops: Working Battery, Power Supply with Mains Leads & Restore CDs.
It may be worth also looking around to get quotes from other companies offering this service to make sure you get the best value.
Upgrade the software
If you want to use the latest version of your computer’s operating system, this can be less expensive than purchasing a new computer, depending on how much you might spend on installation. It might not be compatible with the processor your computer currently has, so you will need to swap it out with a new central processing unit but again, if you shop around, this does not need to cost the earth.
To turbocharge you PC upgrade the RAM and you should see improved performance. When your computer has a small hard drive, you may find yourself running out of storage space for files. Instead of deleting files, you can install a second internal hard drive if your computer can accommodate it, or add an external hard drive.
Buy a new PC but use it to find fantastic deals and reap back the costs
If neither of the above options work for your situation and you truly want to buy a new PC, then perhaps you can ‘offset’ your purchase by using your new computer to take advantage of some of the amazing deals on Groupon.
There are a wide range of deals on this site, from gourmet restaurants, to adventure days out, to relaxing spa days and beauty treatments. The range of vouchers assuredly is endless. You can save up to 90% with Groupon deals in London and around the rest of the country. Bookmark the site on your new PC now!
Eve Myles & Zach Braff are All New People!
Eve Myles
The lovely and wonderful Eve Myles (Gwen in Torchwood), will star alongside Zach Braff (Scrubs and Garden State) as he makes his UK stage acting debut of the new comedy ‘All New People’ – A play written by Zach himself, and directed by the award-winning Peter DuBois. Eve and Zach are also joined by another ‘Who’ related actress in the form of the lovely Susannah Fielding (Lilian in Doctor Who’s ‘Victory of the Daleks’, along with tv roles in Wallander, Pete Versus Life, and on stage with the RSC and The National.)
All New People will open at the Duke of York’s Theatre on 22 February 2012. Before arriving in London for 10 weeks, audiences in Manchester and Glasgow will get the chance to enjoy the play when it is staged at the Manchester Opera House, between 8 – 11 February and the King’s Theatre, Glasgow, between 14 – 18 February.
A contemporary comedy, All New People debuted at New York’s award-winning Second Stage Theatre packed out nightly in the 2011 season.
Susannah Fielding
In the dead of winter, at his wealthy friends’ luxury Long Beach Island apartment, Charlie (Zach Braff) has hit rock bottom on his 35th birthday. Away from the rest of the world, this perfect escape is interrupted by a motley parade of misfits who show up and change his plans. A hired beauty, a fireman, and an eccentric British real estate agent desperately trying to stay in the country all suddenly find themselves tangled together in a beach house where the mood is anything but sunny, while Charlie just wishes they’d leave and let him get on with it.
Best known for the smash-hit TV comedy Scrubs – nominated for 17 Emmy Awards and watched by over 22 million people worldwide – writer, director and star of the award winning Garden State, Zach Braff is a three time Golden Globe nominee and Grammy Award winner. Peter DuBois is the Artistic Director of Boston’s Huntington Theatre, and was awarded the Callaway Award for Excellence in Directing from the Society of Stage Directors, and recently won the Elliot Norton Award for Best Production from the Boston Theatre Critics Association. DuBois was resident director and former associate producer at New York’s acclaimed Public Theater, and former artistic director of Alaska’s innovative Perseverance Theatre Company. DuBois made his UK directorial debut in 2011 with Becky Shaw at the Almeida Theatre, which was nominated for an Evening Standard Theatre Award.
London Dates for All New People
Wednesday 22 February until Saturday 28 April 2012
Monday – Saturday at 7.30pm, Saturday and Wednesday matinees at 2.30pm
£15-£49.50. Premium seats available
Duke of York’s Theatre, St. Martin’s Lane, London WC2N 4BG
0844 871 7623
For more information, visit www.allnewpeople.co.uk or go to @atgtickets on twitter!
MTV UK to stroll through Death Valley in Jan!
Undead Task Force
MTV are rolling into the New Year with the most unlikely police force around – the ‘Undead Task Force’, from brand new scripted horror-comedy Death Valley. With a remit to hunt the vampires, werewolves and zombies that tirelessly roam the streets of San Fernando Valley; you wouldn’t think battling the undead could be so funny. Sexy, gory and packed full of laughs, Death Valley is a non-stop thrill ride featuring extreme chases, hardcore kills and bizarre encounters with the supernatural. Already a smash hit in the States, Death Valley takes viewers to a place they’ve never been before with everything from vampire hookers to werewolf porn stars.
MTV are celebrating the new series by recruiting new Undead Task Force officers, and offering one lucky member the chance to win a trip to Los Angeles (Death Valley).
The ‘Death Valley: Share to Kill’ Facebook app gives MTV fans an inside peak at life as an Undead Task Force officer. Working as a team, fans from all over the world must kill vampires, werewolves, and zombies in order to rid Death Valley of the menacing and hideous creatures.
Zombie Cheerleader
Through exclusive video footage of disgustingly gory Valley pests, users are invited to create and share their own witty caption about the video. If enough comments are made, MTV will reveal the creature being slaughtered in the grotesque yet hilarious ways of the Undead Task Force – think headshots, knuckles and baseball bats. The caption with the most likes also wins exclusive Death Valley merchandise.
However, if all of the Valley’s horrible species are killed before the worldwide Death Valley premier, the user with the most creative caption will win a trip all the way to Death Valley in Los Angeles where zombies may or may not be roaming the streets…
The new, hilarious gore-ridden series will be on our screens for twelve weeks from Monday the 30th of January exclusively on MTV, but if you can’t wait until then to join the Undead Task Force at work, visit: http://on.fb.me/Az9ArH
Being Human is back, with a new Vampire… Meet Hal (Video)!
It's all change in Being Human Series 4
With Mitchell (Aidan Turner) gone, and George (Russell Tovey) about to hang up his furry paws, ghost Annie (Lenora Crichlow) is going to need a couple of new supernatural beings in her life for Being Human, Series 4. The first is Tom (Michael Socha), bumped up from a guest character to series regular, will take over the resident wearwolf role. First appearing in series 3, Tom discovered that McNair, the man he thought was his father, in fact wasn’t… Not only that, he was the one who gave him the werewolf curse in the first place! Since McNair’s death, Tom has stayed in Barry and is welcomed into Honolulu Heights. Putting his nomadic life and his mission to kill all vampires (mostly!) behind him, Tom has to learn to live like a human, love like a human and fight like a human. But will he succeed?
The latest new cast member is Hal (Damien Molony), a 500 year old vampire, and the temptation for blood and carnage still rules his every waking thought. Since meeting best friends Leo (a werewolf) and Pearl (a ghost) in 1955, Hal has managed to stay off the blood by sticking to a rigid structure and keeping away from all people. Coming to Honolulu Heights is a huge disruption for Hal. And he doesn’t cope well with disruption. At first, Hal – the stand-offish, posh vampire – and Tom – the common, feral werewolf – find themselves at loggerheads, but once a mutual respect is gained, we see this odd couple become close.
Still no exact air date for Being Human Season 4, but it’s soon (i’m guessing 22nd of Jan 2012 at 9pm, but that’s not confirmed!)
See more of Hal in the video below!
Will There Be a Terra Nova Season 2?
Will Terra Nova return?
We’ve recently been getting a multitude of questions we’re about if/when Terra Nova is coming back for a 2nd season. The answer is… we don’t know yet… and might not for another couple of months due to a number of issues.
Firstly, Terra Nova is an expensive show to make, and has a fairly long production cycle. However, it got respectable viewer numbers by today’s standards, but it depends if the network (Fox) think the expense is returning enough viewers. As i’ve said many many times before on the site, TV is a business, and they are in it to make money. You could have a brilliant show, but if you’re not returning the viewing figures, you’re getting canned. It sucks, but that’s how it is.
Secondly, Fox are in an odd position this year, as an 3 of their potential biggest new drama shows haven’t aired yet. JJ Abrams’ ‘Alcatraz‘, Kiefer Sutherland’s ‘Touch‘, and Bones spin-off ‘The Finder‘ are all still to air. This leaves Fox with a bit of a dilemma… To give Terra Nova any hope of being ready for the 2012 Fall Season, they have to be back in production by April this year. It’ll be the end of Jan before all 3 of the aforementioned dramas have aired, which means Fox may need to make a budget decision on Terra Nova’s future before having a decent grasp on how all their new shows are going to fair. The very earliest Fox will likely want to make an official decision would be February, which is already leaving Terra Nova limited pre-production time.
IF Terra Nova does get renewed for Season 2, it will air in September 2012 on Sky 1.
