A Year in Technology

December 26, 2018 / Roger Edwards

My relationship with technology has changed over the years and my enthusiasm has tempered greatly. Having worked in the IT field for 25 years (up until 2016), I have been immersed in technological advancement and due to my age have seen a great deal change. I was at one time an early adopter of anything I considered to be potentially beneficial to me and at times have been guilty of acquiring something “new and shiny” simply for its own sake. I have even flirted with that dubious notion of tech as a fashion accessory. But sometimes age does bring wisdom, so nowadays, I’m a firm believer in finding the sweet spot between “the right tool for the job” and “if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it”. Subsequently, 2018 has not seem me acquire a great deal of new technology. However, what I have bought this year or started using has been well received and useful.

1 Comment 1 Likes

categories / A Year in, Technology, A Year in Technology, 2018

Goodbye 2017

December 31, 2017 / Roger Edwards

Frankly, I won’t be sorry to see the back of 2017. Personally, it was a very difficult year for my family. I won’t bore you with details but to say that it has been trying is an understatement. Then of course there have been wider issues to consider. Politically, socially and economically the UK is currently very divided. Fear and anger seem to drive and dominate all debate and public discourse. Furthermore, there doesn’t seem to be a cure to these issues on the immediate horizon. So, I don’t think 2018 is going to be a radical improvement with regard to these matters. However, despite there being much beyond our control, we can always look to ourselves to improve things for those we love and our own immediate situation.

Comment 1 Likes

categories / A Year in, Goodbye 2017

A Year in Podcasting

December 30, 2017 / Roger Edwards

2017 didn’t quite go to plan with regard to my personal podcast output. Brian and I decided to stop producing the Burton & Scrooge Podcast and return to creating material under the Contains Moderate Peril brand. This was a good idea in so far as consolidation, but it was ill timed as both of us were somewhat fatigued with podcasting per se. Ultimately Brian decided to take a break and pursue some projects of his own. I decided to push on with podcasting in my usual idiom and I was pleased with the three new shows that were produced. Sean, Brax, Jaedia and Wolfy were extremely obliging and great guests, but ultimately my schedule just couldn’t sustain a regular show. Hence, I re-released some “classic” shows to fill the gaps in the run up to Christmas. As a result of all these changes and the delays, the overall numbers for the show have been disappointing. Although statistics are not the only reason why I podcast, they are important as I was hoping to grow the audience this year. That has patently not happened although it is nice to know there’s a loyal core group of listeners. Therefore, I now have to think long and hard about my podcasting plans for 2018.

Comment 0 Likes

categories / 2017, A Year in, Podcasting, Podcast, A Year in Podcasting

A Year in Blogging

December 29, 2017 / Roger Edwards

My blogging goal for 2017 was to write a post every day. Due to family illness, I’ve missed approximately 10 days during the course of the year, however considering the circumstances I feel I have done well to maintain such a schedule. Compared to 2016 which saw the website decline and even go offline for a while, 2017 has been far more productive. Traffic has increased, and I feel that Contains Moderate Peril is finding an audience once again, as it did during it’s heyday in 2014. Broadening the scope of subjects that I write about has proven a sound decision and one I would recommend to other bloggers. It certainly allows for greater freedom of expression and technically, if nothing is off the table, then there’s always something to write about. Subsequently, I can see from my website statistics that the readership is becoming increasingly diverse and global in nature. As a writer, I therefore feel that it has been a successful year and I am satisfied with what has been achieved. My writing process has improved, and I can order my thoughts and structure a blog post far quicker than I use to.

Comment 2 Likes

categories / A Year in, Blogging, A Year in Blogging, 2017

A Year in Movies

December 27, 2017 / Roger Edwards

I have always enjoyed the experience of going to the cinema and I still consider it a great night out. Watching an engaging film with good company and then discussing it afterwards over drinks or a meal is one of life’s great pleasures. Sadly, over the course of 2017 I’ve only gone to see a movie at my local multiplex three times. This has nothing to do with audience behaviour or the standard of my local cinema. Both are surprisingly good. This is all down to the films that dominated cinemas at present. Although I have no major axe to grind with the fantasy genre, I do not wish an exclusive cinematic diet of such material. I have seen sufficient Super Hero movies for the present and have become tired with high concept, blockbuster, CGI driven actionfests. It concerns me that viewers who predominantly watch such movies are missing out on a wealth or broader material that could expand their tastes and horizons. I could also argue that mainstream cinema is becoming increasingly infantilised but perhaps that is best left for another blog post.

Comment 0 Likes

categories / A Year in, 2017, Movies, A Year in Movies

A Year in Gaming

December 26, 2017 / Roger Edwards

As 2017 draws to a close, it is time once again time to reflect upon the subject of gaming as it has remained a primary form of entertainment for me over the last twelve months. I have enjoyed most of the new titles that I’ve bought this year but not all of them. There’s been some that have failed to please and others that have proven to be flawed. Then there has been my ongoing relationship with the MMO genre as I still have a handful of these games installed on my PC. Let it suffice to say that only one of these titles has managed to maintain my interest. I suspect that the MMO genre per se is in for a year of change in 2018. As for the wider aspects of gaming, I wouldn’t say it has been an especially edifying year for the game industry or the associated fan culture. The “goodwill” based band-aid that has remained in place for the last few years was finally torn off in 2017, exposing a festering self-inflicted wound.

Comment 0 Likes

categories / A Year in Gaming, Gaming, MMORPG, LOTRO, Star Trek Online, Shadow of Mordor, Sniper Elite 4, Destiny 2, Friday the 13th, Star Wars Battlefront II, 2017, A Year in

A Year in Social Media

December 24, 2017 / Roger Edwards

Although Twitter has changed a great deal since 2010, when I first joined, I still find it very enjoyable experience. It is my primary social media platform compared to Facebook and Instagram. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had to mute several people (including some whom I like) and a ton of keywords over the last twelve months, so my timeline doesn’t become a portal into the seventh circle of hell. Contrary to the usual arguments that get trotted out, I don’t live in an echo chamber. I follow a diverse and eclectic group of people with a broad range of view and opinions. I simply filter out those who hold a binary view on all major issues and have with a predilection for being bellicose, bombastic and crass. If your default reaction to everything is get angry first and ask questions later, I think I can live without your opinions. Be that as it may, 2017 has been an especially rewarding year with my Twitter friends and I have greatly appreciated their company.

Comment 1 Likes

categories / A Year in, A Year in Social Media, 2017

A Year in Multimedia

December 30, 2016 / Roger Edwards

In the past, I’ve often written a summary of my experiences with gaming, movies and TV at the end of each year. Similarly, I usually reflect upon my activities in podcasting and blogging as well. However, 2016 has been unique in many respects. Political and social tides have changed in the West and there is much to reflect upon in the real world. Certainly, my appetite for creating content has taken a knock and I have at times stopped and wondered if it really is all worth the bother. But after such moments of introspection I still see the benefits of the written word or bellowing in to a microphone, so here we are once again. The only difference this time is rather than multiple posts, I can pretty much distil my thought on 2016 in one simple account.

Comment 1 Likes

categories / A Year in, A Year in Multimedia, 2016 Review, Gaming, Movies, TV, Podcasting, Blaugust, Blogging, NBI 2016

A Year in TV

December 29, 2015 / Roger Edwards

In recent years TV and cinema have effectively exchanged roles. When I was a child, cinema was the home of narrative driven drama, the exploration of complex social issues and at times even art. It attracted the best writer and as a result the best actors; whereas TV was the home of Airwolf. Thirty years on the opposite is now true. Cinema is often choked with bloated, bombastic franchises, largely devoid of any depth or substance. Television produces numerous multi-layered adult dramas that provide both writers and actors with far broader concepts to explore. Of course there are exceptions on both sides but broadly the analogy rings true.

1 Comment 0 Likes

categories / A Year in TV, TV, A Year in

A Year in Gaming Part 2

December 27, 2015 / Roger Edwards

I started 2015 playing RPGs. Despite becoming bored with Dragon Age: Inquisition and its ponderous storyline, I still found this particular genre engaging. January and February are often slows months in my line of work, so it’s a good time of year to immerse oneself in games of this type. I played through both Arcania : Gothic 4 and Rise of the Argonauts and found them both to be enjoyable. Neither of these titles was revolutionary, being mainly “business as usual” RPGs. However both were bought as part of gaming bundles and the discounted price does have an impact upon my gaming expectations. For what they were, I enjoyed them.

Comment 0 Likes

categories / Gaming, Hand of Fate, Heart of Thorns, Guild Wars 2, LOTRO, Star Trek Online, The Witcher 3, Eon Altar, A Year in Gaming Part 2, A Year in

A Year in Gaming Part 1

December 26, 2015 / Roger Edwards

This time last year I wrote a two part post called A Year in MMOs. Twelve months later I find myself writing a similar round-up of my gaming activities. However this time round the title has now become A Year in Gaming. One of the most significant changes for me over the course of 2015 has been my step away with the MMO genre. Where in the past I would seek out new titles and stay abreast of those in development, I now find myself no longer drawn to the genre by default. Traditional titles such as LOTRO have been sidelined. This is because both MMOs and I have changed over recent years. Although I still play this genre (mainly STO), I do so sparingly and it is no longer the apple of my eye or the mainstay of my gaming time.

Comment 0 Likes

categories / Gaming, The Witcher 3, Star Trek Online, LOTRO, Guild Wars 2, Hand of Fate, A Year in Gaming Part 1, A Year in

A Year in Social Media

December 25, 2015 / Roger Edwards

The internet is awash with competing forms of social media, all offering a platform for you to interact with your peers. Although I feel that there are a lot of positive aspects to all these mediums, there is also a downside. Need I really catalogue all the iniquities of Twitter or Facebook? Let it suffice to say that the internet giveth and it also taketh away. Social media is like any other tool and therefore has to be used appropriately. If used correctly then it can be informative, entertaining and a great way to broaden your horizons. The alternative is a portal into a world of anger, stupidity and shit. 2015 was the year that I feel I finally got my personal relationship with social media right.

Comment 0 Likes

categories / A Year in Social Media, Twitter, Facebook, Google +, Slack, A Year in

A Year in Technology

December 24, 2015 / Roger Edwards

As technology has such an impact upon so much of our lives I thought I’d take some time to reflect upon how I have personally used it over the last twelve months. Having worked in the IT industry for twenty years my relationship with technology has constantly evolved over time. As I’ve stated before both on the blog and podcast I no longer feel compelled to be an early adopter or at thecutting edge of technological change. The hardware and apps that I use from day to day are tools and I now treat them as such, rather than as fashion accessories. Practicality and functionality are the things I look for the most in the products that I use and if there are no immediate benefits to be gained then it doesn’t get purchased and installed. It would seem the reality and personal maturity has finally trumped the “wow” factor.

Comment 0 Likes

categories / Technology, A Year in Technology, A Year in

Filtering by Category: A Year in