Focused – Page 2 – SECURITY RESEARCH AND DATA PRIVACY

July 25, 2018July 27, 2018

Solo runs

My love for single player games continues; this skillset is particularly fruitful in a real-life Person versus Environment (PvE) situation. This morning I arrive at Gatwick Airport knowing I had just one hour to get to the terminal gate.

Navigating major airport terminals during summer holidays is challenging if you don’t anticipate the delays and have a countermeasure in mind. Also, any Network specialist will tell you that the last ‘hop’ is often the most problematic.

Airport terminal log – target Gate arrival time 11:20

10:30 arrive at Gatwick by train
10:40 arrive at terminal monorail shuttle 
transfer (Primary service)
Delay 1 - (Service failure)Terminal train 
out of service transferred to slow buses.
10:45 arrive at terminal
10:50 Checked-in luggage (I don’t normally do this)
10:55 Arrive at security check
Delay 2 - (Slow Service) Carry-on luggage 
selected for ‘random’ check
11:05 Cleared to proceed to gateway
Delay 3 - Gate allocated at 15 mins walk 
11:10 Arrive at Gate sweating and panting
11:30 Actually boarding plane
Delay 4 - Sitting on runway 
waiting for flight slot
12:14 Flight actually takes off

Flight departure scheduled for 11:55 and there no compensation or anything I can do about it except bitch and blog.

Tom Clancy’s The Division – the downside of Server side gaming

Hazards and delays avoided

Heavy or cumbersome hand luggage 
Travel document misplaced 
Gadgets misplaced 
Fast steady pace walk pass all NPCs 
(In real life - families, groups,tourists, 
airport staff walking the opposite way and 
folk who arrived early)
Shopping queues 
No window shopping 
No phone calls
No App checking
No SMS or VoIP 
No other players
...single player runs are definitely faster

Mission accomplished – Side effects

Elevated blood pressure 
Massive adrenaline surge
No time to think
No last minute detours
Hight chance of verbal conflict

Countermeasure

Arrive 2 hours ahead of time. 
(Problem: 4 out 5 EasyJet flights delayed)

Chaos can raise its head rapidly. Are you prepared?

Winter version is similar with the added bonus of being able to use your coat to conceal a second carry-on bag avoiding the additional fee….whoops, did I say that out loud.

July 15, 2018July 15, 2018

Getting to know you…Getting to know all about you

iOS 12’s new features are perfect for self-analysis. The built-in Screen time feature is just the sort of transparency an users now need. A pure non-technical approach to analytics give you granular control over your downtime, App time limits and content restricts.

My screen time is 77% down from last week and it’s very fitting as I was using social networking frequently with a Loved one.

Here’s some interest stats about me from ScreenTime

I picked up my phone 30 times a day
Once every 35 minutes after 14:00
I get around 13 notification a day

The most obvious use of this new resource is parent control, although I deliberately changed by device usage behaviour based on these stats.

Many of us won’t want to know these statistics. The truth about our device dependency is confirmed and proved.

Ignorance is not always bliss.

June 17, 2018June 17, 2018

Duties and Achievements

After 434 in-game days, I’ve finished the last story mode chapter of FallOut 4. It’s been a nice long read and a pleasant range of endings. As a completist, I’m drawn to the final few trophy hunts one of which is aptly named “They’re not Dolls”.

So far my bobblehead collection contains  
Charisma
Energy weapons
Medicine
Melee
Perception
Repair
Speech
Explosive
Small Guns
Intelligence
Luck

Searching for

Sneak
Science
Big guns
Barter
Endurance
Lock Picking
Strength
Unarmed
Agility

Tom Clancy’s The Division – Pulling us back to NY

This is gaming

May 28, 2018May 27, 2018

Walk on by

I’ve always seen following walkthroughs as a second-hand experience but in the right circumstance, especially tough linear games, it can be the key to sanity. I have limited time to solve some puzzles and frustration can grow rapidly.

It’s been 2 years I explored the Alien Isolation environment, it’s a brilliant and artistic re-creation of the early years of Ripley but really difficult as the chilling music and sound effects of the Alien hunting you distract your from objectives. Unlike other Alien titles, you have no big guns so you are forced to use stealth which adds up to a scary game of cat and mouse.

Alien: Isolation – last played January 2016

So let’s cheat, whoops sorry, I mean look up a walkthrough.

Some sites are dedicated to creating the best walkthrough as soon as the game is released and YouTube is filled with Pros, fanatics, commentators and streamers. Some authors have taken to documenting and selling complete illustrated walkthroughs which must be tough considering all the free stuff out there.

May 22, 2018May 22, 2018

Walk in the Park

Game release timing is always critical. I’m very picky with when I buy a title as the marketing hype from AAA studios is often a punch in the face. Indie titles are a bit more honest but often lack the wow factor. Funny thing is that I’m really enjoying indie title HellBlade.

I sidestepped the travesty of No Man’s Sky but still curious and would probably buy the full game for $20 or so but definitely not for the current $60. I added two low commitment titles that were not on my buy list but pleasantly interesting with a tempting price drop to $5 from $20, Firewatch and Inside.

Mafia III (released July 2016) is also down to $16 from $40 but the timing is not right and the drop indicates a possible freebie later this year for PS4 Plus members as they try to boost sales.