Dirty device

After navigating for the first time in months across the pond, I find personal data sprawled across multiple unknown official entities and a primary phone that is filthy with geolocators and suspicious tracking tech. I haven’t bothered with VPN for weeks.

So time for a brisk digital scrub down.

UK is now at COVID-19 Alert Level 4 and things do not appear to be getting better.

Last known incoming attack from 28°39’15.1″N 77°14’14.3″E – pretty standard, no real threat.

Bunker time as the world fights this new variant – Far Cry® 6

rm /path/to/2021/*

Well, this year has treated me pretty good in some ways and I’ve enjoyed a bit of success. Still, lots of areas to improve on and areas too painful to face so I’ve just put in a dark corner to rot.

2022 means just finding the courage to face the ugly painful things on my road to happiness.

Preparing to Survive in 2022 – Tom Clancy’s The Division

Plan C preemptive – Incomplete

So with very limited opportunities for gameplay, my thoughts turn to finishing the stories I’ve started.

Open world adventures like FarCry 6 can be easily eaten in short bursts but linear titles like Alien Isolation demand a decent amount of continuous focus 1-2 hours per sitting.

This is time I simply do not have right now. Yet my games Library continues to grow with juicy titles like SnowRunner which is basically a throwback to being a boy playing with trucks in a sandbox albeit very virtual now. Meanwhile, I hope the borders remain open for the holidays.

Stuck in the mad…..err, I need to re-think my approach (SnowRunner)

Budget 2022 – Infections rising

Horizon Forbidden West is probably the most anticipated on my wishlist for 2022. I lost all my saved games for Horizon Dawn (Platinum trophy gained) and can’t be bothered to replay the titles, never did get a real chance to complete the DLC but hey ho.

Having finally got a PS5 I spend more time on actual gameplay which is good considering I have less than 5 hours a week available.

It’s time again to adjust my budget.  2022 sees my annual budget at well under $1000.

Software / Hardware Release date Cost
Horizon Forbidden West 18 February 2022 $60.00+
A Plague Tale: Requiemunknown 2022 $60.00+
Tom Clancy’s The Division: Heartlandunknown 2022Free-to play?
Star Wars: Eclipseunknown 2022$80.00+
Forspoken May 2022 $60.00
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2unknown$60.00
The Lord of the Rings: Gollumunknown$60.00
VR Hardwareno target$500.00
Total  $880.00
UK heading towards Alert Level 3 for real (The Last of Us™ Part II)

The alert levels are:

• level 1: COVID-19 is not known to be present in the UK
• level 2: COVID-19 is present in UK, but the number of cases and transmission is low
• level 3: a COVID-19 epidemic is in general circulation
• level 4: a COVID-19 epidemic is in general circulation; transmission is high and pressure on
healthcare services is widespread and substantial or rising
• level 5: as level 4 and there is a material risk of healthcare services being overwhelmed

Proof of Happiness or Evidence against you

The notion of personal privacy with images is a social maze to navigate carefully. So you are out for a night out with some great friends and one of them takes out the phone for the mandatory group selfie.

Do you

Option A. Refuse to be in the pic and brace for the “why” questions from your friends?
Option B. Reluctantly smile and take the pic whilst asking them not to post it all over their social media knowing full well that is exactly what they are going to do?
Option C. Declare that you are on the run from the authorities and can’t risk it?
Option D. Take the phone, smash it and RUN.

It has become a major principle that separates us. What are the deeper reasons for inclusion or exclusion? What have you got to hide? Who are you hiding from? Why do you take images of yourself so much? What are you trying to prove?

Once the image is captured you have no control and in most cases, it’s totally harmless. Roll on 10 years and it then becomes material evidence that is held against you.

Not another group selfie

5 of 27

Week 2 of getting back in the gym and it’s actually working with less resistance from me or anyone around me. So easy to change habits sometimes but it seems I haven’t even got time enough to blog properly about it.

PS Plus turned on

Running around snipping folk in Far Cry® 6