Tag: Meticulous

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Turbulent detour ahead

Stopping compulsion suddenly and without warning is not a good long-term tactic and experts tell us that the chances of relapse are extremely high.

Going against professional guidelines, after a 10-hour Division 1 Legendary Global event run, I’ve decided to go PS5 cold turkey for the rest of 2022. Yep, trying to drive recklessly, shot things in the face and solve Samurai mysteries is not going to improve my current state of real-world sadness.

So I delete/all, unplugged and stored the device in a plastic container labelled “Do Not Open until 2023”. Of course, I will dig it up like some buried treasure soon enough but for now, it’s Game Over.

…..my dopamine detox begins.

There is a surprising amount of help and support around the topic of gaming addiction and specific therapy in the UK via the NHS treating the addiction seriously and not labelling the Gamer as lazy or worthless. For me, like 60%+ of gamers, the attraction is escapism and avoidance of dealing with real-world unpleasant issues.

The sadder I am, the more intense I game and for longer. Admitting to being a lifelong gaming addict is not easy as its usually associated with children and people with some sort of neurological disorder. Does my Myasthenia Gravis condition trigger my compulsion?

The results of my personality test are in.

Personality type: Advocate (INFJ-T)
Traits: Introverted – 68%, Intuitive – 58%, Feeling – 59%, Judging – 63%, Turbulent – 72%
Role: Diplomat
Strategy: Constant Improvement

The Q&A was only 10min but revealed my current state of mind and perhaps but my dead-end of trying to please everyone and in the gaming world always needing to level up. Will the real ClickOnyx please stand up?

Saturday 10th September 2022: The temporary physical transfer of PS5 Ownership took place today and my Grand nephew is busy downloading Fortnite.

Turn off the lights when you leave
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Power-On Self-Test

Business and Personal life continuity in our new lockdown era ramps up the criticality of pings.

Cut off anyone’s internet access and with seconds that are flapping around like a fish in the floor. Within minutes their brain will implode and after an hour irreversible brain damage will kick in. Well, a slight exaggeration but you get me point.

Over 90% of our service requires an internet connection and it much cheaper now.
So with these old vulnerabilities in plain view why craft up new malware and exploits. Just reuse the classics, this Christmas, for example, we may see the same threats resurfacing. Privacy is so 2018 as many “bend the knee” to be tracked to “protect” society.

If you really want to socially distance yourself and isolate simply kill your WiFi, job done. No constant stream of toxic global pandemic news sending your brain into panic and disbelief but no entertainment [Sad Face?].

Time to dig up all DVDs or maybe actually talk to the person you live with…if you are lucky enough to co-habit.

Anyhow, my Internet Diet of 24-hours is over and I’m back online uploading this article.

Poor old UK Government has no idea what to do next

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Turn the bloody alarm off (NSA spoiler alert)

A trip through the NSA Security alert mission on Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 reminds me that being meticulous and patient is a rewarding trait.  I romped through the mission only to be perplexed searching for the Backpack trophy.

Crafty level designers lead you to apparent dead-ends with minimal clues as you try to figure out how to get into the fan shaft in the DataCentre.  Finding the fan shaft is not that tricky but finding the fuse box annoying, i took me 20 mins of running around the map shooting red fuse boxes with no results. Best to run this mission solo unless all your team members have the same mindset.

The solution is right in your face…just pan top left near the fan and you can barely see a yellow fuse box, shoot that and then everything is gravy. You’ll end up in an office with lots of loot after scurrying through the tunnels like an oversized rat.

Tom Clancy’s The Division® 2 – hidden NSA secrets
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Fear, paranoia and glitches

Like many Brits by birth, I’ve become accustomed to my democratic privacy. I enjoy free movement across borders without much hassle.

Enter The Dragon

Since a kid, I’ve been fascinated with Chinese culture so it’s actually awesome to be finally going there as 40+ years later. It becomes apparent at the Visa application stage how controlling the authorities are and this is made worst with media coverage of official spyware install by immigration…WTF and I have to pay for the privilege of a Visa. Having an assumption of my privacy rights does not help my situation and so my anxiety level rise and hello Mr Myasthenia.

So what’s in my toolkit?

  • Linux Tails iPad
  • new iCloud account
  • New Facebook account for self tracking ….and a few encrypted devices.

…but essentially, I’ll be offline as much as possible.

My top 5 Barriers to China

  1. You have to scan and upload your picture. This is easy enough but not everyone has a decent document scanner or knows how to use it.
  2. Confirmed hotel booking…maybe I just want to be free and last minute. Nope, this is not an option.
  3. Form filling 10 pages of personal data..This is Your Life
  4. Appointment in person…2-3 hours if you are lucky
  5. Figuring out the geography…China is freaking massive. I will definitely get lost at some point.

I have no freaking idea what I’m getting into but hey, it’s just another level.

Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 – intentional glitch?
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I’ve already said too much

The Art of shutting the hell up is tough to maintain consistently. I kick myself at how transparent I can sometimes become, showing my raw emotions ready for exploitation.

My fellow US squad members often let slip their opinions on real world ballistics whist playing the Division which probably explains why their builds are so bloody brilliant.

Anyways…my hopes of a conflict free weekend were shattered within 2 hours of arriving back in London. On the plus side, I’m thankful for months of good health despite not visiting the gym, eating randomly and too often.

Far Cry® New Dawn – Trust NooooooBody