The N7 Project

Let the rain wash away all the pain of yesterday

2012-02-27T04:34:00.001Z

Things are mixed.

Finally sorted my thoughts out so they're back how they used to be with POI #1, had a decent night out together the other day with no degree of negative thoughts (at least between the two of us) for like, a mega foam party with lasers and CO2 as well which, quite honestly, was a painful but fun experience to say the least. We even made it into the "Super Friday Highlights" which, to be honest, is a record in all fairness. First time over my 18 weeks at uni that I've made it into the highlights reel for having an awesome picture taken...or just me being plainly too sexy when covered in foam. I'm assuming it was the latter of course. Yeah I could do with deflating my head slightly...ego getting to me you see :') But yes, to link back to the title, the pain of yesterday in POI #1 has been washed away, I no longer care about what I perceived to happen...I'm sure I just scored a major judgmental error more than anything and didn't take intoxication into consideration. If she's happy with how she is right now and stays out of trouble...that's what I care about right now, nothing else on the matter.

However, something isn't adding up in POI #2. I have identified several reasons why the plan failed and I'm not liking the conclusions I've drawn from it. It's impossible to have a mind conflict with no proper catalyst and if things can happen that would happen in a certain status outside of, but not within that status then something is definitely not right in how things have worked out. Logical processes say otherwise on the matter and through soberness I have a much clearer head to identify anything requiring logical thinking.

Current "weather" forecast is: Cloudy with some sunny spells and hailstorm in the southern region below the midlands.

Thought for today: I don't actually care about how much sex people get off people who can do seemingly everything better or are "fit" compared to most. Just don't forget your reputation and the fact someone else might be getting hurt by both hearing about it and knowing it's happening.

How the "Weather" System Works to Describe My Mood/The N7 Project is 6 Months Old!!

2012-02-20T05:05:00.000Z

First and Foremost; The N7 Project has been going for 6 months! Had more views than I predicted I would in this space of time so thanks for reading if you have been keeping up with it. I know posts have been slow recently but that's for several reasons which involve my course, application for something work-wise/the training involved for the build up to IF I get accepted and other things that need not be discussed publicly. But that doesn't matter, as long as the views keep on coming from you guys and you're enjoying the blog then that's all that matters really, it's what I'm doing it for as well as something to do in my spare time.

Now to the main point of this post. The "Weather" system is something I devised a while back in order to give a simple indicator of what my mood is. Let's face it, I know there's something wrong with me in my mind and I can't always put it into words as I hoped I'd be able to, so I made this system to help me do it both creatively and pretty simply. It was referenced in one of my first posts in August 2011 but only with a reading, it was pretty much under wraps at the time.

Basically, I just give a current reading/forecast of my present/future mood respectively, it's that simple really. The more intense the weather, the worse my mood is. That's all there is to it, pretty much. Not really any technical know how needed since I don't include wind speed/direction, temperature or barometric pressure into it so it stays simple. I will write a list out below to give descriptors on what they all mean.

Sunny, Clear Skies - Very happy

Sunny, Minor Clouds - Happy

Cloudy, some Sunny Spells - Both happy and sad

Moderately Cloudy - A little down

Overcast - Quite down

Raining - Upset

Thunderstorm - Angry

Snow - Laid back

Ice - Chilled

Fog - Unclear

Heatwave - Meh.

Hailstone - In physical pain

Blizzard - Ultra chilled

Apologies, Glances and Messed Up Chances

2012-02-19T23:51:00.001Z

It's never easy when it comes to wanting a relationship, nobody ever said it would be. The success rate in general for the reasonable "nice person" is excessively low, you have to be someone that doesn't love anyone but just wants to exploit someone for your own ends to get with someone and then throw them away when they're no longer useful (hence the higher than normal breakup/divorce rate, at least in my opinion). At least in a lot of cases anyway, it seems to be on the rise from my perspective and it stands out really obviously when you look at some people.

What is the reason for nice people being rejected though? Where's the grounding for it? More than anything it's usually looks based because you have to be "fit" to even stand a chance with some people...defining "fit" in itself obviously varies between people but it's generally known for meaning "someone in a stereotype that's cool to me". Should a stereotype really define feelings for someone? No. It's easy to get engulfed in it then be taken on the road to disaster in relationships because of it as well. The end result is always the same though if it ends: the sex that got "the worst" of it will blame the entire other species with the same idea and STILL not consider a nice, down to earth person who isn't in a stereotype, even though it would last, because they're either "boring" or "not fit" or even a combination of the two. But they will go out with either the same person that "screwed them over", someone who will be exactly the same with them (again, because they're "fit") or just carry on slating the other sex.

Of course, the argument is complicated by the fact that nobody is perfect and we all make mistakes, even the nice people. Sometimes people have to get hurt for you to progress with your own life and all that jazz which actually renders them exempt from the argument and give the other person no reason to complain about the opposite sex. Unfortunately, the majority don't see it in that way and proceed to start winging how they got "messed around" and how "all guys are dicks/all girls are bitches"...it's like, it didn't happen for a reason, maybe a damn good one, you just can't see it. Saying that, I'm not slating post-rejection depression there, that's perfectly normal, pretty regular when you think about it if you want to be with someone you can't get for whatever reason.

Love, Relationships...anything like that - it's a hurtful experience, something you have to be prepared to accept defeat with every now and again. For the successes you have, you'll also have your failures. Naturally the ratio of failure to success is considerably greater because of many reasons, such as the ones detailed above to do with stereotypes and how "fit" you are. Cruel world.

A Success and a Defeat in One Day

2012-01-21T12:43:00.000Z

There was both successes and failures today.

Start with the good news anyway; the success was that SOPA and PIPA have been postponed, gives our internet world a chance to plan our next moves and get going with a new way of defeating the acts altogether. While there's no guaranteed success in getting them to stop the legislation - we can make a difference.
So far we've taken one casualty, which is part of the bad news - Megaupload has been seized and closed. How they've been allowed to do that without the acts being passed is beyond me, the owners aren't responsible for the content hosted on the site since it's a digital locker, anyone can go on there and put something. Wouldn't be surprised if it was a sabotage operation if I'm honest. Someone from 'the inside' puts something on there, whole website gets busted for hosting it. Clever and actually not illegal to do, but it's quite unethical really when you look at it. But that's just speculation and until proof is found that was the case, it will remain speculation.

The defeat was a complete failure for N7. While not going into specifics it's just romantic failure, no surprises there though when thinking about it. Sad but hey, it's not your problem as the reader, it's mine. I may go into detail in a future post but that depends on how things go from here.

SOPA and PIPA? To arms!

2012-01-18T13:26:00.001Z

These new pieces of legislation that the US Government are considering enforcing on the people are effectively going to break the internet.

SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) is designed so that the Government can essentially ban access to any website that they deem contains any illegal content, essentially just like the PROTECT-IP Act (PIPA). This would affect internet usage around the entire world not just the USA as any websites with so called "illegal content" would be effectively shut down. Ridiculous in my opinion and I, like many other netizens, just see it as an attempt to bring in corporate sponsored censorship to the free online world.

Where would we be without the internet as it is? It would be grim to say the least, would mean a chilling effect occurring on YouTube, Wikipedia taking a hit, all torrent sites closed down to US web traffic. All those things that we see as everyday. All sponsored by the friendly neighborhood Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America), corporate censorship at its most obvious since coincidentally a senator runs one of the two...can't remember which at the moment, I don't really understand how US politics and business works to be fair. They're effectively trying to stop people having free will and force them to pay ridiculous prices to buy one thing that they distribute. Seriously over here in the UK the prices charged for movies and music are absolutely unjustified, hell just two days ago I saw a single...yes a SINGLE costing in the upper echelon of the £5 - £10 range, possibly quite the same as the USA and it's no surprise that people will resort to stealing it from the internet instead. I don't condone piracy, not many people do, but in all fairness I can see the reasoning for people wanting to do it so much. If anything the best thing to do in order to prevent piracy would be to LOWER the prices since, let's be honest, the industry doesn't lose *that* much money from piracy at all. Lowering the prices would encourage a higher purchase rate = higher economic growth. It's simple and shouldn't be all about maximising profits at all.

Debate is welcome on this post. I'd be happy to see other opinions on the matter to be honest, would make an interesting read to see if they differ to mine :)

One successful night and the first time that N7 rescued a girl.

2012-01-14T04:49:00.000Z

In all honesty, tonight was actually one of the best nights I've had in a very long time. Nothing seemed to go wrong at all and even though I didn't drink much I still had a very good time :)

Met friends I haven't seen in months, even going back as far as freshers week and to be honest I've not felt so laid back around girls in a while. It's actually really cool when I get that feeling because it's rare it's ever felt...confidence tonight was at an all time high for a long time and I managed to end up rescuing a friend from someone who she couldn't escape from alone, god help her if we weren't there, she knew what would have happened and actually said that she can't thank me enough for getting her away. It's just always good to know when your work has been acknowledged by someone you really do care about and would do anything it takes to keep safe. No aggression was used to get her away, just a very skillful and well timed move that resulted in me dancing with her and she came to me and stuck on my side away from him and covered by other people on both sides.

So on the whole, highly successful night in my opinion and hopefully more nights like this will come, obviously minus perv guys trying to get some from my friends, but I'd love more nights where i can feel so secure and have a great time with my friends that I rarely see. Might even become a Friday thing with some luck :)

Love Is a Futile Endeavor

2012-01-11T05:22:00.000Z

Think the title is self explanatory for this post.

Love really is a futile endeavor. What hope is there when all you do is be nice to people and they just don't want you in that way? Why is it there are two different portrayals in life? You're either super "hot" and get everyone, even if you're a complete dick. Either that or you're the little person who is ignored because of people that overshadow you in loads of ways and as a result, leave you with no attention from the opposite sex at all?
It's a harsh world. No doubts there, I mean how hard can it be to find someone who will just like you for a change and want to be with you because you don't fake who you are? Why does it have to be so hard or be so easy to get completely screwed over by someone pretending to like you? Had major experiences of that one but not going into detail on it.

Admittedly, I've made my fair share of mistakes in this field and hurt someone I genuinely liked because of misunderstanding the signals given off. Told me she didn't want a boyfriend, but that was just at the time I mentioned it, because I didn't keep dragging it up it began to change from that to "i really liked you!" after I'd made the biggest mistake ever. Of course, we don't speak anymore which is quite sad in all honesty, but it's just how things work in this. I'm grown up enough to admit the mistake I made by reading the signals wrong and not giving it more time or putting more effort. She knows that because she realised who I was talking about when I was getting remorseful.

I just want someone nice, while I may have had a small crush on a close friend, nothing major or anything...it would have been a futile attempt since it's just not going to go anywhere and she's already seeing someone. Which leads to the point of - where are all the nice girls? They're all either seeing someone or won't choose someone like me for various reasons which I've already identified as;

Looks
Not being loud enough
Being too nice
Hair colour (stupid I know)

Unfair right? Now I'm going to list all the reasons I've been rejected for;

Hair colour
Personality
Being too nice
Not stereotypically good looking
Just doesn't see a relationship
Bad clothing style
I'm too much of a good friend
Can't see past some things
Failing to realise signals
Not enough of a tw@
Conflicting personality
Boring
Too "normal"
Not being dead popular
Not fitting into a specific stereotype
Doesn't get on with their friends or vice versa
Music tastes
Hairstyle
Not outgoing enough
Already seeing someone
No attention from girls
Friends making it awkward (This isn't a joke - that was a genuine reason from 1 person before University)

There's times when I can see the reasoning behind it but others..I just don't know anymore what I can do. I've got the friends to help me out and try and advise but nothing is working and I'm just facing the fact that I'm not going to be getting with anyone soon and all of the good girls are taken or like somebody...unfair as it is, as is life so I've just got to get on with it.

While these may be dark times for me, I will never give up even if I want to. Although saying that I've chosen a tactical hiatus after today. And as for Valentines Day next month, whatever it says "will be taken down, screwed up and shoved down it's scummy little throat 'till it chokes to death." Gene Hunt: Chapter 1 - Verse 2

Who I Am Hates Who I've Been

2011-12-31T04:39:00.000Z

I think it's time to explain something pretty critical in how I think.

Breaking up with somebody is never an easy thing. In fact, unless you really don't like the person you're breaking up with in that way anymore, it's one of the hardest things ever. Probably why it was incredibly easy with my last partner. Obviously the difficulty is considerably smaller than that of the extremes like the death of a loved one or having the guts to go out to serve your country at war.

But it's not the initial loss, it's the after effects you should be worrying about. Especially the psychological ones. For example, take the example of armed conflict, you have the potential to lose some great mates in one and everything as you knew it is gone in that instant where their biological functions cease for good, it'll never be the same again, you'll never bring that person back no matter what you do. Same principle goes for when you lose the one person you can honestly say you would have loved to have spent the rest of your life with, you had it, then you just let it slip away...the whole thing dies out and you'll never get it back.

The psychological effect of this can be massive. No matter what, it doesn't matter who it is now, I just don't get the same sense of being happy anymore. It's nothing like "suicidal sadness" over it, that'd be going too far, it's nothing to be that badly damaged by it (which is where this branches away from the armed conflict comparison, post traumatic stress disorder doesn't apply in this). But it's just, when your best friend was with you as the one you could honestly see as being your partner for life, the one you had a lot of interest in not just because of their looks, but a personality to match, no matter how short the whole thing lasted, it's still difficult when there was so much potential in there.

This is a few years later and I'm still facing the after effects of the break up mentally. Shock-waves essentially, nobody said being that person you can turn to for anything was easy, it's just very difficult to know what to say when you try your hardest to make her happy by helping her to get with someone new and probably about 50million times better than you could ever have been. Essentially it's pretty devastating on your mind but interestingly it raises that question in the back of your head "Why can't I be like that?". Admittedly "back in the day", I really wasn't the kind of guy you'd go for; nerdy, messy hair, obsessed with video gaming...those were the dark days of my life and didn't gain me the biggest number of friends, to be honest I was damn lucky I got her in the first place, if you saw a picture of her you'd understand what I mean...but I have in the last few months, managed to mount up an offensive on my own mind to change that, something that's pretty damn difficult. But now I've got a hell of a lot of friends, had a few girls interested in me, go on nights out to socialise and have a laugh and all that but on the whole it's too late for that now and it's too blatantly obvious to me. My best friend slipped away and there's no chance I'll ever have a window of opportunity of being with her again.

Admittedly yes, I have been trying to get her to see I genuinely still like her, trying to think of how I managed to get with her in the first place. But it's no use, we've both changed a lot since but it's not going to change anything. I think this may be the source of my extremely bad sleeping pattern, thinking about this too hard. But also knowing it's not going to go anywhere no matter what I try. It's just not going to work and I guess it's some sort of denial of that fact in the back of my head. I just can't seem to get over her. Breaks me a lot when I try and help with any "guy issues" she might have, but I still carry on in the hope that she becomes happy or that she might see me as a much more valiant person than I was initially with her. Can only see the first happening personally, but as long as I live, every second of "single life", there'll be hope. The hope that one day, things will come back together.

Never lose hope. Keep believing.

N7 - Spode War I Weapons Guide

2011-11-30T02:32:00.002Z

This is the weapons guide from any skirmishes occuring in Flat 3 as part of Spode War I (17/09/11 - Present). Not a complete list as new ones are being discovered all the time.

Bathroom
Wet Mops - These were used in the ambush against Boxer upon getting out of the shower and opening the door. Essentially a highly wet mop intended to get the victim in the fact and is used in conjunction with the "Mop Bucket".

Mop Bucket - Filled with water, the Mop Bucket is a multi-purpose weapon. While it can charge the standard mop to become a Wet Mop, it can also be used to give the victim a complete and utter soaking. Results can be messy.

Firearms

Nerf "Maverick" Pistol - this is a moderate power, nerf dart weapon which is useful for keeping someone back to an extent. Being shot in the eye is like blunt force being applied so can sting a bit. Useful when speed is needed.

Nerf "Recon" Rifle - Low power version of the CS6, this can deal a reasonable hit, but nothing suppressive. Also has an annoying reload mechanism and often jams on the slightest error in a reload. Good for taking things slower.

Nerf "Deploy CS6" Rifle - This is a tank, quite customisable and pretty accurate to go with it. This can keep someone back and give you some bodily defence as well due to the size of it. Doesn't jam as often as the Recon however, speed and reload efficiency still don't match up to the Maverick.

P698 Sport BB Gun - These are a "Bring the Pain" kind of weapon. They do hurt and could blind a target if used improperly. Heavy clothing can give decent protection from shots. Can leave pretty bad marks and were used in multiple firefights in the main corridor. Although use in the current conflict has been disbanded.

Convential
Flip-Flops - Used commonly by Pingu, the flip-flop is a pretty useful weapon. Can cause stinging when hit on exposed skin or through thin protective layers. Coming into more common use since the disbanding of BB gun usage since they give the same pain if used correctly.

Propaganda
"Spode Hall Needs YOU" Posters - Used only by Pingu, this propaganda can be interpreted as a "showing them who's boss" kind of thing. Although the effect is minimal, the batch of them currently in operation was actually deployed in connection with N7.

Cyber Warfare
Wall posts - These can be annoying, the combined result of wall-posts and notifications can result in a slow down or freeze of the victims computer. However, it can also backfire if your computer is not strong enough to handle it, leaving you open to retaliation.

Fraping - Done as a "Black Op", frapes are stealth attacks on someone through their own computer while they aren't observing it. The only prevention is quick reactions, precautions or use of force. Essentially just write something about the person which is a lie so that everyone thinks it's true. Can also be considered propaganda.

Liking - Similar effect to the wall-posts attack, these can cause slowdown due to excessive notifications but also slow you down. The result can be the same as with wall-posts. A retaliation.

Kitchen
Doughnuts - Essentially bombs. These are horrible to get hit by since the explosiveness of the liquid inside can really make a mess of you which isn't the least bit funny for the victim. Hilarious when the person isn't expecting it or when it's done at the right time though. Also funny chucking them at fat people. Use in conflict initially by Pingu.

Loaf of Bread - These are blunt but give quite an impact depending on how much the weight is on them. Only one use ever recorded during Operation: Famine Buster against N7.

Bread Slices - Can be grim if it's been coated in butter. Especially if moldy because to be fair..who'd like to be hit in the face by moldy bread?

Butter - makes you feel slippery but it's not a good thing, butter melts fast on the skin and can go down your top considerably easily. It's not a nice feeling either.

N7 - Operation: Famine Buster

2011-11-30T01:54:00.000Z

***CLASSIFIED MISSION FILE***N7***
***CHECKING DETAILS***
***ACCESS AUTHENTICATED***
***PROFILE RECONSTRUCTION COMPLETED***

Operation: Famine Buster

Belligerents
N7
Pingu
Grandad
Manc Lad
Blackburn

Interesting operation this one. The 2nd skirmish in two days in Flat 3 which, being honest, is quite mental. But this time it wasn't cyber warfare, it was a physical engagement involving the use of - you guessed it - food and weapons. Specific weapon detailing can be found in the next post.

Basically the skirmish started with a bombardment of chocolate bombs, first of which targeted Blackburn then attention turned against Grandad and N7. Manc Lad began using propulsion methods, such as the common household Wok, to essentially make a bit more of an explosive impression on the wall/person it hit. Few bodily impacts and good evasion by N7.

Black Op done by ***CLASSIFIED DETAILS*** was quite funny as well, the actual sabotage is behind red tape at the moment for the element of surprise. Release on request and vetting.

Ambush on N7 with flip-flops and a loaf of bread was interesting. Needless to say it did sting a little but no significant damage at all.

Ambush on Grandad by Pingu and Manc Lad was a complete backfire. Grandad gained the upper hand and pretty much destroyed the assailants single handed, dragged them down a corridor and casually walked off.

N7 Damage Report - Impact on the back of the head with a loaf of bread. Also butter on front left of face. Several impacts to the rear, head and arms with flip flops as well. No significant damage.

N7 - Operation: Quelle Surprise

2011-11-30T01:27:00.001Z

***CLASSIFIED MISSION FILE***N7***
***CHECKING DETAILS***
***ACCESS AUTHENTICATED***
***PROFILE RECONSTRUCTION COMPLETED***

Operation: Quelle Surprise

Belligerents
N7
"Burnley"
"City"
"Boris"
"Grandad"

Mission Report

At approximately 2300 hours Burnley launched an offensive against N7 which developed into an engagement on Boris, City and Grandad. Wall-posts and liking the living hell out of everything on each others profiles were the main method of attack in this. However, some black ops took place with undercover fraping done by N7, City and Burnley.
Next thing that happened was the posting of disturbing images to walls. Boris and Grandad put a block on further activity from Burnley.
That's all there was to this skirmish really, was quite a major exchange but it went reasonably well to be fair. Next mission to follow.

The N7 Monthly Update - November 2011

2011-11-28T22:33:00.000Z

It's been an interesting month.

Let's just say it's not been the easiest by any means, assignments and stress generally hitting everyone harder than we initially thought it would. Everyone seems to be coping OK though which is good.

Few bits of tension between people but handled like a boss.

Other than that, student survival guide finally online after a few delays and now just got to look forward to going home for Christmas I guess.

NOTICE - Anonymous comments have been BANNED. With them being untraceable it's too difficult to tell A) who it is and B) whether it's spam or something just intending to annoy me so you'll now need a Google Account to comment (if you have YouTube you'll have one)

Spectre's Survival Guide to University for New Students

2011-11-28T22:15:00.001Z

Spectre's Survivors Guide to University for New Students (Based on my experiences in Stoke-on-Trent)

Section 1 - Accommodation Security

If you are moving to university then chances are, you'll most definitely be living in either University Halls of Residence (Known as 'halls'), University managed houses or landlord-rented accommodation.
No matter which you get put into security is essential.

University Halls of Residence (Halls) will be the safest by far but the biggest threat actually comes from within through people you live with, you don't know them and hence, can't trust them until you get to know them. Lock your room if you go out or you'll definitely either get something nicked or you'll be pranked (more likely of the 2). Just make sure you're security conscious for a bit, no need for the whole year though unless you're seriously paranoid or going to be away for a while.

University Managed Houses: you have slightly more of a chance of being externally burgled. But it's still not particularly any higher than halls since you are still on campus so CCTV and security is watching your property at all times. Still, be a bit more careful, make sure you remember to lock doors and windows before and after a night out.

Leased accommodation - you have the biggest threat of being burgled of all the accommodation options. Firstly, you're on public streets and, with most being low level terraced houses for the most part, it's quite easy for an experienced burglar to get access to your property if you don't take proper precautions. Be certain that even if you're just going upstairs and you're in by yourself, lock the front door and shut the downstairs window. I've been past a lot of houses that don't take those precautions, example being six in one night, even one door and a car door had been left wide open unattended. So when you come home, doesn't matter how drunk/tired, lock your door, and shut your windows. Also, set the burglar alarm if you have one and shut downstairs curtains.

Top Tip - Lights deter the majority of burglars.

Section 2 - Personal Security in General

Personal Security is a matter that many overlook before they come to university. It happens no matter where you go, there will always be someone not being conscious about their surroundings and the fact that other people could be psycho. The following tips will help keep you safe at all times.

1. Don't go out by yourself at night, no matter what distance or state you're in - Always take someone with you, opportunist thieves will pick easy targets out and that includes people walking alone.

2. Don't display top of the range gadgets or valuables when you're out and about as though you're a pawn shop - you're just asking for trouble if you do this and you're distracting yourself from your surroundings. Keep it concealed unless you need it.

3. Respect the locals and they'll respect you. People from my University City of Stoke-on-Trent are, for the most part, very friendly and will usually be willing to help you. But they are proud of their hometown. Disrespect it or them within earshot of the wrong people and they won't respect you in a hurry. Probably tell you that as well if you're unfortunate enough to say it in front of the wrong person.

4. If you HAVE to go out alone at night and think you're being followed by people you don't know/aren't students and you know it, cross the road. If they cross as well or copy your actions at night, assume you're being followed. If this is the case, call campus security or if you really need someone there, get the police out to investigate or a friend to meet you.

5. Use zip pockets if possible and don't overload your pockets it makes things a hell of a lot more difficult for pick-pockets or petty thieves to identify you're carrying anything. A brilliant trick is to put a fake wallet in your back pocket, they'll nick that and you'll keep your money, cards etc.

6. Try and avoid using your passport as ID, it's quite easy to lose and expensive to do so.

Section 3 - Having a Successful Night Out

Successful nights out don't consist of being completely smashed out of your brains and unable to walk. It's getting there, having fun and getting back safely with no trouble occurring to you or your friends.

^^ big ass bouncer who you don't want to be on the wrong side of

While Hanley (city centre of Stoke-on-Trent) is generally a brilliant night out, I don't think there's been one night I haven't seen something happen. Which, quite honestly is expected on any night when people have had a few. There's a lot of police about so don't expect things to get bad personally unless you start something. Most things in Hanley, like other cities, happen in the clubs but the bouncers are top notch and yes, they will give you a good kicking if you annoy them or harm others enjoyment. Followed by being arrested.

Section 3-2: Safety on A Night Out

Safety is essential on nights out. Follow these simple rules to avoid any ridiculous amounts of trouble.

1. Don't have way too much over your limits, your alertness will go down, making you an easier target or more likely to provoke somebody and will most likely get you booted out of a club. Plus, passing out on the street leaves you a pretty exposed target in all fairness, not everyone will help you.

2. This is a major one: NEVER leave your drink unattended or out of your sight. There's a chance, although very rare in Hanley, that you'll get spiked. If you have to go on a toilet break, take your drink with you or leave it with a mate. Don't leave it with someone you've only just met for your own safety. Cover the tops of bottles if you want increased security and if you really want to be safe - carry a spike detector.

3. Don't take the chance of having a "quickie" in a club toilet or whatever, especially if you have no protection. Firstly, the area itself is grim to do it in, secondly the person you're having it with, you probably don't know and thirdly, you could be leaving with something you started the night without, bouncer or non-bouncer assisted.

Section 4 - The Art of the Overdraft
Student accounts by nature come with an overdraft. It's not surprising they do with the erratic spending patterns most of us get indulged in, particularly around "Freshers Week" and Christmas time.
So here's a tip for you, keep your overdraft as small as you possibly can. For example, mine has been since opening my account, a mere £10. It's good to keep it small as it acts like a deterrence to overspending and breaking into money that you actually don't have and actually have to pay back to the banks. But don't have no overdraft, running out of money and having no buffer is really bad and for the record, will leave you in a pretty bad situation if you're far away from home and have no way for your parents to give you money.

Section 5 - Freshers Week: The Good, The Bad and the Random

Freshers week on your first time, any student will tell you, will be the best days of your university life. It's a totally new environment, new people, new independent life and generally an awesome experience.

^ ^ Common sights in Freshers Week are like this.

The Good - Freshers Week enables you to meet new people in the same place and position as you. You'll all, for the most part, be excessively nervous but the moving in party that was thrown at Leek Road Venue (LRV) or at any universities around the country, it was immense. Everyone just drinking and having a great time hanging out with new flatmates and meeting even more people. I personally met a lot of great people and had a hell of a laugh in Freshers Week, my flat is known all around the university now as a direct result of a freshers party we threw. Immense that's what it was. Furthermore, it doesn't matter what your preference is on alcohol, like it or not you'll still fit in with everyone as there are people like you everywhere in university.

^ ^ Leads to an empty bank balance

The Bad - Be prepared for a bloody big impact on your bank balance if you're not careful. While it's inevitable there will be a moderate impact on it, it can be controlled so it's not all bad. Furthermore, you might begin to make bad impressions or do things against your will if you get too drunk. It does happen but usually it's forgotten about and it's natural for new students anyway. At least the ones who want to have fun.

The Random - Now, pranking is common at university. Especially in halls. Be prepared because it happens to everyone, really doesn't matter who you are but it does happen. For gods sake don't leave your room unattended if it's unlocked or if anyone asks you for your key, don't give it to them. Their intentions will be pretty damn clear. The following image is actually a real one from my Freshers Week experience and to be honest, when the security woman (won't be named) came and told us to get it back inside, even she was nearly laughing.

Yes that is one of our flatmates bed's outside, left his keys unattended and that's the consequence you can expect in FW. Seen everything from things like that, mattresses being thrown out of windows, cars being tin-foiled...nothing is safe believe me. So be aware that it does happen ok?

Section 6 - Sexual Health

This is quite a serious subject here. Sexual Health is a very important thing to be conscious about in university. Obviously alcohol has the power to make things happen that wouldn't usually happen. Either that or you're just really talented at getting a girl to do anything you want, feeling mutual? Congratulations. But it doesn't mean you shouldn't read this.

This is the most powerful tool for a guy engaging in a sexual experience ever invented. The Condom (or at least a wrapped up one). This is your defence against any sexually transmitted infections/diseases, potentially a life saver since it's the only thing short of not having sex that can stop Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) or Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and has a multi-purpose function as it is also a baby prevention device.

The most common STI seen in university is Chlamydia. Also known as "Clap" this infection does NOT have any noticable symptoms. At least for a while anyway. While it's not fatal, get yourself checked if you've done something because - it can stop you having kids or ever climaxing since it can cause you to go sterile.

Not trying to scare you from having sex, but prevention is the best cure when it comes to STI's. Just make sure if you do, be safe about it since nobody wants to have it with anyone known to have things such as Clap.

Section 7 - What If I Get Arrested?

If you get arrested firstly - DO NOT RETALIATE. For something that could potentially be ridiculously minor such as Drunk and Disorderly, you have a defence there - intoxication and the most you'll get is banged up for the night and a fine, end of. Possibly even a discharge with caution if it's your first offence. But you don't have a defence for assaulting a police officer or another person when under the influence. Turning a fine into an assault charge along with resisting arrest and obstructing an officer in the line of duty with the potential consequence of a community service/prison sentence order, I'd rather take the fine personally.
You have the right to know what you are being arrested for and also to contact friends/relatives, someone who you can tell you've been arrested so that they can provide whatever help they can. Furthermore, before your court appearance, your university's Students Union should be able to provide legal advice - but can't act as your solicitor so don't ask them to.

Section 8 - The Students Union

The Students Union is your best ally at university. The Union is basically the heart of all student activity, advice and societies. They will usually be the ones who are in charge of nightlife on campus, for example, here on Stoke campus of Staffordshire University, the union manages venues LRV (Leek Road Venue), Verve and Ember Lounge.
However, your union is not all about nightlife. They are there to help you in everything you need in your university life whether it's financial advice or if you're in trouble and need legal advice. They also run the majority of student societies and manage members of those, furthermore they also put on the Freshers Week events which, as previously stated, was a blast this year.
Get acquainted with your union and you can't go wrong since you can go to them and they'll probably have an answer for everything in all honesty.

That's all there is to university really, everything is award dependent and things such as attendance policy can vary between universities so won't be included in this guide. :)

So yeah, go out, get drunk, get your degree, have an epic time and good luck!

N7 Update - Cryptic Message (Don't expect to understand this unless I tell you what it means)

2011-11-27T02:51:00.000Z

Kilo Charlie alert state lowered slightly
Mike Whiskey classed as FUBAR by 7 different details
Jagerbomb presently away, returning day 7
N7 Readiness State (N7RS) = 3
Retaliation is equal to Dispersion of Kilo Charlie acquisition
Assignments presently engaged
Justification of action opposed by three factions
Justification of action supported by seven factions
Serve In Silence protocol established
Kilo Charlie seen as FUBAR by over 12 people
Differential is minor
Golf Oscar - Delta India Echo order interestingly not used
Bravo Juliet Tango is a true ally
Alpha Papa is a Life bringer

Is there really an explanation for this?

2011-11-27T02:15:00.000Z

I turn polar bears white
And I will make you cry.
I make guys have to pee
And girls comb their hair.
I make celebrities look stupid
And normal people look like celebrities.
I turn pancakes brown
And make your champagne bubble.
If you squeeze me, I'll pop.
If you look at me, you'll pop.

ANSWER THAT. It'll keep you busy while I'm writing my student survival guide to be fair, I almost guarantee it.

Christmas is 1 Month Today

2011-11-25T20:18:00.000Z

1 month until the paedophile in a red coat comes down the chimney, HO HO HO.

Well, it's going to be a busy month this, no doubt about it but it's underway and there's no turning back time now being explicitly honest. But what is the proper meaning of Christmas?

Well, if you, like me, are not religious then it's all down to your own interpretation which, in all honesty, is actually a lot more fun when you think about it, depending on what your perception is on the modern world.

Of course, not saying being in a religion is bad and if you believe in the religious meaning of Christmas which is essentially a baby being born and pretty much taking out a vendetta against our sins and sinners, like the Book of Eli then believe it, it's personal choice at the end of the day.

The meaning of it for me is basically, just coming home and spending some time (and money) with the family from uni, which is going to be a good thing i guess. Be good to have some time off and get home for a while, escape the same daily routine for a while.

What's your meaning?

I'm a Spectre

2011-11-22T02:24:00.002Z

I'm a Spectre of my own rights in my own one man team - N7.

I'm not a soldier but I stand up for my own beliefs and use my rights to bring down those bringing others down as a Vigilante. Nobody gets left behind, nobody ever will be left behind unless they are undeserving or I don't respect them. This is where this blog story begins.

Basically, I have a wonderful friend we'll call Jane. Always really supportive of me and stuck with me after I moved away for university, unlike some people. But she's upset. Although I can't release any specifics on what is going down because of confidentiality of the situation, I can say that it involves a certain someone who I used to trust, but saw for what he really is eventually. Someone who will use anybody until they're no longer interesting or relevant to his life. Essentially just a player who can't make his damn mind up on who he's going to mess around, others are beginning to notice as well. I've noticed a shift in people who talk to Jane, those that never used to, now stand by her side. It makes me feel good because it makes me realise that I'm not the only one out there who's by her side and just proves that good karma is on her side today. Little does the person who uses others (who we shall call Chris) know that bad karma has repercussions. All of his actions have them, he just hasn't realised them yet. He hasn't even realised he's lost half the people he had because he's too engaged with who he hot-swapped Jane with.
Jane is a lovely person. While because of several reasons we wouldn't be right as a couple (can't put them here, it'd blow my cover), we still back each other up to hell and back when we need someone. She called me a "true friend" earlier, evidently she's one of those people I'm not wasting my time with speaking to. I really do hope Jane's happy again soon, while this is going to be a tough week coming up I'm going to be at her side, although not physically but psychologically present in her mind if it's possible, guiding her for the whole ordeal and making sure that nothing happens to her. We will win her happiness back together, no doubts about that. Things will come together, there's no doubts there either and Chris will get what's coming to him as is the case with many people like him.

Notice about my Identification - I'm not who you probably think I am. "Spectre" is my agent name and online alias. I NEVER use my real name apart from on sites such as Facebook online. Hell even YouTube doesn't have my real name on it. But even then you'd never find me because I don't make any "Spectre" references on there and my picture on here is just an exclamation mark (!) so that puts your search to rest.

Semper Fidelis

2011-11-15T18:48:00.001Z

What would have happened if things went differently? Answer is - you don't know, never will know and there's too many variables for you to know.

But what you can say is, never look back on bad parts of your life. Hell a certain bad part of it is now with someone that looks like a deranged paedophile and makes the pair of them reminiscent of serial killers Fred and Rose West for the following 3 reasons
- Look like complete and utter pillocks (no surprises there)
- Man looks like a paedo (and most likely is)
- Woman is an abomination (and that's a proven fact)

I was congratulated when I finished Rose West, then congratulated again with the next girl I brought home because of a "significant improvement". Even if that has gone nowhere in the way of romance but friendship instead, which to be fair was never expected, it was still a hell of improvement accordingly. In that respect of things, for their complete honesty with me in that kind of situation, I can brand my flatmates with the term "Semper Fidelis" (or Semper Fi) meaning "Always Faithful" because I can trust them to be brutally honest with things from personal experience and they watch out for me.

Aint Taking Orders From Snakes No More

2011-11-06T16:43:00.001Z

The Exposure Begins...Winter 2011

News Lad #1: Jim Won't Be Fixing It Anymore Kids...

2011-10-30T01:20:00.000Z

This afternoon the TV world lost a veteran: Jimmy Saville.

Ricky Gervais first tweeted "RIP Jimmy Saville" upon first hearing the news of his death which sparked a reaction across all mediums ranging from even more tweets/re-tweets, Like pages on Facebook, Radio announcements etc...
Initially I missed the radio broadcast while I was having my hair cut but then my barber was like "Did I just hear that right? Jimmy Saville has died", I was like "Where have I heard that name before, it's really familiar" to which the reply was "He presented Jim'll Fix It", I settled for that for the time being until the 2nd 1AM this morning when it just hit me like a train (no pun intended with this): He was the main guy advertising the Intercity 125 on the commercials for it in the 1980s with the catchy tagline "This Is The Age of the Train" then it was more of a...OMFG A BROTHER IN PIF'S HAS DIED!

Yeah slightly exaggerated my reaction then but it was a right shocker when it hit me because I hadn't realised at the time, insane times we live in. Loads of TV personalities are dying now it's starting to give the real big impression of how quickly time is actually moving on now...hell I'm 20 next year!

But yeah the most important part of this is to respect the fact that Sir Jimmy is dead now and that the world has lost a tireless charity worker and outstanding TV personality who earned that title in the media world! RIP SIR JIMMY SAVILLE, I SALUTE YOU, YOU TOP LAD!

We Didn't Call This Accidental Infidelity For No Reason.

2011-10-30T01:08:00.000Z

Everyone makes mistakes. It's a common fact, hell world leaders and politicians make several that could get us killed on a daily basis...girls make mistakes then blame guys for everything wrong in life, guys do the same at times when put into perspective...the matter of fact is that EVERYONE MAKES MISTAKES.

My biggest fault so far has got to be the one where I knowingly made the wrong decision on something, that was completely devastating when you see the full consequences of that decision and could have saved me; Time, Hassle, Boredom, Life-span, Happiness, Regret, Loss of Friendships, Uncertainty, Hearing bloody annoying/pointless/uninteresting things 24/7, Being Controlled and making friends think they could say nothing about it.

HAPPY BREAKING NEWS! That problem has been rectified and life is back on track completely. Working to my full potential with an awesome degree, my bloody brilliant family in halls, awesome family back home, hilarious course-mates/tutors and the like and still not in debt! Actually brilliant so far and highly recommend the university experience to anybody wanting to have a good time when working because, when you get into the swing of things, it's amazing!

Being free is something you have to be at university, it's the only way to keep to your full potential. Unless of course you come to university and you aren't free, but if you're happy, not being controlled, not letting it get in the way of your course, allowed to make friends and have a laugh with people of the opposite sex and your mates/lucky one accept it then don't bother changing, you can handle it...seen many good examples of that so far even with my flatmates and beyond so it's not impossible (:

Chuck Norris VS Justin Bieber - SEQUEL

2011-10-21T16:30:00.000+01:00

You saw the epic fight...now it's time for YOU to vote who is going to absolutely destroy Justin Bieber next!

If you haven't already seen the video it's right here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5PPqptyeTU

Now it's time to vote! Read the list and comment below to see it happen :)

#001 - Marvin The Martian (Looney Tunes)
#002 - An Atomic Bomb
#003 - Barney the Dinosaur
#004 - Bartman
#005 - Osama Bin Laden
#006 - Blossom (Powerpuff Girls)
#007 - Bubbles (Powerpuff Girls)
#008 - Buttercup (Powerpuff Girls)
#009 - Chewbacca
#010 - Chicken (Family Guy)
#011 - Colonel Sanders (KFC)
#012 - Covenant Elite (Halo)
#013 - Grim Reaper
#014 - Darth Maul
#015 - Death Star
#016 - Donotello (Ninja Turtle)
#017 - Ronald McDonald (McDonalds)
#018 - Gengar (Pokémon)
#019 - Godzilla
#020 - Adolf Hitler
#021 - Homer Simpson
#022 - Imperfect Cell (Dragonball Z)
#023 - Jesus
#024 - Kung-fu Man
#025 - Krusty the Clown (The Simpsons)
#026 - Leonardo (Ninja Turtle)
#027 - Lisa Simpson (The Simpsons)
#028 - Vampire Mr. Burns (The Simpsons)
#029 - Master Chief (Halo)
#030 - Metal Gear Rex (Metal Gear Solid)
#031 - Michael Jackson
#032 - Michaelangelo (Ninja Turtle)
#033 - Spiderman
#034 - Neo (The Matrix)
#035 - Optimus Prime
#036 - Peter Griffin (Family Guy)
#037 - Raphael (Ninja Turtle)
#038 - Shadow the Hedgehog (Sonic)
#039 - Snorlax (Pokémon)
#040 - Stewie Griffin (Family Guy)
#041 - King Harkinian (MAH BOI!)

TV Licence - Major Ripoff

2011-10-12T10:47:00.001+01:00

TV licences these days are so expensive for what you're getting out of them really when you look at it right?

Current cost for students and most likely everyone else in the country is £145.50 and all it pays for is the BBC and it's shit content pretty much, e.g. Strictly "cum" Dancing and other meaninglessly crap competition shows which, to be fair, are fixed anyway so you might as well not bother paying if you don't like them. Being fair though, some shows were good "back in the day" and national alerts wouldn't exist if the BBC didn't exist but seriously...

Admittedly times are hard and living costs are increasing but for gods sake why charge people, especially those on a tight budget, to watch a TV show that isn't even on the BBC channels and they're most likely on a separate service for them, e.g. Sky? Quite frankly it's unfair when you look at it. Not only that but if you don't get one, you get a nice letter effectively saying "fuck you, you're taking our wages now buy a fucking licence or we'll come and fuck you over you fucker" and then they threaten to invade your privacy by spying on you and your TV habits. It's so tempting to just live stream a lot of porn on your TV when they come around in their Doctor Who vans which can somehow tell what you're watching. Just like the old advert about detector vans saying that "There's a TV set on at number 5. It's in the front room. And they're watching Colombo". Perverts. In the example of the guy live streaming porn it'd be more like "Yes there's a TV set on at number 69. It's in the bedroom. And he's watching Hornblower (and not the kind set in the olden days)".

Best suggestion is to just get the letter and use it as a low quality bum wipe because I'm supposedly having an investigation done on the 30th of September, it's now the 12th of October...nothing has happened, even a silly man hasn't visited to tell me he needs to check my room for any TVs (admittedly I have no TV in my room).

Rant Over. Next Rant in 10 minutes.

Literal Review #1 - Call of Duty: Black Ops

2011-09-03T22:17:00.002+01:00

Call of Duty is undeniably, an immensely popular franchise for computer gamers. What with it's consistent first person shooter motif and good graphics what can actually be wrong with this game? The answer: a LOT.
Single Player Gameplay The single player for Call of Duty: Black Ops is a slightly different experience from that of the previous modern era games for the fact that the missions you will undertake "didn't happen". Pretty new experience by my records but let's cut to the chase, it's not *that* different. Of course, the combat is pretty good, not by any means perfect but it'll be enough to satisfy at least for a while. But at the end of the day, it's just another, same formula of "kill everyone and everything that moves" First Person Shooter. You can select from 4 difficulties, as has been the case since Call of Duty started out as a franchise; these difficulties are Recruit, Regular, Hardened and Veteran. Let's put it this way, Recruit is easy, Regular picks up the pace a bit, Hardened isn't *that* hard but Veteran is insanity unless you are a veteran player. The game features a regenerating health system which seems to be commonplace in most games these days and, while this is good for most casual players, it's quite (for want of a better word) "noobish" as they say since in real life, you couldn't just jump behind a wall when you're dying and suddenly be healed of all your bullet wounds without any medical aid, you'd have either died or bled out by that point judging by how many shots you can take in this game before dying (yet this game franchise is supposed to be "realistic"). Especially after being shot right in the face by something such as a .50 calibre machine gun, you wouldn't have a face left for starters. Speaking of faces being blown off, the gore factor has been ramped up over that of the Modern Warfare series of Call of Duty games as now you can see bullet holes left in people after you shoot them and blow their hands, arms or legs off...however you can't blow their heads off, even though this is an 18 rated game, they still say that's "too far"...either that or they just couldn't handle the realistic gore levels of other games. Look at Gears of War for example, getting blown apart in that, actually is getting blown apart. Not just losing your hand. This instance of Call of Duty actually has a decent storyline that isn't over the top like the Modern Warfare games (since when can ANYTHING like happens in that game actually happen? Yes you could say the Communist Revolution but it's nothing like that, for a start, the SAS would NEVER take on ridiculous operations like they do in that game without the use of decent tactics). However, back to the point, in Black Ops you follow the story of Alex Mason, a Black Ops agent who's being tortured in an electric chair (as evident from the start of the game) by a mysterious man who's blatantly masking his voice to stop it potentially being a complete and utter spoiler. Over the course of the game you will be on foot, in helicopters (which admittedly, is immense fun), driving a car, breaking out of gulags (again) and more crazy things you'd only see during a black operation, if that.

Multiplayer RIGHT RANT TIME. The multiplayer for this game is, like nearly all of the COD games is CRAP. Not even joking, I'm certain most people cheat on the game or aren't old enough to play it. Reasons for that are; people hitting you from impossible angles that defy the physics of ammunition, your shots can do seemingly less damage than the other person (even if they have the same weapon as you), screaming kids calling you a "noob" and coming out with possibly the worst, least offensive jokes ever if you kill them (yet they're the ones dying and trying to use the guns with the most power, not necessarily quality), frequent lag on some servers, lack of decent maps apart from Nuketown, having to pay a high price for just a couple of new maps that aren't that good and only one decent game mode: Zombies. It's highly unbalanced as well, everyone else can have super awesome weapons and their own classes if they've been playing longer than everyone else and you get stuck with bog standard ones that completely kill the competition and balance the game towards those with a higher level, it's highly unfair. Not to mention overpowered "killstreaks" are ridiculous, why in gods name does someone who is killing everyone, get to be even more of a killjoy by dropping bombs or shooting from a helicopter with a high powered minigun? Surely that's just biasing the game towards those who have been playing longer and are better at it? /rant

My honest opinion If I'm totally honest, and this is a Literal Review, DON'T waste your money on the Call of Duty series, it's just another first person shooter that's been re-skinned to look different. Same sounds, same gameplay mechanics and nothing really new added to the game since the beginning of the modern era ones. It's just not worth blowing nearly £50, £60 in some places for something so generic. If anything, you should give the upcoming Battlefield 3 a go if you want a realistic shooter that actually looks amazing graphically and has realism with the weapons, don't fall into the COD trap because it really has lost all of it's ideas and just gone crazy now and fallen into the depths of video game hell, the first circle of it: Generic First Person Shooters. But if you intend on buying anything in the COD series, it's available for a ripoff price (hardly drops, hell COD4 was still £39.99 last year) on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC (through the use of the Steam client).

Test Post for a certain reason

2011-09-02T15:01:00.002+01:00

The network underlines a prejudice.