Robot and Frank Review

Set in the near distant future, 'Robot and Frank', (British premier, 8th March 2013) is a film about a retired criminal (Frank Langella), in which he rekindles his love for crime, when he meets a robot helper, which he was given to help him keep active and just in general help him as he becomes older. Skeptical of the idea of having a robot helper at first, Franks forms a relationship with his robot, in which the robot helps  Frank commit a robbery.
'Robot and Frank', contains aspects of Comedy, Drama, Crime, and even a smidgen of Science Fiction. Although clearly a comedy, this film includes many genres, which is most likely why it is so successful; as almost everybody on Earth, will dig atleast one of these genres, for the reason that all these genres are very different, similar in their own way, meaning that people different in personality, will come together, and enjoy this film.
For sure, the way that it is a 'one size fits all' film, was one of the main aims of Jake Schreier (director) and Christopher Ford (script writer), and they did, passing with flying colours.
Directed and written with great emotional power, this film cleverly made in such a way that it causes the viewer to feel sympathy and empathise with Frank, despite being the obvious criminal. This is a great feat for the writers and actors, as it proves that with enough persuasion and the right perspective of the story, you can make someone feel sorry for anybody, even someone who has committed a crime.
Because of this, I feel the movie to be a wonderful one, lacking nothing that I can think of, bringing me to the conclusion that this is a brilliant film, with wonderful aforementioned theatric techniques, resulting in a film that gives you the impression, which you agree with, that the criminal has done nothing wrong, hence when in misfortune, you will feel sorry for him. Thus, when you add in the way that it is a film for all, you end up with a illustrious play. Henceforth, I come to the denouement, that overall, I do thoroughly suggest the film, 'Robot and Frank'.

Jabulani Football Review

The ball that had gone through thorough testing to make sure it was the best ball possible, for the 2010 South Africa World Cup, resulting in a decision that the ball should have 8 panels, and that it have a newly designed, supposedly revolutionary, texture surface. The Jabulani (meaning in Zulu, 'rejoice') is a controversial ball, raining in criticism and praise constantly. Although, the majority of talk about this ball, is negative. This is largely due to its unpredictably nature in the air, whereby it moves erratically around in the air.
While many who like doing a 'knuckleball' free kick, find this a great aspect for a ball to have, international players goalkeepers and outfield players alike, find this quality frustrating, and see it as a design error. As I only use the Jabulani as a ball for non-competitive football, I love the ball; the way it moves around in the air, and how light it is too kick, despite being over 4 years old.

The age at which the ball is, and how it still works, displays that Adidas' testing and research of the ball did not go down in vain; nonetheless, I am sure Adidas will, sadly, still count the Jabulani as a failure. You can see by the way that in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Adidas ditched the 8-panel Jabulani design, and tried a ball with even less panels (the Brazuca), which I am sure that Adidas will count as a success, with no known complaints about the ball acting unpredictably and unreliably, in the air; or just any in general..
Despite all the criticism , if you are looking for a football for casual use, or to practice your knuckleball technique, this is a great ball, due to the movement it creates when in mid-air. Although, due to its age, buying one of these balls will result in having to search around on eBay and other similar sites, to find a deal, and even after that, you will have to pay around £75 for an Official Match Ball.
Buy it here: Ebay

Powerball 250Hz Pro Review

Gyroscopes are everywhere in life, in our phones, on our bike, and even Earth is one. Exercise is a major part of life. It keeps you fit and healthy, while at the same time, has large aspects of enjoyment. Nowadays, there is a way to use a gyroscope, to keep your muscle in your arms nice and strong. This product is called the Powerball. There are many editions of the Powerball, although in my opinion, the 'Powerball 250Hz Pro', is the best. It costs roughly £17.99, and is all in all, a great product.
In simple terms, the Powerball  is a weighted ring (a gyroscope) inside a hollow ball. After starting off the gyroscope by spinning it with the piece of string you are given, you use a specific hand motion to continue it going. The faster you spin it, the harder it is to hold, and continue spinning it, due to the increases amount of torque it creates. This means that the more effort you put into it, the more power and effort you need to keep it going.
To keep interest while using the gyroscope, a popular thing to do is to beat your high score of the number of RPM's (revolutions per minute) you can get. Due to its simplicity and it being so beneficial, this is a great item to get. Like 'Flappy Birds', this product is unbelievably simple, yet unbelievably popular.
However, despite the fact that you can become addicted after a while, and that it does increase arm muscle and is promoted as something that all musicians, and sports players that use their hands, should use, it does get - eventually - fairly repetitive. This is why I suggest that if you do decide to buy this product, that when using it, do something else, like watch television, go for a run, read a book, or atleast something else, as sadly, the 'Powerball 250Hz Pro' will start to feel boring.
Nonetheless, this is a great, fun product, to relieve stress, have fun and increase arm muscle with. I do suggest buying the product, but only if you accept the fact that to stop yourself from getting bored with the product, you will need to be doing something else while using the product.
Buy it here: Amazon
                    Ebay
                    Powerball Store      

Logitech Wireless Combo MK520

Computers are increasing in power as you read this. To keep up you will not only need a decent computer, but a good mouse and keyboard as they are both an essential in keeping pace with modern day computer set ups.The 'Logitech Wireless Combo MK520', seems to be the answer. Subtle but smooth in design, this package includes a bluetooth keyboard, and mouse. This product does the job, while looking super-sleek.

Coming in at roughly £35.00, this is one of Logitech's mid ranged, economic products. Extremely comfortable to use  with rounded keyboard keys, and a symmetrical mouse design. While the keyboard is fitted with audio controls, web navigation keys, as well as multimedia keys. You have comfortable control at your finger tips.
To connect the 'Logitech Wireless Combo MK520' to your computer is as simple as inserting the USB Logitech receiver, and turning on the on/off button on the device. The mouse takes 1 AAA battery, while the keyboard takes 2. Although do not worry about getting these batteries for a long time; they come from the package with the needed batteries in them, and it is suggested that the mouse lasts off one AAA battery for 1 year, and the Keyboard lasting 3 off its 2.
All together, I find this to be a good looking, easy-to-use, set of keyboard and mouse, and I highly recommend this if it were to be in your price range.
Buy it here: Amazon
                    Logitech
                    John Lewis  

Betron Cube Bluetooth Speaker Review

With so many small and compact bluetooth speakers out on the market, each with their own advantages, nowadays, it is hard to find the bluetooth speaker just for you. In my opinion, the Betron Cube Bluetooth Speaker is a stylish, cheap, and ultra-loud speaker weighing in at just 150g, which may just be what you are looking for. 

With a super-sleek design, the Betron Cube Bluetooth Speaker is not something you will want to hide away when guests come around, but instead, put out on display, and use the bluetooth device to play some quiet background music. Or maybe, you are in the gym, tired of getting tangled up in headphones and having to stop exercising, and are sick of the gym's collection of music. Whatever use you will put it to, the 'Betron Cube Bluetooth Speaker', is perfect, with bluetooth connectivity working perfectly, even when your device it is connected is up to 10 metres away. Furthermore, you can insert a mini SD card with up to 32gb of music on, and just play. Or, connect it to your phone, and play the radio out loud. Accompanied with a great crisp sound, no matter what volume you wish to listen at, you will not be disappointed.

It has great build-quality, and as previously mentioned, crisp sound, with a good bass, and even if you do not have a bluetooth device, but still want to play music through it, well it also has 3.5mm cable, to connect your device to the speaker, thus increasing the volume at which the music is to a humongous 90DB, which the 'Betron Cube Bluetooth Speaker' produces. 

With a 500maH battery, this device can keep on playing for hours; literally! Despite taking roughly 2 hours to charge with its USB cable with its 5v direct current, it can either play for about 8 hours, or sit on standby for an average 120 hours. 

In comparison with other similar products in specification terms, it is a very cheap product, costing only £12.99 on Amazon. For example Anker A7908, which has similar specifications, costs a whopping £29.99 - a full £17 more expensive for practically the same product.

Overall, this is a great product, and unbelievably cheap for what you get. I thoroughly suggest investing in one of these today, for a great musical experience. 

Buy it here: Amazon

                    Ebay

                      

The Simpsons and their Mathematical Secrets by Simon Singh Review

The chances are, you have watched an episode of the Simpsons; or atleast heard of the television program. There is also a fair chance that you have watched hundreds of the Simpsons, without realising there are hundreds of hidden jokes, inserted into the program, by the mathematical masterminds behind the show. In, 'The Simpson and their Mathematical Secrets', Simon Singh talks about these hidden jokes, giving examples, thus investigating who wrote the Simpsons, and soon realising how many of the writers were well-renowned mathematicians, with many attending Ivy League universities to study math or similar subjects, furthermore, finding out that many carried on studying to get a PhD.
Simon Singh writes about many Simpson episodes such as 'Bart the Genius', and 'The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace', explaining where the inspiration for jokes, such as when Homer seems to disprove 'Fermat's Last Theorem', in which there is a blackboard with some math problems, one of which, if you were to input into a normal calculator, would disprove 'Fermat's Last Theorem', when instead it was just so close to being correct (the number is 0.000000002% larger than it should be to be correct to be precise), perplexing many at home, who were wondering how on earth this could be. This is just touching on one of the many hidden mathematical jokes hidden in the Simpsons.
With detail, and a clear, true interest in the subject, 'The Simpsons and their Mathematical Secrets', is a cleverly, and carefully, written book for any Simpsons or maths enthusiast.
Buy it here on:  Amazon
                         Ebay
                         Waterstones

Fifa World Review

While you may not have heard of this game, it is almost certain you have heard of Fifa. This is a game widely played across the world (there is a concentration of players in Europe however) which is, in short, a football game. Starting with Fifa '94, the game has grown massively, in both quality and players. Electronic Arts (also known as 'EA') are the company behind this game, and for sure this is one of their most successful creations.

Despite being created for console use, like many other games, Fifa has been adapted to become a game for the PC. Some may argue that a computer is not a great platform for games, albeit this may be correct for certain computers, for others it is the complete opposite, with some having better specs than a state-of-the-art, next generation console. On the PC, as expected, the most played Fifa is the current, constantly changed, yearly based one, whereby the game has the year for which it was created for in the title - for example 'Fifa 10' was created for 2010 - . Fifa World is different. It is unique in its own ways. It is almost like a hybrid of different Fifa generations. With graphics from Fifa 12, and players from both Fifa 14 and 15. To some this may seem crazy; stupid, and pointless. Yet there is something enticing, about being able to play with players from different seasons; players which are not in the next generation, due to licencing issues and other issues.

The main reason why PC gamers will get Fifa World, over the current generation of Fifa is for this one reason, this reason is also why no one may rightfully complain about the quality of the play in the game: the price. Costing absolutely nothing, With such a price, it is a fantastic product; to tell you a secret, I am sure this game would still be a great seller and have around the same number of players part of the community, even if it cost a fee to play.
The one drawback to Fifa World is that you it only has two game modes you may play: League Teams, and Ultimate Team. This is a disadvantage of getting Fifa World to the current generation. In league teams, you cannot get players from any club, as you can in Ultimate Team. This is not to limit anything, but infact because League Teams is a game mode where you choose any team in the whole game for a match, hence you want to have up to date teams.
Ultimate Team is the most popular game mode of any Fifa. After debuting in Fifa 2009, Ultimate Team has since taken over as the main bame mode in Fifa. The playeres from different seasons is in this mode. With an average of 200,000 transfers listed at any one time, Fifa World Ultimate Team has a large community, also resulting in small waiting times to find a match while playing a game.
Likewise with other Fifa games, League Teams and Ultimate team both a similar way to play - thus some more for Ultimate Team - where you compete against other gamers in online seasons where you progress up divisions, in your personal league, Division 1 being the top, while Division 10 being bottom. As you can imagine, the higher up division you are in, the more skillful players you will come up against, meaning you will always be able to have a challenge.
Ultimate Team has some other ways of playing a game too, including Tournaments (both online and offline) and offline season. Offline Seasons is basically Online Season, but offline, as implied by the name. With a personal league, and a number of points needs to be reached to win the title and gain promotion, and if you get to little you will be relegated (unless you are in the bottom division, in which case, you stay there). With increasingly hard opponents, and tougher computer settings, this is a way to improve your game before going out to play against a real-life person.
You can play Fifa World with 3 different types of controls, and within those subsections, you can furthermore change around the controls. The main ways of playing are: External Controller (for instance an Xbox or Playstation Controller), Keyboard, or Mouse and Keyboard. Despite the game being set up as a game for all to play, there is a slight advantage in playing with keyboard/keyboard and mouse, as the controller is a bit of an extra. While I prefer use of a controller for more relaxed game play, I know many hardcore PC gamers will claim that using keyboard/mouse controls are much more accurate, and to some extent this is true, yet I find that hunching over the keyboard is not relaxing, and to me, playing video games is about relaxing, although, when it comes down to it, it is whatever feels more natural.
The game is only accessible via downloading Origin (see link) and then using the store to download Fifa World. I feel due to the price and quality of the game, this is a great investment, which will result in hours of fun game play. Thus, with multiple language support, and no regional download limitations it is a game for someone of any country - in the world, to play. Comment down below on your opinion of the game; do you like the idea of players from different generations of the game? Or, do you like the way it is free?

Links: Origin
           Fifa World  

New Blog

Every day, thousands and thousands, will publish a blog, hoping for a new found success in life; an easy way out of financial problems, or maybe just to share their ideas with the world. Either way, the percentage of which these succeed is close to minimal. Without any previous knowledge of the subject in hand, doing something, anything, is a challenge. This is why I need you, the reader, to help me through these tough beginnings. By commenting suggestions, improvements, and ways I can develop this blog, to make i best for you, the viewer. You have the power. You is what keeps the site going. So I invite you, to criticize what I do, as with every criticism, I improve a little bit. Encouragement and support can only get you so far. Criticism gets you that extra bit further.

On this blog I will be reviewing items. Technology, sports equipment, games, and much more. If you feel I should be reviewing a specific item, or are a company wanting a review, feel free to join the discussion down below and leave a comment; I am always happy to accept new requests.
If you are reading this write now, you deserve my gratitude already, for just purely clicking on this website. Continuously clicking on here will furthermore help me, so I hope you do so. Thank you for reading my first entry into this new blog.