Welcome to my blog - Read and enjoy

Thank you for visiting my Scooby1970 blogspot. I update whenever I can and when I have something interesting to share. You will also find published work of mine at Gaming Illustrated. Gaming Illustrated is where most of my work now takes place, but I will transfer some of my more popular articles from there over to this blog, in extended format.


Feel free to email me at:
MGAdams1970@gmail.com
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I've just started a new blog for my upcoming book releases: http://mark-adams-writes.blogspot.co.uk/

Also check out my 10 Quick Facts for more sites I run.

Enjoy the blogs, and relive my ups and downs in life, view some interesting reviews and just enjoy the site. If you are interested in learning something about some of my favourite music then click here it's the official Jan & Dean Site that has taken me and my friend from across the sea, June many years to keep updated.

:) Mark

Saturday, 16 January 2016

The Last Of Days

Today see's my first book"The Last Of Days"being released on Amazon. It's a short story, and Amazon are quoting 22 pages in length, but I'm not sure what that is based on! Either way, it's short and to the point. The true story of how Cancer took my father in the last few days of his life. For anyone who has lost someone to cancer, or someone who is going through it now, this book can give you an insight into how people feel.

This book is biographical, and was written with much emotion just after the event. Recently I added to it and tidied it up, making it presentable to the public.

Please download the sample that is available on Amazon at the least, if not please support me and buy the book, it's only .99p/.99c depending where you are in the World.

If you don't download it, please share any links to it as to spread the word of the book.

Here are a few paragraphs from the book:

"It was like something you hear about but never believe. The doctor at Singleton hospital actually ringing 999 and calling out an emergency ambulance! While waiting for the ambulance they took my father into a waiting room where they took his vital statistics such as blood pressure etc. Thankfully the ambulance did not take too long to turn up, and he was whisked off to Morriston Hospital in Swansea within the hour.

Once at Morriston Hospital, as he was so ill he was taken straight into A&E where he was hooked up to various monitors and questioned and studied by no end of doctors and nurses. He stayed in that section for at least five hours while they worked out the best plan for his condition. While standing with him I heard one of the doctors mention the cancer to his colleagues on a couple of occasions. It was as if they thought they could not do anything because of his cancer. Eventually though he was moved into Ward R, which is a cardiac ward. At the time, they were worried because his blood pressure was so low, and his heart was beating very slowly and felt this was the correct location for him." 


Friday, 15 January 2016

"The Last Of Days" will be available from Amazon from 17 January 2016 for just 99 pence!

This is a short story of the final days of my father going through cancer. It tells of the events leading up to his death, plus the aftermath that it caused.

Please support me and visit the Amazon Kindle store, or purchase on your computer to view on your computer.

A link will be issued once the book goes live on Amazon.



This is my first of Three books to be issued this year. This one is the shortest story, but it packs a lot of punch!

Coming soon will be a much heftier book titled A Selection Of Words - Lyrics, Poems & Words (Books 1 & 2)”. This is a diary in the form of lyrics, poems and words, with notes on events. It is an ideal light read and delve into the mind of a teenager. It shows how creating lyrics can be a complex affair, with trial after trial until something special happens.

Later on in the year, with a possible June release will be "The Blue Light Diaries", a new take on science fiction, with a story mixing classic sci-fi story-lines, with a host of popular belief of how things really took place on earth during it's creation thrown in for good measure. Expect the unexpected, with no time for love and romance, but plenty of time for panic and extreme... excitement!

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Google+ for all the latest updates!

Friday, 6 November 2015

iPega 9023 Review

iPega running Tekken 3 on ePSX Emulator
Introduction

Having used mobile gaming devices for many years, the power of modern day tablets and mobile phones led me on the quest for a joypad/gaming stick that I could use with my Samsung Galaxy Note 3 or Tesco Hudl 2 Android devices.

At first, I tried using both a PS3 and Xbox/PC gamepad, which although worked fine meant that the Note 3 or Hudl 2 had to be placed somewhere secure on a stand, so I could play the game properly. Wouldn’t it be ideal if I could mimic some like the Nintendo DS or Sony PSP consoles!

My search led me to research many different gaming pads, all of which meant the tablet or phone would need to be a separate entity. That was until I found the iPega range of bluetooth gaming pads. A pad that encases your phone and makes it look like a large PS VIta, or even your tablet making it a huge handheld device.

iPega 9023 running GenPlusDroid on Hudl 2 8" Tablet
Build

The iPega 9023 is a large looking device when not connected to anything, the reason for this is that you can slip your mobile phone or tablet into it’s cradle, and then the controller parts surround the edge of the device. The iPega 9023 can take device’s from 5 inches through to 10 inches which makes it perfect for phablets and tablets alike.

The iPega stretches open, and the device is placed into the centre of the pad. The device of your choice is held snugly in place with rubberised edges of the pad, and there is also a clip at the bottom of the pad to help hold larger screens. The iPega snaps shut with it’s locking system, and a further switch under the pad locks into position to stop the pad expanding. It’s very easy to use and the pad can be ready in seconds.

The layout of the pad is very much like a cross between a PS3 and Xbox controller. It has the usual buttons found on a modern controller, including the front lower and upper triggers. The pad also has the select, start and home buttons, plus a brilliant d-pad and a selection of button that allow volume control and play controls for music etc.

The twin sticks have a nice feel to them, with a nice give and plenty of movement. As mentioned, the d-pad is superb, and for older games played with emulation, it is very responsive and perfect for classic 8-bit and 16-bit games. The buttons consist of A, B, X & Y, and again have a sturdy and quality feel to them, without being too spongy.

The iPega 9023 feels good without a device attached, but once something is attached to it, it takes on a whole new feeling, and feels strong and well-made, without having too much weight. The difference from when connected to a device and when not is quite surprising, and when you first get the pad, you’ll laugh at it’s size. Once connected, your laughing stops and the games begin.

Set-up
The iPega 9023 is simple to set-up. It has four modes, where it can perform differently, these are accessed by holding down the “Home” button in conjunction with either the A,B, X or Y buttons.

Full functioning Gamepad mode is the only mode you really need, and this is accessed with holding “Home” along with the “X” button. Further turning on of the controller is as simple as just pressing the “Home” button.

The other modes are there if you should ever need them, “Home” and the “Y” button puts you in SPP + iPega mode which is used for iPega apps, “A” is Keyboard mode where keys act like certain letters of the alphabet and “B” is for iCade mode. I have never used any of the other modes, or have any software to try them with, so I have no idea how these work.

Performance

What good is a gamepad if there is a delay between pressing any of the buttons or joysticks? Well, with many hours of testing with Android games (Asphalt 8, Final Freeway 2, Modern Combat 5, Raiden Legacy, Sonic 1 & 2), plus emulator software and games (Playstation, Atari, PSP and MAME) the gamepad worked flawlessly, with no lag between button presses and action on the screen.

The d-pad is especially responsive to the touch, and is one of the best d-pads I've ever used. The buttons have the right depth to them for quick button-bashing and the sticks work perfectly well also. Overall there is no faulting the gamepads performance.

Overall

The iPega 9023 us an affordable gamepad that screams quality. It's layout, build and fixtures to mobile devices is second to none, and the package brings a whole new life to playing games.

The majority of games on the Android store, plus all the emulators I tried work well with the iPega. The controller will probably be used most by those gamers wanting to recreate the good old days of gaming using emulators for 8-bit and 16-bit machines. There's no doubt that this gamepad will bring that unique feeling back when used.

This is possibly one of the best gaming investments of the last few years, and should be considered by anyone who has even the slightest interest in gaming.