LAN parties are the perfect way to spend a rainy weekend with friends,all it takes is a little planning to make sure that things go smoothly.

Whether you are planning a PC or console oriented LAN party, getting the right mix of gear together is the first and most crucial step. Console players have it a little easier, since the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 are much more portable than their full sized PC counterparts. However, don’t forget that you’ll need extra monitors, game titles, LAN cables, and a hub or switch big enough to handle as many consoles that you need to connect everyone. Having a buddy with a 16 or 24 port switch is always handy,but an older 10 or 100 switch is all you need. Spending hundreds on a Gigabit grade switch is overkill.

When you tell your buddies what to bring to a console LAN party, don’t forget to tell them to haul along their monitor, correct video cables, game titles, wired controller, and networking cable. The A40 Audio System is the ideal solution for a console LAN, so don’t forget your audio gear, even if your friends don’t have ASTRO equipment yet. If your buddies have an extra network cable and wired controller, have them bring those too after they’ve marked them with initials. Someone is bound to forget theirs. Remember that a wired controller is required more than four wireless controllers are going to interfere with one other unless you are a fair distance away, which takes away from the fun.

The same advice for a PC LAN applies,with the addition of needing a place to put computers,monitors,and mouse pads in addition to a spot for everyone’s butt. Beg and borrow every card table,picnic table and folding chair that you can scrounge from relatives, neighbors and friends.

Lastly, whether you go the PC or console route, don’t forget to sort out the power situation well beforehand using industrial grade extension cords to draw power from multiple circuits in your house is a smart way to go. Nothing is a bigger drag than blowing a fuse or tripping a circuit breaker mid match. Having your buddies bring their own power strips with surge protectors is also a smart idea.

What to play? This is the all important question, and one that will make or break your party. Start with your friends what games do you usually play? This game whatever it may be will be the game that gets the most mileage during your party. Being all together will certainly open up new strategies and new wrinkles to whatever you are playing if only the ‘in yer face!’ factor of in person versus play, in addition to the tactical advantages of having a ‘Lag-free’ connection that is only possible when you are on a LAN.

If you have another game that people might enjoy, but haven’t necessarily played yet or perhaps not for a long time, this can be a welcome break from the main attraction. Mix and match your genres as well if everyone got together to play an intense first person PC shooter like Counter strike or Battlefield, be sure to take it down a notch by starting a friendly pickup game of an RTS classic like WarCraft III or Dawn of War. If you’ve got newer gear and newer game collections, Dawn of War II and Supreme Commander are incredibly fun. Most RTS titles have 2v2 or even 3v3! modes that enable you to put noobies with more experienced players, and advanced controls that enable you to balance things to a fine degree guaranteeing that everyone is enjoying fun and challenging games.

If you are gearing your LAN toward PC play, take a break by firing up a fun, tried and true console game. Sure, everybody knows Halo can be a great way to blow off some steam, but after playing PC shooters, a console FPS will seem like it is in “slow motion”. It’s better to fire up Mario Kart, Bomberman, or Boom Blox try it, seriously! if you have a GameCube or Wii. If you have an Xbox 360 handy, the Xbox Live Arcade selection should have something for everyone old school multiplayer titles like Gauntlet and Joust are a riot, while new school faves like Geometry Wars are extremely entertaining just to watch. And of course, fighting games like Super Smash Brothers, Street Fighter, and Soul Caliber are perfect for a quick player versus player fix.

For console centric LAN parties, taking a break from the controller is the way to go. Try loading up the universal LAN party standard Unreal Tournament 2004. 2k4 is a stellar run and gun action title that is 10lbs of fun in a 5lb bag even if you are playing for the very first time. It’s also an older title that even low spec laptops will be able to handle nicely, and available dirt cheap in most stores’ bargain bins, or downloadable from Steam.

Once you’ve attended or held a few LAN parties, you’ll start noticing games in the bargain bin that will be ideally suited to a LAN, especially those “forgotten” shooters. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. has an amazing deathmatch mode that is wildly popular in places like Russia, but if you live in the West, you’ll need to create a local server and a LAN party is the perfect opportunity. Likewise, Prey is an ideal PC LAN game if your group is on the small side this console centric shooter fared poorly since it was too claustrophobic for 16 to 32 player servers, but is ideal for 4 to 8 friends at a LAN.

One last thing unless you are getting your Guild together for some in person raid action, it would be wise to ban World of Warcraft during the weekend. WoW has a tendency to divide your group into ever-smaller chunks, and really takes away from the mano a mano spirit of a LAN.

Good luck and save us a slice of pizza!

About The Author

By Joshua LaTendresse Producer, ASTRO Gaming. ASTRO Gaming creates premium video gaming equipment for pro gamers, leagues and their lifestyles. Spun off from design powerhouse ASTRO Studios, known in the gaming world for designing the Microsoft Xbox 360, Alienware PCs, and HP’s Blackbird PC, ASTRO Gaming produces a line of gamer centric “tech life” products, supporting this rapidly growing community. ASTRO Gaming’s product line includes the critically acclaimed A40 Audio System(http://astrogaming.com/products/detail/3/A40-Audio-System), the Official Licensed Headset of Major League Gaming, and the new Transport Series of gaming bags.

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The hottest Christmas toys for 2006 will soon be hitting the shelves, and some are already on them. Remember the Furby, Tickle-Me Elmo, Beanie Babies and Cabbage Patch Kids? They were the hottest Christmas toys from past holidays.

Almost every holiday season, there are a few special toys that everyone wants for Christmas — and no one can seem to find.

If you want to make sure you have the hottest Christmas toys of 2006 under your Christmas tree, you should start thinking about shopping for them now.

Unfortunately, there’s a problem — you don’t yet know what they are!

Well, I have a special “heads up” on what the hot Christmas toys of the season may be, and I’m more than willing to share the info with you. (My friends and I at WowChristmasGifts.com and ChristmasRants.com have done really well at predicting the hottest Christmas toys for the past several years.)

PlayStation 3

For gamers with a big budget, the Sony PlayStation 3 is going to be number one on the wish list. Featuring Internet functions and the new blu-ray technology, PlayStation 3 is like no other gaming system ever on the market.

Just remember, while this is definitely going to be one of THE hottest Christmas toys of 2006, it is also going to be one of the most expensive. When the PlayStation is released this November, expect it to have a price tag of $500 to $600.

Nintendo’s Wii

If you do have a gaming fan on your Christmas list but $500 is out of the question, you may want to look into Nintendo’s Wii. At just $250, it’s half the price of the PlayStation 3 and it is actually the very first game system ever to make it to Toys R Us’s Hot Toy List for 2006.

It’s not hard to see why the Wii is going to be one of the hottest Christmas toys of 2006. The remote-like controller allows players to swing it like a bat, sword or tennis racket to create a truly interactive game play environment.

We predict it is also going to be a big hit with people who are not traditionally gamers, because my of the games are not the standard type of games.

Elmo TMX

Remember when Tickle Me Elmo dolls couldn’t stay on the shelves for more than a moment? Remember the long lines — and the cat fights between parents?

Well, somehow Fischer Price has done it again with Elmo TMX!

Tickle Me Elmo TMX was just released this month and while parents aren’t physically fighting over them this time around, the lines have been long, and the stores have been selling out as quickly as they can get them in.

You can read more about why we think Tickle Me Elmo TMX will be so popular here:

http://www.wowgiftideas.com/looking_for_tickle_me_elmo_tmx.html

Since we still have a lot of time until Christmas, it’s only a sign of what’s to come, and this may prove to be one of the top hottest Christmas toys this year.

Some Other Contenders

While the above three toys seem to be the most promising when it comes to the hottest Christmas toys this year, there are a few other names you should be keeping an eye on.

Some other toys that may grace the wish lists many include Webkinz, Dora’s Talking Cash Register and the Pink Nitro Notebook by Vtech.

This year we expect there will be hot Christmas toys for every age group, from toddler to adult. By starting your Christmas shopping early, you’ll be able to find the hottest Christmas toys more easily. Happy Christmas shopping!

About The Author

Noel Jameson loves sharing tips, tricks and advice on how to make the Christmas season happier, more meaningful and less stressful. Check out her entertaining and impassioned blog, ChristmasRants.com: http://www.christmasrants.com.

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While I was driving home one night, I was stopped at a traffic light and began to imagine what life would be like without the many electronic conveniences we enjoy. Hmm…

As a Floridian, we are accustomed to losing power due to tropical storms and hurricanes, which tends to annoy us by living without such things as air conditioning and television, as well as the loss of food maintained in the refrigerator. Schools close in such situations and are often converted to shelters. Other than this, life basically goes on as usual, but what if it turned into a permanent condition? What if some sort of electronic virus infiltrated all of our computers, phones, and other electronic gadgetry, and somehow shut them all done?

Our first concern would be whether our military could continue to defend our country effectively, that our hospitals could properly function, and that we could feed the populace adequately. It would be like the premise used in the movie, “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” except it would be for an extended period of time. Assuming we could accommodate these situations though, what would life be like without electronics?

For starters, you might think that automobile traffic would snarl up as all of our traffic lights would be out of commission. Inevitably, traffic cops would have to be dispatched to key intersections and we would actually get some intelligent traffic control in place (better than the preprogrammed lights). For minor intersections, we would have to start practicing basic driving courtesy again and, God forbid, cooperate with and respect other drivers. I suspect traffic accidents and fatalities would actually go down.

So far, so good.

If televisions and computers were knocked out, people would be forced to read, write and speak again. Kids would have to come out of their caves and into the sunlight, pick up a ball and get a little exercise and socialize. We would all still be craving some form of entertainment and, because of this, you might see more picnics, concerts in the park, and other civic functions. Attendance at school functions, such as the PTA and SAC, would be stimulated, and parents would become actively involved in the welfare of their children again. Participation in other nonprofit groups would undoubtedly flourish as well. Basically, our socialization skills would improve and we would become more conscious of our civic duties.

As mentioned, food would be a problem; we would have to learn to shop more frequently and prepare meals differently, and we would have to learn the lost art of baking and cooking. No doubt, we would miss all of those highly nutritious microwave meals and snacks. “What, no more Hot Pockets??!”

We would become healthier as we would have more time for exercise and play games like tennis, golf, softball, or whatever without Wii. This should cause health insurance rates to go down.

Since computers would be out of commission, the unemployment rate would go down because we would need more clerical people for such things as filing, typing, preparing graphics, processing orders, etc.

Our personal debt would probably go away as we would be unable to process credit cards and, as such, we would be wiser in the use of our cash.

Our sex lives would improve as evidenced by the power outages of New York. The only downside is it would probably result in a population explosion if we don’t properly promote birth control.

Due to a change in our diet and having to be forced to improve our socialization skills, maybe we can finally get people off of drugs like Prozac, Xanax, and Valium.

And finally, the cost of living would go down as we are no longer having to pay for all of the electronic luxuries we are accustomed to.

All of this illustrates our addiction to electronics and their manipulative powers. Life would be cheaper, more healthy, and perhaps more industrious, but it would certainly not be as fast-paced or complicated than what we are familiar with, but then again, would this be a problem?

Maybe the rallying cry would be a variation of John Lennon’s song, “Imagine” -

“Imagine no cell phones, it’s easy if you try, no PC’s or TV’s, above us, only sky.

Imagine all the people, living life in peace.”

Yes sir, the best thing that could happen to this country is to have a virus that knocked out our technology…

Then the light changed, I snapped out of it, and drove home.

Keep the faith!

About The Author

Tim Bryce is a writer and management consultant located in Palm Harbor, Florida.

http://www.phmainstreet.com/timbryce.htm

He can be contacted at: timb001@phmainstreet.com

Copyright © 2009 Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.

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Today you can get instant access to watching satellite TV on your PC but is it all as good as they say. These are how to watch satellite & cable TV on your PC FREE – Tips

NEGATIVES:

For some shows I watch such as my favourite live sport show you have to get it set up 10- 15 minutes beforehand otherwise you not going to get as good of a feed.

As this is not a paid TV cable or satellite service there is buffering involved which means you might have to wait under a minute or two before you can watch a particular program.

Depending on the speed of your computer, if it is a dial up I probably wouldn’t advise you to consider this.

POSITIVES:

Over 3000 STATIONS on your PC or Laptop for a one time low fee. That means you can stop paying for high-priced cable or satellite services! Watch LIVE Games (even the games that are not shown elsewhere) – With this software!

There are no subscriptions needed and no recurring charges and the picture is DVD quality.

The choices you get are sports such as ESPN, news, movies, music, weather, kids channels, educational, shopping, clips plus radio stations and much, much more. It works anywhere in the world with no need to buy extra hardware equipment or a PC TV card because the TV channels are streamed through your internet connection. You just need an Internet connection.

Watch TV in English, Spanish, German, Arabic, French, Italian, Russian, Dutch and more. You may also browse world TV by regions or by country name you do this by choosing a country and watch there TV programs from that country so many to choose from.

They will be adding many more quality stations in the near future such as ESPN 2, MTV USA, HBO, Playboy TV, Pay Per View, + many more.

There is a forum, which helps you out if you have any questions.

MY CONCLUSION:

Satellite TV for your PC is solely I believe up to your computer if you have dial up I wouldn’t recommend it. Otherwise if you don’t mine waiting for the buffering to watch your program and also a one time low fee to watch satellite TV on your PC then its forever free instead of paying recurring charges to watch on your TV this is the way to go.

How To Watch Satellite & Cable TV On Your PC FREE – Tips

About The Author

Tony Pescatore finds and writes helpful information on topics he believes in. To check out how you can watch hundreds of LIVE worldwide channels on your PC, with no subscription payments or any other recurring payments. EVER! go to http://www.tpescatoreproducts.com/Recommends/SatelliteTVForPC/index.html

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The Latest Mobile Phones
 by: Paul Smith

3G mobile phones, video calling and internet acces have been around for some time now, so what new products are available for the start of 2006?

The latest mobile phone’s are smaller and slimmer than ever before and come crammed with features including 2 megapixel digital cameras and MP3 players.

The thinnest mobile phone around the Motorola RAZR V3, remains a top seller and feature and integrated digital camera, bluetooth and a selection of great games.

Sleek and smooth, the new Panasonic VS6 camera phone has a 16 million colour display to show off the quality snaps taken on its built in 2 megapixel digital camera.

For consumers wanting the latest 3G phone the new Sony Ericsson P990i is a top seller. A high quality video phone including 2 megapixel camera, WiFi, web browser and a QWERTY keyboard.

The Sony Ericsson K750i remains one of the top selling camera phones and includes a 2 megapixel camera with auto focus and flash, FM radio, video recorder, 3D games and high resolution screen.

The worlds first Walkman branded mobile phone the Sony Ericsson W800i is great for downloading and listening to music. A well designed MP3 player and 512Mb memory card combined with the 2 megapixel digital make this phone the perfect choice.

Nokia have a large selection of new handsets available including the N91 mobile jukebox. This stylish mobile phone has room for up to 3,000 of your favourite track along with a 2 megapixel digital camera.

The Nokia N80 is the most advanced Nokia 3G handset ever and includes a 3 megapixel digital camera, MP3 player, games console, mobile office and email. Communicating is made simple with video calling, WiFi connectivity and Bluetooth.

Samsungs popular D500, D600e and X660 mobile phones all feature stylish designs and a packed full of feature sure to appeal to consumers.

Whether the latest handsets packed full of great features or the mobile TV services being offered by 3G providers are the big winners for 2006 it looks set to be a great year for innovations and new products.

All of these mobile phones and more are available online at www.mad4mobilephones.com – a UK mobile phone shop selling the latest handsets at the lowest prices.

About The Author

Paul Smith is a mobile phone expert for www.mad4mobilephones.com – a UK mobile phone shop.

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Xbox 360 is one of the most selected entertainment tools available in the market and people choose to purchase one for their own or family. The truth is, it is very popular and every release of a new version of gaming box, stores always run out of stock.

There are various types of gaming boxs available in the market that claims to be the best. These companies claim that they promise that with their gaming box, you will have the ultimate gaming experience. This will get most people confused on which is actually the best.

List below are the most famous gaming box manufacturer that are always competing each others:

1. Microsoft – XBox 360.

2. Nintendo – Wii box.

3. Sony – Play Station 3.

These companies claim that their gaming box offers the best quality gaming experience that you will ever have. Here are some facts about these three different gaming boxs and with this guides, you can choose which gaming box is right for you.

XBox 360 offers one of the best features in a gaming box. Microsoft has look all about the needs of consumers in a gaming box. Because of this, they developed and manufactured the Xbox 360 system that has everything you need in a gaming box system. It has wireless controllers, upgradeable hard drive, XBox Live headset to let you chat with your friends when playing online games, WiFi adapter and can also be integrated with the Xbox Live Vision.

There are various selection available in the market to choose like XBox 360 Arcade, XBox 360 and XBox 360 Elite. This is not like others manufacturer offer. You can choose to buy “XBox 360 Arcade” if you just playing the games, it offer the lowers price.

Wii nintendo seems more advanced than others manufacturer . Wii has all the features that equipped on XBox 360 and PS 3. The first thing is Wii comes with the Mii and Photo channels. Players with an Internet connection can also receive the Forecast and News channels at no additional cost. a wireless receiver, which allows you to connect to the Internet without running a cable through the house.

PlayStation 3 ( PS3 ) gaming box can also be equipped with a Wi-Fi. This technology will enable you to connect to the Internet wirelessly and it will be able to give you the capability to play online games along with millions of players worldwide. PS 3 also has Bluetooth wireless controllers available. This means that it can definitely let you have a more enjoyable experience when you play a PS 3 game.PS 3 also has the backward compatibility feature which allows you to play your old PS and PS 2 games in your new PS 3 gaming box.

As you can see, all of gaming box system are closely matched, you will be able to have the best gaming experience of your life with above guidance.For more informative feel free to visit http://www.learn-how-to-play.com.

About The Author

Article was base on author’s experience and knowledge in rc car, gaming, music and blogging would like to share his knowledge and tips.If you would like to learn and to know more feel free to visit http://www.learn-how-to-play and http://fast-electric-rc-cars.blogspot.com

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Turning 18 years old is exciting for many reasons. You’re legally no longer considered a minor so you’re responsible for yourself lawfully you’re also legally allowed to smoke and drink in the UK and get married without your parents consent. Though whether any 18 year olds would want to get married these days, we’re not sure!

So, in many ways, turning 18 is a passage in to adulthood. You can legally go to the cinema to see scary horror films, you can go for a pint with your mates and you can even move out and live independently. In fact, many 18 year olds go off to university!

So, if your friend or family member is approaching their 18th birthday you could be a bit stumped for what to get them. Don’t worry though, there are loads of brilliant 18th Birthday Gifts out there and we’ll let you know about just a few.

18th birthday gifts

18th birthday gifts are about showing your friend or relative that they’ve reached a special age and telling them you love them. That makes engraved gifts such as a silver heart token with 18 engraved on it or an 18th birthday photo frame perfect 18th birthday gifts.

As many 18 year olds go away to university at that age, it can also be good to get useful 18th Birthday Gifts such as a blue VW Beetle memory stick for them to keep their course work on. It looks cool and funky but is also really functional.

A student could also love a mini pool table with billiards built in to it, for those nights when they have a few beers with friends. What’s more, if they opened that on their 18th birthday during their party they could play with it straight away!

Think about your friend or family member’s lifestyle and taste, you’ll be sure to find some great 18th Birthday Gifts for them.

Throwing parties

If you’re going to set up a celebration for an 18 year old make sure that you’re not too influenced by what would be fun for you. Usually, 18 year olds would rather play computer games together (such as Nintendo Wii games), listen to music and dance to it, drink plenty of booze and eat yummy buffet food than have a sophisticated sit down dinner.

Try to inject plenty of fun and vibrancy in to any party plans you make and keep things light hearted and silly. It can’t hurt to plan in advance when it comes to getting the right venue though, even if that’s your own home. Make sure that the people who live nearby know that there could be some noise late at night and decorate the inside and outside of the house so it’s easy for guests to find. You could use balloons, streamers or even print a sign out using your home computer.

Social networking sites such as facebook and MySpace can make it easier for the 18 year old to invite his or her friends along, but you could always throw a surprise party by speaking to one of their close friends and getting them to send out invites to their mutual contacts. That way you could arrange quite a big surprise party behind your 18 year old’s back! If they didn’t expect a big fuss, that could make their 18th birthday even more wonderful.

Making memories

Remember to take plenty of photographs on the night or get someone else to. An 18th birthday party will be remembered by the birthday person for the rest of their life and having plenty of photos will help them to reminisce. It will also remind them what they love most about parties so that when they plan their 21st or even their 40th birthday party they can use the elements that they love to make their celebration special.

If you’re a parent, you can still bring out a candle-lit cake and sing happy birthday to your 18 year old. You can still take photos of them unwrapping presents and give them a big hug and kiss on their birthday. Just make sure you don’t cramp their style or you’ll hear about it for the rest of the year!

If you decide to throw a party at a venue, you could still have a small ‘after party’ at home and let some guests sleep over. That way the 18 year old who’s birthday it was, could have breakfast with her friends and family the next day and reflect on how much fun everyone had.

For further information, please visit http://www.gettingpersonal.co.uk

About The Author

Getting Personal offer unique high quality gifts & personalised gifts at affordable prices, delivered quickly and guaranteed with a smile.To explore our range of 18th Birthday Gifts further, please visit our website at http://www.gettingpersonal.co.uk.

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An 11th grader comes home from school and throws his or her backpack onto the floor and immediately jumps into their favorite chair and prepare themselves to transform themselves. A video game collector comes home from a long day of work as he places his brief case on to the floor and grabs a bite to eat before plopping down into his favorite chair to begin a day within a video game wonderland. The 11th grader is no longer a student; he or she is what ever character they want to be in a game. The same goes for the business man; he’s no longer a suit but a character with special powers to conquer their own world. Today’s game technology allows players to role play and become what ever character they desire.

Gone are the days when players of video games had to stay seated or in one spot in order to play a video game. The Nintendo Wii is the most recent video game available to game-aholics. The new Wii game uses a wireless remote rather than the wired game controller.

Unlike the two players per game session, four players can play Wii during a game sequence. This remote makes games much easier to play, even for first-time and inexperienced gamers.

The Game ‘Survey Says’!

When a new game is introduced or is about to be launched into the market, companies choose independent testers who actually play these new games and rate them accordingly. It’s sort of like test driving a vehicle before giving the public their opinion. Although they these companies have professional testers of these games, the true testers are the consumers or children of consumers who play these games day in and day out. Their intention is not to test a game but to have fun playing it and becoming a part of a virtual society unlike the one that they are living in. In the game society, the play can control the out come of their destiny.

Video games of the 21st century are programmed so that the players can envision themselves in the games. This is all made possible due to the wireless remote. So if there is a scene, within a video game, that has a man running and climbing into a helicopter, the player can become engaged and apart of the action or lifestyle of a game.

Older game controls were very basic but they did the job for players. However, today’s video game controls are equipped with built-in speakers; this gives it a surround sound effect. This controller is not limited to the surround sound feature; there are other features as well.

About The Author

Taisha Grant writes about http://www.videogamesbox.com, http://www.videogamesbox.com/Coupons/eToys.html and http://www.videogamesbox.com/Coupons/MadCatzStore.com.html

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It is helpful to visualize your winter garden as the summer garden stripped back to its bare bones. The importance of attractive and clean lines and clear delineation of space cannot be over emphasized. The plants, structures and walkways which remain after the showy spring blooms are long gone, the perennials and bulbs of summer and fall have been put to bed for the winter season is the true framework of your garden.

The winter garden doesn’t have to be black and white, or even just boring green and brown. It must rely largely on shape and solid structures to demonstrate its basic beauty but can and should also have spots of bright color or whimsical highlights to add visual interest.

Consider the shape and design of your garden shed, for example. Perhaps a miniature pagoda might be suitable, even if it is just a hint of roofline shape to bring Japan to the mind’s eye. Maybe a tiny gingerbread cottage would add just the right touch of whimsy. Through the use of outdoor heating accessories, you may even be able to add another few weeks to your enjoyment of the garden space.

If you prefer to stick with natural plantings rather than a substantial structure, give thought to ornamental evergreens. There are so many colors of green that a winter garden which features a mixture of evergreens in a variety of shapes, sizes and shades of green can be a dramatic focal point.

You can tuck in icicle pansies for a bright bloom of color well into December in most climates. This new breed of the gardener’s favorite color spot flower will bloom in early fall, survive winter’s first frosts, lie dormant during the cold season and bloom again in early spring. These flowers are specially adapted for use in northern climates, but could also be used for brightening your winter garden.

About The Author

Jonathan Coffman is the owner of Always Green Nursery located in Columbia, MO. They are a premium grower of perennial plants to retail and wholesale customers across the country. You can buy plants, seeds, gardening supplies and more from http://www.alwaysgreenursery.com/buy-perennials.

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Patience is a virtue, and you’re going to have to be pretty virtuous if you’re one of the millions of UK PlayStation Fans awaiting the arrival of the PS3. As if it wasn’t bad enough we had to rewrite our letters to Santa this year (because it now won’t hit our shelves until March), we’re also all going to be green with envy as the web fills up with the usual reviews, cheats, and walkthroughs etc from sites in the States where they will get their hands on the console from November 17th.

Personally, my patience (lost my virtue a long time ago) ran out already, and my craving for HD gaming led me to the XBOX 360. I suspect many others will do the same this Christmas and I don’t blame you. To not release the most hyped console of all time for Christmas has got to be the craziest decision Sony has made (apart from the choice of software packed with their MP3 Walkman – but don’t get me started on that one). It can’t even be based on format because the PS3 will be region free, and you can play any PS3 game on it no matter what part of the world you bought it from.

If you do decide to cut your losses and go for the XBOX 360 you won’t be disappointed, I certainly haven’t been. But you should be aware that in their hurry to steal the HD gaming market, Microsoft left a couple of jobs as ‘work in progress’. Although the list is growing, the XBOX 360 still only plays a handful of original XBOX games. If you’re starting afresh that?s fine, but if you’ve got a hefty back-catalogue of XBOX titles you were planning to play then that?s a real bummer. Backwards compatibility was a target that simply wasn’t reached in time for release and early release was obviously of greater importance to Microsoft than it appears to be for Sony.

However, if you’re a PlayStation purist, or simply do not fancy the XBOX 360 or the Nintendo Wii, then your virtue will be well rewarded. Although I find it difficult to understand some of Sony’s business decisions, I can fully understand the hype surrounding the PS3. It will be without doubt the most powerful domestic games console available, boasting the ‘Cell’ processor, twelve times faster than processors found in top range PC’s. The PS3 will also offer ‘Blue-ray’ technology which Sony are heavily promoting to take over from DVD, as well as offering free ‘out of the box’ online gaming (broadband connection required).

All of this extra ‘oomph’ inevitably comes at a cost, and you should expect to pay more for the prestige of owning such a machine. You’ll also need to keep an eye on game prices too from November and compare them to its rivals, afterall there is no point owning the thing if you have to rob a bank every time you want something to play on it. On the plus side it will play any PS2 or PS1 titles you have tucked away.

Whatever you decide, have a happy Christmas, and keep on gaming !

About The Author

Rob O’Neill is owner of Console Fun, the one stop shop for information on video games consoles including XBOX, XBOX 360, PS1, PS2, PS3, PSP, Nintendo GameCube, Wii, and DS.

http://www.consolefun.co.uk

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