I'd recommend a 'bridge' camera such as the Fujifilm S5700 if you're just starting out with serious photography. Bridge cameras have all the right manual settings that your average compact cameras don't have and are about the half the price of the cheapest SLR. Then once you understand everything, pick up an SLR if you're sure photography is for you.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/o ... 0230-21/?m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE

I have the Fuji S5700 and it's perfect for me- manual settings when I want them to create 'proper' photoraphs and the ability to take quick snapshots and videos.

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NR2003 because that's gradually getting too old.

Have you tried the Nextel 2007 and COT mods?

Are you sure the non stop flight isn't a 787 Dreamliner as BBO@BSR said?

Because if it is, experiencing the new Dreamliner would make for quite a pleasant flight and be better than sitting in Hong Kong.

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i cant control de car n 08

Be gentle with the controls, they're sensitive. I'm used to it because it's similar to when I used to play LFS with a gamepad.

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but don't like the drafting signals i want to feel it from the videos.

The draft display is off in everything except the drafting tutorials/challenges where there is a different HUD. All you have on the race HUD is gear, speed and laps.

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EA close down the team who made 08?

Hmm, don't think so as EA Tiburon seem to be one of EA's most successful studios.

I picked up NASCAR 08 on Playstation 3 yesterday as the box promised decent physics, the graphics seemed good and I don't want to fire up the PC just to play a NASCAR game.

And I was pleasantly surprised.

LONG POST AHEAD, skip to the bits you care about

Of course, Youtube is full of the usual elitist characters claiming that NASCAR 08 is crap compared to NR2003, even though they haven't played EA's latest offering. I'll admit that the previous EA NASCAR titles were pretty poor but believe me, this next gen version is something different.

Even though I was playing with the gamepad, the controls are precise and the physics seemed very close to NR2003. For example, with the aids off you can reach the limits of grip and correct or use oversteer without an ISI-style canned spin- and when you go beyond the limit, you spin out just like you did in the Papyrus sim. Also, apply too much throttle out of a turn or lock up the wheels on the way in and you'll probably find yourself facing the other way if you don't correct it.

Graphics-wise, the game looks incredibly like NR2003 with the addition of some bump-mapping and the excellent lighting and shadows found in every PS3 game. However, I've come to expect better textures than I found here (with the exception of the asphalt) and the lack of AA is a real bitch. Slightly worrying also is the fact that if you took away the shiny lighting effects, NASCAR 08's Infineon would look worse than GT4's.

Gameplay consists of the usual season and quick race modes as well as a career which is a series of licence tests, challenges and finally a season of races. So, good for the casual gamer or sim-racer but bad for the fanboys who want to spend their career mode in menu screens managing sponsors and using "Total Team Control" or whatever extraneous stuff was in the previous versions.

And obviously all the tracks, cars and drivers are in there as well as trucks and the Car of Tomorrow, a (very empty) online mode and the ability to design your own car (albeit in a limited way which is closer to NFS Carbon than Forza 2).

Sorry for the lengthy post but I thought I'd try and give a balanced view of what is, in my opinion, a good game which should be given a chance and not written off by people before they've even played it.

All opinions etc etc are welcome!

Last edited by TiJay, Wed 2 Jan 2008, 19:48.

I have it on PS3 and the single player is a brilliant, if short, experience. The multiplayer is pretty generic but for some reason it's really good fun.

My PSN ID is TiJayLFS if anyone wants a COD4 player on their friends list.

I think I read somewhere that Adobe/Autodesk don't particularly care if Photoshop or 3DS is pirated by students or amateurs because in the future, those students will be working for companies who have legally purchased the software. Also, the fact these kids have learnt Photoshop means it will stay ubiquitous in the professional sector. Now, companies using pirated software is a different thing and is regularly cracked down on AFAIK.

Can you use any new 3 Mobile phone like that? I might buy one.

Is that the new 3 Mobile USB dongley thing? I was going to get one but I refuse to pay for the device AND a monthly fee.

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But damn, man do you need to learn Latin?

At face value, sure Latin is useless but that's not what it's about.

The reason people still do it at schools is because it shows an ability to learn and understand a difficult language.

We need one for the FBMW.

Yeah, it's quicker for MSN/internet from a cold start than my Vista laptop.

I have an Asus Eee with XP and it can do standby overnight but when you start it again it will only have about 30% battery left.

Brilliant little PC though.

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That would depend on the conditions I would have thought, there's no way you are going to fail for taking care in bad weather for example, as long as you are 'making progress'.

Obviously in bad weather yes, going slower is the right thing to do. But in clear dry conditions when 60 is safe, doing 45 is at best irritating and at worst dangerous. When I was learning, I was taught to do the maximum safe speed for the conditions.

I drive on 60mph-max country roads to uni every day and there's always someone in front who does 45mph in the 60 zones when you can safely do 60 down the straights and 40-60 in the corners. Shame they can't hear me saying "Move, you cock!"...

Well, I'm pretty sure if you press "Forget password" on some online services all it does is ask for your Secret Question in order to change the password. And if someone knows you well enough, answering it ain't too difficult.

The best supercar is a McLaren F1 (based on mechanical genius) or a Lambo Reventon (purely on cool factor).

My dream car? Ariel Atom all the way!

ajp71: N2003 had a Nurburgring mod?? I haven't found it!

Posted at 19:12? Could be your ISP throttling ports at peak time. I know Tiscali does this to some games and denies it, the bastards.

£2k Third Party on a Fiesta 1.25 last year when I was 17, this year it's the same price Comprehensive. So yeah, it's a rip off.

Cool video, is that just a random collection of movie car crashes or was it an original production?

EDIT: Ahh, it was a music video of some German movie. Looks like a good film.

Last edited by TiJay, Sun 4 Nov 2007, 11:11.

Hehe, maybe it's just selective memory. I just honestly can't say I've heard much about him being good.

As for Hamilton, the guy's a brilliant driver but it seems like even when it was wet at Nurby and China, he was pushing too hard and trying to drive like it was dry.

EDIT: Whoa, that topic grew quick. I was responding to Zeug's comment on Sutil.

Because he's even worse in the wet than Hamilton, and that's saying something.

Also, Sutil's had more than his fair share of spins and newbie shunts IIRC. (I could be wrong about that bit but every time I've heard his name during a race it's been due to him ballsing it up)

Hamilton's teammate preferences: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/h ... t/formula_one/7076956.stm

If Kovalinen goes to McLaren, that leaves a gap for Alonso at Renault. Seems pretty straightforward. Can't imagine Sutil in a McLaren to be honest, Rosberg could do a decent job though.

Apparently he's headed to either Renault or Red Bull this year (can't see Coulthard putting up with his whining, mind) followed by Ferrari in 2009.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/h ... t/formula_one/7074737.stm