Old baby names really dying out? Not so sure on that...

After reading the BBC report on old baby names dying out, I did a little research into top baby names.

Although the report is probably right about some older names dying out, like Norman or Walter, it forgets to mention that the current top male name Jack has been popular for over 100 hundred years in western society and has been the most popular name in the UK for 14 years.

Chances are, the BBC is probably reacting to the introduction of non-traditional names into the top 20 list. According to government statistics, Mohammed is at number 17 and Muhammad is at 38. To be honest, I doubt that a lot of Caucasian couples are naming their child Mohammed or Muhammad, which means that the BBC is just taking a stab at immigrants.

Now, if the BBC were honest about this irrational fear, fair enough, but they aren't. We all know that throughout History the UK has been the settling place for a lot of immigrants, whether they are from India, Pakistan or Ireland. We also know that after two generations, those immigrants become part of the British culture. Of course that means that non-traditional names become a lot more popular, but that doesn't mean we should get panicky about it. A lot of people in the UK who call themselves "English" rarely originate from the UK completely. Someone always has a Norwegian Aunt or something.

So being English doesn't mean having 10 generations of completely English ancestors, it means being part of the British society and culture. Heck, the basis of English society as a whole is a weird mix of Normans, Vikings and other European cultures. Why start getting protective about our heritage now anyway?

Final Thought Byte : So why should the BBC publish a whole series of reports about the decline in traditional names? Its a fact that things change over time, so get over it.

Tags : Baby names, BBC, Engish Heritage, news

Overheating, Overclocking Frenzy

The nVidia 8600 GT is the cheapest , and one of the best selling high performance cards on the market. It has been described as "the best bang for your buck" graphics card, however this legacy is about to come to an end. The 9600 GT has specs that are very close to the 8800 GT but at a much lower price. But, with the new Geforce 200 series coming out, will people be skipping the 9600 GT and going straight for the 200 series equivalent?

After 10 months of hardcore gaming, my XFX 8600 GT is still doing very well. In an earlier blog I mentioned that GRID was causing heat problems with the card, but that is the only problem I have really had. Bioshock has also caused artifacts to appear after 3 hours of play at full settings, but that was fixed with an extra case fan. Over clocking, however is not a good idea. For a card that is already very hot, over clocking will just mess up your system.

The performance of the 8600 GT is good enough to keep up with most new games, but it will soon become heavily out-dated. The new nVidia PhysX drivers are rumoured not to support the 8600 GT, which means the card will not be able to keep up with new games that come with full PhysX features.

Final Thought Byte : So what does that mean for those of us who bought the 8600 GT for gaming? It means that we'll probably have to wait till the new year deals to pick up a cheap 9600 GT, or a new 200 series card. But, if you're looking for something to keep you going till then, you can pick up a 8600 GT for about 50 quid.

Tags : 200 series, 9600 GT, Bioshock, Computer, games, Nvidia 8600 GT, PhysX, Race Driver : Grid

There's Blood everywhere!

When I first picked up Genesis Rising I thought it would a normal space flight game, something along the lines of EVE, but without the ridiculous monthly fee and irritating tutorial voice. I was , however, completely and utterly wrong. The game is more like a space based strategy game, like a cross between DarkSpace and Starcraft.

What makes the game really weird is the odd focus on the Universes most precious resource : Blood. The tutorial takes you through all the basic skills needed to fuel and upgrade your organic fleet. As you play the game you get more access to ship types , ship upgrades and weapons from bloody carcasses.

The interface is bog standard and the widescreen feature doesn’t quite work properly. It’s bearable, but it could do with some tweaks. The mouse cursor is also way too slow for the game. These common pitfalls, however, are made up by the graphics. They’re at the same sort of standards as EVE, but with more spectacular planets. They aren’t top of the range, but they aren’t bad compared to some other games.

Final Thought Byte : We’ll see how this game pans out before giving it a rating.

Tags : blood, DarkSpace, EVE, games, Genesis Rising, space, Starcraft, universe

Blog Update

Having discussed the direction of this blog with my close friends and girlfriend, I have decided to start writing a "University Top 10" series. It will include advice on what to take, what to do on your first day and your first weeks, what not to do and the best way to have the time of your life. Obviously this won't apply to everyone, but the more first hand advice the better.

Next up though, is a product review on the XFX 8600 GT and a game review of Genesis Rising.

Tags : games, Genesis Rising, top 10, university, xfx 8600 GT