Does music help work flow?

After the team trip to Turkey, I purchased some new headphones.
I was sick of sitting in the labs hearing only the sound of typing and clicking mice. Not the cheese eating type either.

I found that I was less distracted from what was happening around me and far more focused on the job at hand.

Then I got to thinking, "Does music help work flow?".

I could not decide if it was the music that was helping me work or just that it stopped everything around me from being a ditraction.

Also this had me wondering if the type of music mattered at all.

So today I have experimented with different types. Loud, quiet, fast paced, slow songs, rock, classical even a bit of 80's pop.

I think that it is nicer to have music you enjoy and also, be in the mood to listen to it.

What's everyone else like to listen to when they work?

Would really like to here some comments on this one people.

Till Next Time Cya!

Yay! Deamon!

Your result for The Golden Compass Daemon Test ...

Social Joker Soul

You an an extroverted, playful and confident sort of person. You seek out excitement, and you love to be right in the thick of things. You are enthusiastic, garrulous, and you love to attend large social gatherings. You love to laugh. If you spend too much time at home, away from friends and fun, you tend to "fade", becoming tired and a little depressed. A fun night out with your friends soon re-energizes you, though.

You make friends easily, and you probably jump between several groups of people. You probably have a group of friends for every need - the friends you drink with, the friends you jam with, the friends you talk with about the meaning of life... You blend in with each group of people, showing your sensitive side when you are with certain friends, and hiding it from others. You love to meet new people, and to make new friends. However, you are not a slave to popularity. You will speak your mind to defend yourself or one of your friends if necessary. You are no shrinking violet, and you are more than capable of fighting your way out of a tight corner.
That being said, your confidence and your enthusiasm for fun can sometimes lead to your making thoughtless comments which hurt or insult people. These people, however, are probably over-sensitive squares who don't appreciate your sense of humour. You don't have much time for people like that, anyway.

Your daemon's form would represent your social, playful, yet honest personality. He or she would probably urge you to create further mayhem, or would make snide comments in your ear about the people you meet on a daily basis.

Suggested forms: Toucan, Crow, Macaque or Bonobo, African Wild Dog, Macaw.

Here are a few speed paints!

These are some I did today and yesterday!

First term comes to an end...

That's it now until after Christmas. Then it is off to Turkey for me and four others.

But it wont all be sun, sea and booze, oh no!

We will have to go picture crazy. I may even go as far as to take a video of some of the streets to get a full 3d view of the buildings.

Work has been fun this year with us starting by searching for textures rather than filtering them off the net. A bit annoying but in fact a reason for spontaneous rides to odd places.

I think the hardest project for me was the H Van as I almost lost the plot getting the mesh right. But I'm surprisingly happy with the final outcome.

So without further ado, here are some final renders;

Have a great Christmas everyone and a Happy New Year!

Till Next Time Cya!

You can can with a H Van!

Yes i have been building the H Van. As have most people as it was the only vehicle most people could find. Turns out that it is quite collectible and alot of people are having them restored to there former glory.

It is a very awkward shape to model correctly but I think I'm almost happy with mine.
As a vehicle though, it actually grows on you. It reminds me of a tank, with how bulky it's shape is.

I should have the interior finished soon and then I can get the thing unwrapped and textured post haste.

Feel free to not tell me what you think on this van as I will ignore them anyway. Because I dont want to model it any more than I have too. Understand?

Till Next Time Cya!

Little Big Planet

WOW.......

This game is amazing and rather addictive.

OK very addictive and i don't think its going to be easy, but i will do work and not get distracted..............

..........
............ well maybe a little go wont hurt :P

Yes you can build stick pull faces. You even drive a car. Where does the fun stop. Seriously.
I'm not the only obsessed one either. I get sad faces coming to my door asking if they can play and even adopted a room full while I was attempting to ignore them and continue modeling. With the odd urge, to have a go at trying to fling my Sackboy about giant spinning disks. Which aloud me to get it out of my system.

Me and Joel have both had a go at the customisation. Trying to build some sort of level. But it is both time consuming and more effort than either of us had anticipated.
Maybe over Christmas I will have a few really good levels to try out upon my return.
Along with 2 more controllers hopefully as Caz will have her PS3. WoopWoop!

Till Next Time Cya!

GranTurismo 5 Prologue

I really enjoy these games and could not wait for them to release the full game and in my haste bought the Prologue on EBay.

I'm still happy with my decision and when the work gets handed in I will be sure to unleash myself upon it.
But I could not help but have a little look see first. Only an hour. Honest.

There are not very many tracks to play and to my surprise, no licences. Which was a blessing in my book. The flaw came though, in that you had to complete all challenges in the low class races before continuing to a higher difficulty. Which left you some what bored and feeling rather linear.

But as I found, if you now your cars and buy them with some thought and consideration. You can fly through the races with some ease. Occasionally there is the odd race where you feel it was some what unnecessary, such as overtake 15 cars in 1 lap.

It's bits like that in games that just drive you mad. Get it!

Sorry that was really bad. I apologise.

Not sure if I was entirely satisfied by the game though, but it is great to see the cars and tracks in there full PS3 glory.

A very good looking game indeed. And so it should be, it's taking them long enough to bring out the full game.
I also like the start page shown here. It shows your car in fully rendered 3D environments, all still modeled to a high quality. Slowly spinning around the vehicle. I just love cars.

Which is probably why I have started typing quicker, as Top Gear has started and I don't want to miss another Clarkson extrabaganza.

So Till Next Time Cya!

Alternate Reality

Let me take you back to yesterday. A day where all was normal, Kitchen was in a mess, Tom downloading lots of stuff at no MB a second and Joel was making tea and as usual Max 2009 was being a pain in the arse.

Ben decided that life was getting a bit samey and wished that something would happen that was "out of the ordinary".

Where do I start..... It is like being in an alternate reality.

No Food.

Kitchen is CLEaN!...

The fence has fallen down.

Something has collapsed across the road.

A crazy woman that was patronisingly happy came to the door.

No More TEA!!!!!

And for me personally, Blogger has loaded every time today and not just every now and again.

Maybe this is how the world ends.

In one giant crash of reality....

Or..... maybe the pressure of all the weirdness will make everyone's heads blow up.....

No?...... Me neither.

Maybe I'm already insane.........Till Next Time Cya!