I have just learned a costly lesson - never update a computer BIOS from within Windows where possible! The other day while still waiting for my replacement LCD to arrive I thought I’d install the latest CVS build of XBOX Media Centre on the good ol’ XBOX, and without realizing I accidentally pressed something causing the XBOX to crash half way through uploading the files.. damn it! Annoyed that I now had to rebuild the hard drive I thought I might as well ruin the computer as well (sarcasm), so I downloaded the Asus update application from their website along with the latest BIOS thinking after the update I’d try to push the CPU a bit further.

I ran the update program and it appeared fine until half way through when a message came up saying something about an invalid checksum before crashing, so I tried to open the application again and it crashed exclaiming that it didn’t find an Asus BIOS. I didn’t think anything of it until I restarted the computer and seeing it no longer started. The stupid update program destroyed the BIOS, forcing me to go and get a replacement motherboard (I replaced with the P5K-E WiFi with a P5KC.. never used the hopeless WiFi AP and DDR3 support is of coarse a bit of future-proofing).

Learn from my mistake: If updating the BIOS and your motherboard supports it, update with the built-in utilities.

8. flOw

The first time I played this game was on my computer, while it was an incomplete beta flash movie. It was later finished and sold for the PS3 and later the PSP. It’s a visual treat where the player controlled creature eats other creatures to become bigger/stronger and descends lower (into the ocean?) to face bigger/stronger creatures. I love this game and it would have been higher in the list, except for it’s fatal flaw - it’s too short! I completed this game in under 90 minutes (which is never a good thing), but being a PSN download and not a full UMD game there is a bit of justification in there.

Incredibly the PC version is still available online, and can be played at the authors website here!

Hit more to view the whole list!

I quite like what FPV has done with the latest Ford FG Series Falcons, especially the GT-E (in the photos it’s the red one), it’s subtle but very aggressive. Subtlety however does not apply to the rest of the range with their bright paint jobs and use of the colour black.

Hit the link to view the press release from Ford Performance Vehicles and view LOTS of images!

I suppose it could be said that all food we eat was at some point alive, but these creative photos (or photoshops?) would have us suggest otherwise. Very creative.

Give the article a read over at Fabulously40, I like the watermelon.

It’s because movies like these were never made that we don’t have to be as scared to go to the video shop anymore. Cracked put together a fun list of six movies that were thankfully never made, from a movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as a robot cowboy to Steven Seagal as Ghengis Khan (actually that would be pretty entertaining, but for all the wrong reasons. Under Siege still rocks though).

I wouldn’t mind seeing the original Westworld which I’ve read is what The Simpsons episode “Itchy & Scratchy Land” is based on. Check out the list here.

This is the only thing from Japan I can think of to balance out what I just posted. A list (with pictures) of the top thirty cutest corporate mascots. Domo only comes in at 17 (but then again he’s not that cute). I like the Koala driving the Koala car. Classic.

Because that happens in Australia. Head over to What Japan Thinks to see the full list.