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Today marks the release of the new Zune 3.0 Firmware update adding Tag-from-Radio purchase options from the Marketplace, plus other features like Games (Hexic and Texas Hold’em) and a Clock (yes it has a clock now 24 or 12 hour). The software looks cleaner with some updates such as a visualisation on the bottom of the software when playing music, in the UK the marketplace and mixview features are not available. There is support for Audiobooks, so this will work whereever there is support for Audible or Overdrive, so this should be fine for the UK and other markets, CESPage.com Zune will be updated once there is information and images available.

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CESPage.com Zune

Read | Category Zune | No Comments » | September 16th, 2008

Got anny comments or suggestions about the CESPage.com Visual Basic Weekly Update, then post them here, including suggestions for features, up-coming tutorials, examples, other articles and more!

Read | Category Visual Basic | 2 Comments » | September 14th, 2008

Announcing brand-new content for CESPage.com Visual Basic! Articles will finally appear on CESPage.com Visual Basic in the next few weeks, these will feature examples which can be downloaded (the code) and an explaination of them in the Article including any technology or techniques of interest, these will feature complex examples and applications that go beyond what a tutorial can explain but show a completed example and a summary of it. The first of these will be a Windows Presentation Foundation-based Text Editor and later another for a Web Browser with more advanced features than that in the tutorial.

You can be part of it, suggest any examples or subjects you want covered plus any third-party solutions you like such as Components or other related items.
Remember you can get involved, post your ideas here today and see your name appear on the website!

Read | Category Visual Basic | 3 Comments » | September 6th, 2008

Some exciting announcements are due with regards to Zune, rumours are that a new colour, Blue will be available and the 4GB version will be removed and a new 16GB model may be announced.
There is also the confirmed (thanks to the U.S. FCC who test gadgets and Microsoft) 120GB version of the Zune.
There is also the release of Zune in Europe and elsewhere probably being announced soon also.
CESPage.com Zune will be updated with all new models, features and news as it is confirmed and released

Read | Category Zune | No Comments » | September 3rd, 2008

Today marks the official announcement of Star Trek Online in Las Vegas Nevada developed by Crypic Studios and joined for the announcement today by Leonard Nimoy famous for portraying the character Mr Spock from the TV Series and Star Trek Movies!

At the Star Trek Online World Wide Premiere here comes Leonard Nimoy to host the official announcement! Starting with a Vulcan salute and a bit of sound issue plus a reference to the new Star Trek Movie.

The Star Trek Online MMO gives fans an entry into the star trek universe as never before, thousands of players can go where they have never gone before and add their own stories.

Creators of City of Heroes and the upcoming Champions Online who are developing the Star Trek Online game created by those who are fans of the series.

Chief Creative Officer of Cryptic Studios was inspired by Star Trek and the character of Mr Spock, revealing new details plus a first game-play trailer. A Star Trek MMO has been an idea of Cryptic Studios since their beginning!

When Crypic got the Star Trek license they realised the potential of the game.

Where is the game set? 2409, which is 30 years after Star Trek Nemesis. New Enemies and Friends there will be a catch up on the website covering the intervening years at Star Trek Online.

All the familiar races will be present plus existing canon will not be altered or interfered with what happened before Nemesis stays as-is.
The Novels and Comics are referenced such as Starfleet Corps of Engineers!

You will start as Captain of a small starship, however you won’t have the rank of captain right away. The primary or command crew will be player controlled AI like Pets in other Online Roleplay games.

The game does not just cover being on a Starship but also on planets, so all the obvious location types are covered not just being stuck in space!

You have a ship in which you can travel through space, there will be tactical combat where you can issue orders such as repair teams or issue a Red Alert.
Fast paced ranged an melee combat on the ground, where you can choose various members of your command crew and / or beam down to a planet with fellow commanders of other ships (other players).

You can choose every aspect of you captain including existing races or custom races so not just Human but your own type of race.
You can get better ships and add and customise the ship including decals, colour scheme and design.
There are two factions: Klingons and Starfleet plus there will addition of other races such as Cardassians, Jem Hadar etc.

The Klingons and Starfleet are not as friendly so there will be player-vs-player combat.
In Star Trek Online there will be discovery of new civilisations giving the chance for a player to make first contact or study a pre-warp society!
You can add crew from the various planets you make contact with for example.

There is a Galactic Economy with trading between the major empires, players can group together in fleets to build space stations, ship yards, mining facilities etc.
Sign up to the website (just like me) there is a contest for a lifetime subcription to Star Trek Online (U.S. Only unfortunately).

The game is nearer completion than would normally be the case due to the tools and resources available to the developer.

A non-prerendered trailer now being presented which was recorded straight from the game itself like a demo. Where the game looks great images of ships, starbases and planets from the game. Including fighting with the borg plus flypasts from a few of the custom vessels available in the game.

Q&A

- They will be staying true to the Star Trek universe not just a “Skin” on their existing engine and the development team must watch the series at least once.
- A Star Trek writer will be joining the team to help ground the stories in Star Trek including working with the licence holder : CBS.
- System requirements for the game will not be too demanding, this game will run on the same hardware as the Champions Online game.
- Holographic characters will be possible with the limitations one would expect from such as character.
- You will be able to have Decks in the ships with Engineering, Holodeck, Med Labs etc.
- Player death will be handled better, with no perma-death.
- Central Command will issue missions to follow (similar to Quests) but will not be level based.
- No motion capture will be used for the characters they will key-framed or hand-animated.
- Forum registrants will be offered any Beta testing, the game will be available in less than three years. The game will be made fun as this has been the experience of the developer, the stayability of the game will be better.
- There will be dynamic and random events such as invasions and conflicts breaking out.
- Missions allow players to team up with others in a temporary task force or in a fleet.
- Casual players won’t be punished and be allowed to enjoy the game without the need to spend hours of gameplay building up a character to be able to play and have fun.
- There are specialties which captains can have such as Science, Engineering, Security in addition to Command similar to MMO Player Classes.
- There may be one server (this will be bad for Europe) but as few servers as possible. The Game will be a great game for MMO but non-Star Trek fans.
- This game will be available and aimed at all age groups however it has all the pitfalls of a normal online game with regards to player behaviour.
- Fleets will be well organised and allow players to work together and get resources.
- Anything that is published or released that covers the same post-Star Trek Nemesis era will be looked at and may be integrated into the game as inspiration.
- It is possible to board other people’s ships where you can show of your Ship but this will not be a gameplay element.

Read | Category General | No Comments » | August 10th, 2008

Its the 8th of the 8th (August) 2008, so a good time to post, the 2008 Olympic Games started today with a great ceremony which will be hard to beat for London 2012, will see what comes medal wise in the next few weeks. On a more relevant note CESPage.com Visual Basic has been getting some new tutorials the past few months suggested by visitors to this blog, there will be one new tutorial per week for the next few weeks so look out for them! As for CESPage.com Xbox it will be getting a minor update for when the 60GB Xbox 360 console becomes standard plus some content for games. CESPage.com Zune will also be getting some new content later this year with the release of the Zune in Europe / United Kingdom.
CESPage.com Gadgets will be coming at last this year so why not suggest the gadgets we should feature (in the same vein as CESPage.com Xbox/Zune) and these will become those featured first! CESPage.com Windows will be getting some new content at last, again suggest what you want there too! Finally today seems a good day to announce a brand-new CESPage.com website launching in the Autumn - CESPage.com Silverlight, covering Tutorials (in VB of course!), Showcase and more.
Post your comments and suggestions here for existing and new CESPage.com sections!

Read | Category General | No Comments » | August 8th, 2008

Today marks the official release of the Zune in Canada!
Available are the Black and Red Zune 80 plus Pink, Black and Red Zune 4/8, plus the Zune Originals service is also available for Canadians at zuneoriginals.ca. Find out more about Zune in Canada from Zune Canada.

Hopefully the Zune will be released elsewhere if all goes well for the Canada launch today, so if you are in Canada, then check it out hopefully those in Europe and elsewhere will be able to get the Zune soon - hopefully around November/Winter 2008 if rumours are true!

Source: Microsoft Press

Read | Category Zune | No Comments » | June 13th, 2008

DISCOVERY OF MOST RECENT SUPERNOVA IN OUR GALAXY

Scientists have used NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and NRAO’s Very Large Array to discover the most recent supernova explosion in our Galaxy, as measured in Earth’s time frame.

Not Planet X, Blackhold, Dyson Sphere but a Supernova Remnant known as G1.9+0.3 X-Ray shell of this object detected by Chandra X-Ray Telescope, which occurred around 1890-1900 but was not observed at this time due to it’s proximity to galactic centre, interstellar gases. Located near the galactic centre this discovery was made by comparing X-ray images from 1985 and the present, showing expansion in the intervening period. 1604AD, 1572AD are the most recent written records of supernova phenomenon as they occured, however this one is much more recent. There may be younger supernovae elsewhere in our galaxy, that athough when unseen will be detected as they happen or ones which happened recently. The remnant is the smallest, highest expansion speed and is getting brighter in the radio wavelengths of the spectrum.

Media Links

Read | Category General | No Comments » | May 14th, 2008

Today marks the release of the Zune 2.5 Firmware and updates to the software and Zune.net, including the ability to purchase TV shows and Video content from the Zune Marketplace, plus new social features, you can put your Zune Card on your Zune (guess ZuneCardr was ahead of this!).
CESPage.com Zune will be updated with all the latest information later this week. ZuneCardr.com still works, but look out for an update on this in the near future!

Read | Category Zune | No Comments » | May 6th, 2008

This is your chance to influence CESPage.com Visual Basic, by suggesting Tutorials for Visual Basic Express Edition 2008!
So from WPF/XAML, XML to Databases - what do you want to learn? From simple applications to complex software and should it be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
It’s up to you, post your suggestions here. CESPage.com Visual Basic will try to feature as many as possible, however they do take time - for example the Noughts and Crosses game took three days to plan and write especially for the tutorial.

Read | Category Visual Basic | 159 Comments » | March 23rd, 2008