Tony Blews

Psycho Fireman

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 20:05:01 +0100

I couple of weeks ago I did some coding for Rob Manuel of b3ta fame, specifically the code to parse a wiki page and present the resulting data in a format usuable to a Flash application.

Rob has used this to load in the levels to his "Psycho Fireman" game, a variation (blatant rip-off) of Sokoban.

You can follow Rob's progress with the game on the E4 website.

Interweb Weapons Dealing

Wed, 21 May 2008 18:20:33 +0100

I'm bored again, something that happens with frightening regularity. So today, using the brilliantly simple Gift Creator for Facebook, I've bodged up an app that allows you to send weapons to your friends.

Click the pic to go to it (assuming you have an account on farcebook).

This is part of my continuing commitment to undermine the credibility of the damn site, and thus should not be taken serously. Arms dealing is a serious business, and if I had access to a stockpile of firearms, I certainly wouldn't let you have any. Obviously I'd keep them for when the country turns into Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland™, where all have to scavenge for Guzzoline in customised 1970s cars.

That'll be Friday then, fingers crossed.

The Shrewsbury Arms Site has been re-made

Sat, 03 May 2008 01:30:59 +0100

After weeks of fanny-ing about trying to decide what to do with it, I've finally redesigned the Shrewsbury Arms website. (Redesigned is far too strong a term, as I just used Thingamablog to bosh the thing together, just like all my sites these days. Hell, if it works, go with it!)

Oh go on, click here!

I want a Defender

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 02:22:19 +0000

Hello, and welcome to my scrounging page. This page exists with the sole intention of parting your from you hard-earned cash, in order to let me buy a Defender.

I would like an Ex-MOD Defender.

Built from 1990 onwards, the Defender formed the backbone of the British Armed Forces. Available in many variants, it found its niche as a replacement for the previous LR Series vehicles.

Ideally, I'd like a 110 Hard-top, but i'm really not fussy.

So, why would I want such a vehicle?

The Defender is big, ugly, thirsty, noisy, and desperately un-cool. Much like myself. Question answered.

In a world where the Volkswagen Kombi has become the epitomy of cool, I'd rather drive around in something that actually "does what it says on the tin". Seriously, I've always loved the Landrover as not only a style icon, but a bloody good four-by-four. The Defender must be the only currently available vehicle, over ten years old, that carries any of the spirit of its original incarnation. Plus, if the British Army can't kill them, no-one can.

This is where you come in.

I would like you to contribute to my fund for buying a Defender. I work in a very low-wage job, but i'm saving up for one. I came up with the idea of this site after seeing hundreds of begging sites over the years, but i'm not begging.

No. Seriously, I'm not.

I am willing to display the name (and web address) of any contributor somewhere on the vehicle for a minimum of two years. Obviously the size of the donation would correspond to the size, and location, of the placement. For example, £500 might get you an entire door, £300 for a front wing, or £25 for a 6"x3" block somewhere on the bodywork. The bumpers are already accounted for.

Think of this as an advertising opportunity. Be part of the "Internet Defender Project". Once I have the vehicle, i'll set up a website thanking everyone involved, which will run for two years. How cool would it be to be part of this?

At the moment i'm just canvassing for pledges, to see if this project will pan out.

You can contact me at defender@tonyblews.co.uk to ask any questions, or offer money. I'll set up a paypal account soon.

If you are involved in a company which sells Ex-MOD LR kit, you could offer me a big discount!

If you are an owners club or magazine, you could give me some free publicity. the website address is www.iwantadefender.co.nr, but you knew that already, didn't you?

The Shrewsbury Arms Website

Mon, 05 Nov 2007 01:14:44 +0000

After nearly a year of idleness, procrastination, forgetfulness and down right lack of inspiration, I've finally managed to get round to bodging up the long promised Shrewsbury Arms website. No longer will www.shrewsbury-arms.co.uk direct you to a pisspoor myspace page (which will be deleted very soon).

Now you can revel in the poorly designed equivalent of a spanner in the gas turbine of the internet that is The Shrewsbury Arms Website. Christ, with a hard sell like that, I should go in to advertising.

I'd like to go into advertising, but only if armed with a machine gun.... Anyway, click on the nice picture of the nice pub...

VIC 20 WAP?

Wed, 25 Jul 2007 03:58:42 +0100

I recently found this link on Slashdot. Some muppet tried to make a WAP client for a VIC 20. Oh, it was me.

The link to the site from Slashdot is broken, but via the magic of keeping archives of all my old stuff, I can bring it back.

So click here to see it in all its lack of glory.

Villains.co.nr

Tue, 12 Jun 2007 14:35:11 +0100

A very long time ago, I ran a site at www.villains.co.uk. Now, I've dusted it off, uploaded it once more, and parked it at www.villains.co.nr.

Your Car Is Rubbish

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 14:19:18 +0100

Oops. I started this thing a couple of months ago, and forgot to link it from anywhere.

Your Car is Rubbish!

Star Bores - The Text Adventure

Tue, 24 Apr 2007 02:22:33 +0100

Part IV: Some Hope

A text adventure game for the
Amstrad CPC & PCW Computers

A long long time ago....
back in the mid eighties, long before Spaceballs appeared, I came upwith the idea of writing a text adventure game based loosely on the Star Wars films, Queen videos, tedious adverts and old computer jokes.The first version was written for the Sinclair Spectrum, using the Quill adventure creating package from Gilsoft. That was in 1984. By 1988 the project had moved to the Professional Adventure Writer package on the Amstrad CPC6128 and was eventually completed. By this time it included more awful jokes donated by Jason Denton, Brian Frost, David Oldcorn and a few others at WR Tuson College.

In 1989 I moved to Stafford to start university. I sold copies to other people who had been misguided enough to purchase Amstrads. Over FIVE copies of Star Bores were sold. I lost interest after then.

After sixteen years (and twenty eight years since the Star Wars films were made), I got hold of an Amstrad PCW and could read 3" disks again. It was time to unleash it on the world again.

In 2006 I finally found a permanent resting place for this pile of crap.

Star Bores has the these amazing features:

Rooms, Objects, Other characters,
No graphics whatsoever,
Jokes that were possibly funny about 20 years ago,
No mention of the Crazy Frog,
A plot that even a moron can follow.

The CPM 2.2 version (suitable for use with the 22nice CPM emulator) can be downloaded from here.
The 22nice emulator can be obtained from somewhere on t'internet I assume.

These people were involved the original in project: Tony Blews, Jason Denton, Brian Frost, David Oldcorn (of Starball Pinball fame), Mark Slater, Stephen Jewel, David Capstick, Darren Winterbottom, Steven Shaw, Anil Patel, Jawed Shamsuddin, Paul Webster.
Any feedback on this thing should be sent to starbores@tonyblews.co.uk.