I find myself very deeply effected by the sacrifice that our are armed forces are making in this conflict, and as father myself was I very moved by this BBC Audio slideshow about a Soldier and Son.
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Trooper Jack Sadler was killed in December 2007, when a land mine exploded underneath his army Land Rover in the desert of southern Afghanistan.
Jack was Ian Sadler's only child. Here, he pays a moving tribute to his son. Link
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A blog about my interest in all things military, wargaming and last but not least my military vehicle adventures.
Thursday 27 August 2009
Tuesday 25 August 2009
Blood Bowl
Just stumbled across the fact that GW are releasing Blood Bowl for the PC. The trailer looks amazing, as does the detail about the game. I can't wait until its released on 18th Oct !!!
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Blood Bowl is the video game adaptation of Games Workshop's famous board game of the same name.
A brutal team sport unfolding in a parallel fantasy world based on Warhammer and American football, Blood Bowl invites gamers to form a team of players from such races as Orcs, Wood Elves, Humans, Dwarfs and many other fantasy creatures, and launch themselves into battle in the bloodiest of arenas. This strategy sports game combines a fine balance of tactics and bonecrunching action!
The game offers two game modes. The first, which is fully real time, offers a spectacular gameplay. Intense battles between blocking linemen and daring displays of agility of players leaping and dodging through opponents tackle zones, while powerful spells and dirty trick special plays are unleashed across the pitch; all this creates a highly charged atmosphere.
The second game mode, an actual turn-based game, is a treat for players of the original board game because it is an exact replica of Games Workshop's tabletop masterpiece. The original rules have been faithfully reproduced, and it contains all of the devices, strategies, play and rhythm of the original game.
The single-player experience allows the player to manage a team throughout an entire season of Blood Bowl, through the Old World of Warhammer. The team will evolve over the course of victories, experience gained and awards won. With its immense depth, the game can almost be considered as a management game, from managing the popularity and sponsorship of players to the purchase and sale of players, as well as their aging, retirement and even death. In multiplayer, the player will be able to throw down a challenge to other Blood Bowl players and participate in large tournaments on the Internet in order to climb the official ranks (ladder).
Blood Bowl features:
2 radically different game modes: Turn-based for a faithful adaptation of the board game, or Real-Time for intense and spectacular matches.
8 different races, each offering its own style of play: Humans, Orcs, Skaven, Dwarfs, Wood Elves, Goblins, Lizardmen and Chaos.
Magnificent graphical rendering, literally giving life to the Blood Bowl miniatures!
Take part in a full Blood Bowl campaign to win the 15 championship trophies and cups while developing your own team.
Export your own team from a championship and play it in One-off matches or in multiplayer.
Create your own online League and challenge other player and participate to online tournaments on the internet to rise your team on the top of the official online rankings!
Get started easily and progressively using the in-game tutorial and 3 levels of difficulty.
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Blood Bowl is the video game adaptation of Games Workshop's famous board game of the same name.
A brutal team sport unfolding in a parallel fantasy world based on Warhammer and American football, Blood Bowl invites gamers to form a team of players from such races as Orcs, Wood Elves, Humans, Dwarfs and many other fantasy creatures, and launch themselves into battle in the bloodiest of arenas. This strategy sports game combines a fine balance of tactics and bonecrunching action!
The game offers two game modes. The first, which is fully real time, offers a spectacular gameplay. Intense battles between blocking linemen and daring displays of agility of players leaping and dodging through opponents tackle zones, while powerful spells and dirty trick special plays are unleashed across the pitch; all this creates a highly charged atmosphere.
The second game mode, an actual turn-based game, is a treat for players of the original board game because it is an exact replica of Games Workshop's tabletop masterpiece. The original rules have been faithfully reproduced, and it contains all of the devices, strategies, play and rhythm of the original game.
The single-player experience allows the player to manage a team throughout an entire season of Blood Bowl, through the Old World of Warhammer. The team will evolve over the course of victories, experience gained and awards won. With its immense depth, the game can almost be considered as a management game, from managing the popularity and sponsorship of players to the purchase and sale of players, as well as their aging, retirement and even death. In multiplayer, the player will be able to throw down a challenge to other Blood Bowl players and participate in large tournaments on the Internet in order to climb the official ranks (ladder).
Blood Bowl features:
2 radically different game modes: Turn-based for a faithful adaptation of the board game, or Real-Time for intense and spectacular matches.
8 different races, each offering its own style of play: Humans, Orcs, Skaven, Dwarfs, Wood Elves, Goblins, Lizardmen and Chaos.
Magnificent graphical rendering, literally giving life to the Blood Bowl miniatures!
Take part in a full Blood Bowl campaign to win the 15 championship trophies and cups while developing your own team.
Export your own team from a championship and play it in One-off matches or in multiplayer.
Create your own online League and challenge other player and participate to online tournaments on the internet to rise your team on the top of the official online rankings!
Get started easily and progressively using the in-game tutorial and 3 levels of difficulty.
Dawn of War II - Real Life Rhino
Dawn of War II - Real Life Rhino
Putting the real life Space Marine Rhino to the test ! Okay, this is pretty impressive the amount of effort someone has gone to here !
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Putting the real life Space Marine Rhino to the test ! Okay, this is pretty impressive the amount of effort someone has gone to here !
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NEWS & LINKS
Remains of WWI fallen identified
Some 7,000 British and Australian soldiers were killed, wounded or taken prisoner at the Battle of Fromelles in 1916, during the First World War. More than 250 bodies have been discovered in mass graves, buried behind German lines. Over the last three months, archaeologists and DNA experts have been trying to identify the remains. Link
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Some 7,000 British and Australian soldiers were killed, wounded or taken prisoner at the Battle of Fromelles in 1916, during the First World War. More than 250 bodies have been discovered in mass graves, buried behind German lines. Over the last three months, archaeologists and DNA experts have been trying to identify the remains. Link
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Monday 24 August 2009
Ramsey 1940 Weekend
Five miles down the road from me is the old WW2 airfield of RAF Upwood. For those interested in its rich history this is a good link. Anyway, once a year the airfield hosts a 1940s weekend. I went along yesterday with my son to have a look at what was going on. There were re-enactors, military vehicles, stalls, marching bands, historic cars, a miniature railway + lots of other stuff. The highlight for me was getting a ride in a FV432 operated by a company called Tanks 4 A Ride.
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The thing that surprised me was the volume of heat blasted across the top hatch from the engine grills !
In addition they had an Abbot SPG and a Chieftain there as well.
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The thing that surprised me was the volume of heat blasted across the top hatch from the engine grills !
In addition they had an Abbot SPG and a Chieftain there as well.
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Sunday 23 August 2009
Trailer For AVATAR
Check out this amazing trailer for the new film AVATAR. Can't wait until its released.
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In Cinemas Worldwide December - In the epic action adventure AVATAR, James Cameron, the director of Titanic, takes us to a spectacular new world beyond our imagination. On the distant moon Pandora, a reluctant hero embarks on a journey of redemption and discovery as he leads a heroic battle to save a civilization. The film was first conceived by Cameron 14 years ago, when the means to realize his vision did not yet exist. Now, after four years of actual production work, AVATAR delivers a fully immersive cinematic experience of a new kind, where the revolutionary technology invented to make the film, disappears into the emotion of the characters and the sweep of the story.
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In Cinemas Worldwide December - In the epic action adventure AVATAR, James Cameron, the director of Titanic, takes us to a spectacular new world beyond our imagination. On the distant moon Pandora, a reluctant hero embarks on a journey of redemption and discovery as he leads a heroic battle to save a civilization. The film was first conceived by Cameron 14 years ago, when the means to realize his vision did not yet exist. Now, after four years of actual production work, AVATAR delivers a fully immersive cinematic experience of a new kind, where the revolutionary technology invented to make the film, disappears into the emotion of the characters and the sweep of the story.
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Thursday 20 August 2009
Space Hulk New Release + News Link
Space Hulk - Re-Released
Totally brilliant news here guys. Games Workshop have decided to release a new version of one of their all time classic games, Space Hulk !!! It can be pre-order for the release date of 5th September. Link
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Villages to empty after bomb find
More than 1,000 people living in two villages in North Yorkshire have left their homes to allow a World War II bomb to be detonated. Link
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Totally brilliant news here guys. Games Workshop have decided to release a new version of one of their all time classic games, Space Hulk !!! It can be pre-order for the release date of 5th September. Link
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Villages to empty after bomb find
More than 1,000 people living in two villages in North Yorkshire have left their homes to allow a World War II bomb to be detonated. Link
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Tuesday 18 August 2009
Monday 17 August 2009
UK MOD Defence Spokesman + News Link
Defence Spokesman
I have been searching for this great clip by Bird & Fortune for some time, and accidentally stumbled across it this morning :)
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Battle Over Salvaged Treasure Ship
A Spanish treasure ship is at the centre of an ownership row more than 200 years after it sank off the coast of Portugal.
The governments of Spain and Peru are pursuing rival claims to the riches of the Mercedes - a hoard of 600,000 silver and gold coins - in the US courts. Link
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Minister warned over 'UK Roswell'
A former head of the military told the defence secretary that a UFO sighting dubbed Britain's Roswell could be a "banana skin", official files show.
In 1985 Lord Hill-Norton wrote to Michael Heseltine about the "Rendlesham incident" in 1980, when US airmen in Suffolk thought they saw an alien ship.
Either a craft entered UK airspace with "impunity" or US airmen were capable of a "serious misperception", he wrote.
It is among the latest MoD files on UFOs released by the National Archives. Link
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I have been searching for this great clip by Bird & Fortune for some time, and accidentally stumbled across it this morning :)
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Battle Over Salvaged Treasure Ship
A Spanish treasure ship is at the centre of an ownership row more than 200 years after it sank off the coast of Portugal.
The governments of Spain and Peru are pursuing rival claims to the riches of the Mercedes - a hoard of 600,000 silver and gold coins - in the US courts. Link
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Minister warned over 'UK Roswell'
A former head of the military told the defence secretary that a UFO sighting dubbed Britain's Roswell could be a "banana skin", official files show.
In 1985 Lord Hill-Norton wrote to Michael Heseltine about the "Rendlesham incident" in 1980, when US airmen in Suffolk thought they saw an alien ship.
Either a craft entered UK airspace with "impunity" or US airmen were capable of a "serious misperception", he wrote.
It is among the latest MoD files on UFOs released by the National Archives. Link
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Saturday 15 August 2009
Europe In Ruins (a Company Of Heroes Mod)
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Europe in Ruins takes the fast paced, intense and surreal combat that you've come to know from Company of Heroes and combines it with persistent environment, ever changing meta-gameplay and ongoing war. The modification sees you creating and commanding your very own battalion in which you can customise with any units and upgrades you wish; Company of Heroes strategy has never had so much choice. Not only do you get to build up your battalion, but as you units battle, they will gain and retain all the experience they have earned, carrying over from battle to battle; going from green to elite! Not only do units gain veterancy, but your battalion as a whole increases in effectiveness through doctrine unlocks and other advantages. Each of these are designed so that the player can tailor their battalion to their own likes and play styles. The combinations choices are endless! Link
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Web Game Link - Bloons Tower Defence 3
Here's a link to an interesting little Tower Defence web game called 'Bloons Tower Defence 3'. Worth a blast this one.
Wednesday 12 August 2009
Tuesday 11 August 2009
James May Rides in U2 Spy Plane
James May from Top Gear U.K. takes an emotional ride to the edge of space in a U2 spy plane. Born 16 January 1963 he's a British television presenter and award-winning journalist.
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Monday 10 August 2009
Friday 7 August 2009
Mike Snorbens - A small corner of the web
This is a very intersting little web site with all sorts of rules Mike has done, along with a Generic Campaign System, which is a computer moderated system for running wargame campaigns. Well worth a look.
Joke - I Think You're The Father Of One Of My Kids
A guy goes to the supermarket and notices an attractive woman waving at him. She says hello.
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He's rather taken aback because he can't place where he knows her from, so he says, "Do you know me?"
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To which she replies, "I think you're the father of one of my kids".
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Now his mind travels back to the only time he has ever been unfaithful to his wife and says, "My God, are you the stripper from my bachelor party that I made love to on the pool table with all my buddies watching while your partner whipped my butt with wet celery???"
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She looks into his eyes and says calmly, "No, I'm your son's teacher".."
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He's rather taken aback because he can't place where he knows her from, so he says, "Do you know me?"
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To which she replies, "I think you're the father of one of my kids".
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Now his mind travels back to the only time he has ever been unfaithful to his wife and says, "My God, are you the stripper from my bachelor party that I made love to on the pool table with all my buddies watching while your partner whipped my butt with wet celery???"
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She looks into his eyes and says calmly, "No, I'm your son's teacher".."
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Thursday 6 August 2009
8 Wheeler Command Vehicle Finished
At last I've finished one of my latest purchases from Ground Zero Games (GZG), the command version of their 8 wheeler the V15-53A. As with the others in the range it went together no problem, and makes a nice addition to the range.
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The vehicle close up.
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The full platoon.
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I used the bristles from a washing up brush for the aerials (as do with all my 15mm vehicles now). IMHO they look okay, and you don't have the risk of causing yourself an injury like with thin wire (inadvertently stabbing yourself with it). I've continued with the arctic 'aggressor' paint scheme as I build up towards a 10 vehicle strong unit.
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The vehicle close up.
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The full platoon.
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I used the bristles from a washing up brush for the aerials (as do with all my 15mm vehicles now). IMHO they look okay, and you don't have the risk of causing yourself an injury like with thin wire (inadvertently stabbing yourself with it). I've continued with the arctic 'aggressor' paint scheme as I build up towards a 10 vehicle strong unit.
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Wednesday 5 August 2009
NEWS & LINKS
Broadband Speeds.
For those interesting in trying to find out what their broadband speed is (in the UK), both these sites are quite good, although they give different results !
1. Broadband Watchdog.
2. My Broadband Speed
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Top 10: Britain's best underground attractions. Link
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Call for debate on killer robots.
An international debate is needed on the use of autonomous military robots, a leading academic has said. Link
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The Massive Ordnance Penetrator Will Be the Largest Non-Nuclear Bomb Ever.
The Pentagon is trying to speed up the deployment of an ultra-large bunker-busting bomb, which would constitute the largest non-nuclear bomb the U.S. Has ever used. The Massive Ordnance Penetrator, or MOP, is a 30,000-pound bomb that would dive deeper than any previous bomb, and could be strapped to B-2 or B-52 bombers by July of 2010. Link
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For those interesting in trying to find out what their broadband speed is (in the UK), both these sites are quite good, although they give different results !
1. Broadband Watchdog.
2. My Broadband Speed
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Top 10: Britain's best underground attractions. Link
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Call for debate on killer robots.
An international debate is needed on the use of autonomous military robots, a leading academic has said. Link
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The Massive Ordnance Penetrator Will Be the Largest Non-Nuclear Bomb Ever.
The Pentagon is trying to speed up the deployment of an ultra-large bunker-busting bomb, which would constitute the largest non-nuclear bomb the U.S. Has ever used. The Massive Ordnance Penetrator, or MOP, is a 30,000-pound bomb that would dive deeper than any previous bomb, and could be strapped to B-2 or B-52 bombers by July of 2010. Link
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Tuesday 4 August 2009
100th POSTING !!
This is the 100th posting on my blog !! As such I've made it a bigger one than normal to mark the occasion. Hopefully those of you who are regulars to my ramblings will continue to find light entertainment in this and my future postings :)
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This is an excuse of course for a spot of Blackadder Bloopers :)
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On the gaming front I've been playing lots of Company Of Heroes on the PC recently. A totally top game, especially when my old friend Andy Rolf drops in for the evening and the two of us take on two computer players in skirmish mode in several games. The last one was a really hard fight which went on longer than we had planned, and ended up with us finishing at 1:45 in the morning. Suffice to say we weren't at our sharpest the following day... :)
I've also been busy painting up some more 15mm sci-fi vehicles, and I'm now happy with the results. Hopefully I get a couple of photos taken either today or tomorrow. Talking of favourites here's one I took some years ago of a Chaos Terminator who had somehow got himself involved a game of Space Crusade ! :)
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Warhammer fantasy mark of chaos - Trailer
I do enjoy a good film / game trailer, and these two are pretty good :) They make me feel like digging out my 28mm Orc Army and giving the 'boyz' an outing :)
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New Warhammer trailer
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INTERNET GAME - EUROFIGHTER TYPHOON
Check this site out if you want to while away 15 minutes flying the Typhoon, shooting at bad guys :) Link
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THE NEWS & LINKS
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Bloodhound diary: speed record.
RAF fighter pilot Andy Green intends to get behind the wheel of a car that is capable of reaching 1,000mph (1,609km/h). Powered by a rocket bolted to a Eurofighter-Typhoon jet engine, the Bloodhound car will mount an assault on the land speed record. Link
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Scott 'to direct Alien prequel'.
Director Sir Ridley Scott is to direct a prequel to seminal sci-fi horror film Alien, according to reports. Link. As a massive fan of the Aliens series having Scott involved in another film is great news,
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Remains of Gulf War pilot found.
The US military has found the remains of the last American still officially missing in action from the Gulf War. Capt Speicher's remains were found in a remote area of western Iraq. Link
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Images reveal 'lost' Roman city.
Aerial photographs have revealed the streetplan of a lost Roman city called Altinum, which some scholars regard as a forerunner of Venice. Link
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Little David - 36 Inch Caliber Mortar.
Check out the size of the crater this makes ! Link
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Rise of the robot warplanes.
The UK Ministry of Defence's London headquarters yesterday, Thursday 30 July 2009, hosted an exhibition of the latest Unmanned Air Systems (UAS) giving military and civilian staff a chance to gather their own intelligence on the future of military aviation. Link
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Being Five. Link
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This is an excuse of course for a spot of Blackadder Bloopers :)
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On the gaming front I've been playing lots of Company Of Heroes on the PC recently. A totally top game, especially when my old friend Andy Rolf drops in for the evening and the two of us take on two computer players in skirmish mode in several games. The last one was a really hard fight which went on longer than we had planned, and ended up with us finishing at 1:45 in the morning. Suffice to say we weren't at our sharpest the following day... :)
I've also been busy painting up some more 15mm sci-fi vehicles, and I'm now happy with the results. Hopefully I get a couple of photos taken either today or tomorrow. Talking of favourites here's one I took some years ago of a Chaos Terminator who had somehow got himself involved a game of Space Crusade ! :)
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Warhammer fantasy mark of chaos - Trailer
I do enjoy a good film / game trailer, and these two are pretty good :) They make me feel like digging out my 28mm Orc Army and giving the 'boyz' an outing :)
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New Warhammer trailer
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INTERNET GAME - EUROFIGHTER TYPHOON
Check this site out if you want to while away 15 minutes flying the Typhoon, shooting at bad guys :) Link
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THE NEWS & LINKS
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Bloodhound diary: speed record.
RAF fighter pilot Andy Green intends to get behind the wheel of a car that is capable of reaching 1,000mph (1,609km/h). Powered by a rocket bolted to a Eurofighter-Typhoon jet engine, the Bloodhound car will mount an assault on the land speed record. Link
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Scott 'to direct Alien prequel'.
Director Sir Ridley Scott is to direct a prequel to seminal sci-fi horror film Alien, according to reports. Link. As a massive fan of the Aliens series having Scott involved in another film is great news,
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Remains of Gulf War pilot found.
The US military has found the remains of the last American still officially missing in action from the Gulf War. Capt Speicher's remains were found in a remote area of western Iraq. Link
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Images reveal 'lost' Roman city.
Aerial photographs have revealed the streetplan of a lost Roman city called Altinum, which some scholars regard as a forerunner of Venice. Link
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Little David - 36 Inch Caliber Mortar.
Check out the size of the crater this makes ! Link
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Rise of the robot warplanes.
The UK Ministry of Defence's London headquarters yesterday, Thursday 30 July 2009, hosted an exhibition of the latest Unmanned Air Systems (UAS) giving military and civilian staff a chance to gather their own intelligence on the future of military aviation. Link
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Being Five. Link
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