The James Kilgour Blog

The Net is home to hundreds of millions of websites, ranging from Wikipedia, Google, Facebook, to the taboo, illegal, murky side of the Web.

Should the government be able to stop us accessing this content? What about Torrent sites etc? If the government has power to block any site it wishes, perhaps it will start blocking sites that are critical of it, that speak out negatively about new policy?

What is the limit? Could we start living in a Chinese-Communist society, where our internet is firewalled? I believe this is against our human and civil rights. We should have freedom of speech, and that means accessing any sort of web content that we wish to.

In Australia, the Government has asked the major ISPs to participate in a trial of filtering over 10,000 websites that are deemed to have illegal content on them.

Rightly so, Telstra, the largest ISP has denied this, and other ISPs are following suit. My worry is could we see the same sort of thing over here in the UK? Could we be monitored? 1984 may become 2009. I hope not.

JK

When was the last time you went to a Casino? Have you ever played from home over the internet? This blog shows some great game ideas. Poker is probably one of the best online games, and part of the fun is having nicknames. Without this, it wouldn’t be poker! Poker can be very high stake too; with prizes in the millions, such as the World Series of Poker Europe, offering 40 million USD. Check out that blog for more posts.

JK Sponsored Review.

I’ve just bought a new keyboard; a Mac one. You might ask why; I’m using Vista on a PC. Well, it’s because of the keyboard’s design. It looks amazing, and typing on it is really easy; the keys size, angle and spacing is perfect for my fingers. Well done Apple! Another great product. All I need now is a Mighty Mouse!

JK

Money Casino is one of the most popular online casinos, and it’s new product is especially interesting.

It has now added a new game to its repertoire; 4 hand Blackjack. If you’re an experienced player of the game, you’ll know that paying with more than one hand is really fun; being faster and more challenging than the traditional game.

This version of the game has a ‘Strategy Table’, which gives the player advice on what moves to make, and whether or not to Stand, Hit, Split or Double, depending on your hand and the card the dealer is showing. This is completely embedded into the table, and shown by clicking a small tab at the bottom of the table, which reads “Basic Strategy”.

Money Casino offer other benefit’s to its members, including its very popular magazine. It offers top tips, techniques and guides on how to play the game, plus other general advice for other games.

Currently the website is offering a 100% welcome bonus to new members, and the jackpot at the minute is over $100,000. If you’re using Windows you can download the software, or for Mac users, you can play through your browser with flash.

JK Sponsored Review.

One of the most annoying things in the world are Spam calls. Those things which make you blood boil.

Report Annoying Callers is a free site for tracing spam calls. Just type any US land line of mobile number into the search box, and click enter. It then quickly comes up with details of the location, and the option to generate a full report. You can also leave a comment on the site for other users, so if it was  a spam call, you can tell others about it.

Or so it claims. I put it to the test, typing the number of a big, Beverly Hills department store. And it worked! The website also gives the option to file a complaint against the owner.

This type of marketing is such an injustice. Perhaps this site will help to stop it.

JK Sponsored Review.

AcoBox is a new service offering blogger thousands of blog pictures and images to embed into their blogs.

The one next to this text is from the service, which as you can see is a very high quality, professional image.

All the images on the service are of the same quality, after being screened and optimized for blog use.

The Images are also licensed, and adding them to posts is really simple. I tested this myself with the image you see above. I registered for the service, which only took 10 seconds after entering a username, email address and a domain name. My password was them emailed to me.

After I logged in, I did a search for some landscape pictures. I could have chosen an abstract one instead, like this one for example, (a favourite of mine).

Then I just selected the size, the alignment, then copied the code from the site, pasting it into my blog.

The images load really quickly, the service is easy to use, and best of all you don’t have to spend a penny, (unlike other certain photo sites). Most images are also licensed to be downloaded from the site to your hard drive.

Overall, this site is excellent for finding images. Normally, I use Google, but this site is fantastic, because of the high quality nature of the content.

JK Sponsored Review.

Bingo was once the preserve of the elderly, who enjoyed playing the game at a club with friends. Now it seams everyone is playing, and no longer do you need to leave the house.

bet365 Bingo offers a wide range of games, which can be enjoyed with mates, on your own or even with the family. There now offering an excellent Promotion to UK Players, with £10 free when you sign up, plus a 200% bonus on any deposits you make.

You can also play free during 7pm to 7 30pm Mon-Thurs, which means that you can enjoy all the services without risking, or gambling a penny.

Another promotion is Winter Wonderland. Win £500 spending money so that you can shop to you drop in London, just by playing Bingo. What a great way to bypass the Credit Crunch, and treat yourself and friends to same great presents.

With the promotion you also get a 2 night stay in one of London’s finest hotels, an all inclusive, three course meal, tickets to Hyde Park’s Winter Wonderland show,  a private Gondola Ride, an Ice Skating Pass, and also VIP tickets to a West-End show of your choice!

Click here for full details.

JK Sponsored Review.

Nikon, who I’ve heard make some of the best hunting and observation gear, have started a new deal, offering Free ATB Pro Gear in the from of up to $50 in gift cards, for those who purchase Nikon ATB Binoculars before the end on December; perfect for Christmas!

A friends of mine is into Bird Watching, and he has a set of these Binoculars, which he says are brilliant. Not knowing personally a lot on this topic, apparently they are reliable, durable and clear, which I suppose are the qualities that you want in Binoculars.

JK

Camping. It’s something we’ve all done, whether as a kid, or as a cheap holiday. Pitch up a tent, somewhere nice, such as Cornwall, Devon or even the Cotswold’s, and enjoy a relaxing, active break.

But what makes a camping or caravanning holiday so good? For me, the camp site has to be really good, especially the local amenities. I’m a fan of golf, and so having a good course locally to where I’m staying is a big plus. Washing facilities are a must as well. Nothing is more annoying than not having a good, clean high quality shower to use, and also, a dishwasher. On holiday, why would you want to have to wash up plates manually? That defeats the point of a holiday being relaxing.

Other features that make a camping site enjoyable for me is having recreation halls, as well as “courses” to do, so that I can make friends with other campers. At a campsite in Devon that I visited recently, I learnt how to make paella. It was a fun experience, and I made friends with a family from Norfolk.

Of course, when the weather is hot enough, a swimming pool is a big bonus! Or at least a local leisure facility, where I can play badminton, or swim or even go to the gym. I’m a really active person, so for me, plenty of things need to be available to do. Great campsites also have amazing views, and places to go walking. In Wales for example, there are some absolutely stunning walks up in the mountains to enjoy. I come originally from Southern Wales, and I love going back to visit.

For choosing Campsites in the UK, I recommend the Camping and Caravanning Club’s Site Seeker, which allows you to search for sites that match your requirements.

JK