The Pxl Lab is a blog dedicated to writing about the great games, software, and the stuff you can do with them.
Archive for May, 2008
Scan Your Files For Viruses Online
03 years ago
The Jotti Malware Scanner is easy enough: upload a file, wait for it to be scanned by all of the scanners listed on the left image, then see if your file is infected or not. The simplicity of the Scanner is what makes it so useful, because instead of having 3 or 4 different virus scanners on my computer checking for viruses, you can have a website scan the file with 20 Anti-Virus scanners at once.
Of course, having an online virus scanner does not mean that you shouldn’t take advantage of a normal virus scanner on your computer. I use Avast! Antivirus (used by the online scanner, as it happens), which scans my files on a daily basis, checks emails for viruses, and looks for phishing websites while I browse the internet.
So, if you need to scan files from an office computer or a computer without antivirus, try using The Jotti Online Malware Scanner to scan files one at a time. If you are looking for a great desktop scanner though, Avast! is the way to go.
The New Writer on the Block
03 years ago
by Thomas
in Randomness
My name is Thomas, (aka Cigil), and I have recently started writing for this wonderful blog. I have known Pxl_Buzzard for a while, and it’s been my pleasure to be a blogger with him. Most of my experience in the Internet world has been forum related, where for five years I have been involved in many different forums of entertainment, which have only contributed to furthering my interest in the technicalities of programs and games. I have a large background in video games, mostly MMORPG’s such as World of Warcraft and Runescape. However, even as my time is limited due to sports (football), I hope to become an active writer of this blog, using my knowledge that I have obtained in the last few years of trial and error, only now to bring you the best of Thomas.
InstantAction Brings 3D Gaming to the Web
23 years ago
Have you been looking to play some great-looking games without leaving the comfort of Firefox? Look no further than InstantAction, a website created just for that purpose. Made by GarageGames, the leader of independent game design, InstantAction brings quality games like Think Tanks and Marble Blast to you for free, with micro transactions helping to keep the site in business. InstantAction takes advantage of being a web-based service by letting you easily join groups/parties of up to 8 people to play games and chat. Currently only one game has a single-player option, which is Marble Blast; however, more games should have that option once the service is stripped of its beta tag.
The only thing I don’t like about InstantAction is that I seem to lose connection to the party leaders right before a game starts, so I have to try and find another host to play a game. Other than this, I think that InstantAction will shape up to be a really great online gaming service in the coming months as it grows in popularity.
Typeracer – The Online Typing Game That’s Fun
03 years ago
Typing is a very important aspect of using your computer, whether it be a Mac or PC, that takes time to master. One attempt at mastering this skill is TypeRacer, an online so called “competitive” typing game, which involves many users entering into a race, and then proceeding to all type the same random quote from a movie, book, song, and quotes from the popular media. As you type this quote, your racer icon moves along, and also displays a handy wpm (word per minute) icon by your name. The races range from a few racers to many competing to win the title of ultimate racer so that you get absolute reverence from your peers! This game also has incorporated an anti-bot, which was instituted very quickly after its release, due to the huge number of bots typing 180 wpm or higher. After the anti-bot was instituted, every time you type 110 wpm or higher (until they incorporate a permanent account system) you must complete a CAPTCHA-style paragraph in your wpm – 20 or higher. Still, even with the anti-bot, there are some true freaks typing 150 wpm or higher every day. This is one of the most effective games at boosting your typing speeds (for whatever purpose you have) because of the variety. Since the quote you type is random, you get a large variety of texts with odd punctuation here and there, to stop you from getting in bad habits. It even makes you correct every single mistake before you can move on.
I personally thoroughly enjoy TypeRacer, as it gives me a 30 second long break in between studying. The only flaw I personally can see in the game are periods of lag every few minutes, which has mostly been fixed since the launch of the game. I found that every once in a while you can learn something from the quotes, because of the diversity in the subject matter of the typing. Even though it may not be the best waste of your time on the internet (and it has it’s flaws), it certainly ranks well for its creativity.
The Last Stand 2 Brings Out the Best of Shooting Zombies
83 years ago
At first glance, The Last Stand 2, created by ConArtists, may just look like another zombie survival horror flash game. As soon as you start playing, you see that that’s not the case. The Last Stand 1 set the precedent by having players survive 20 nights shooting off zombies that rush your half-built fort, and by day searching for survivors, guns, or repairing the fort for the next night. The Last Stand 2 takes it up a notch by giving the player 40 nights to travel from their starting town to Union City, which is the last safe place left. The player can choose different routes to get to Union City, giving the game replay value. I’ve played through the game 3 times now and never taken the same path, and I’ve always had a different selection of weaponry. TLS2 also cranks it up a notch during the night battles by letting players place bear traps and explosives around the perimeter. For those of you that think that TLS2 is just too difficult, though, let me recommend playing TLS2 with cheats.
I would say that The Last Stand 2 is the best flash game I’ve played since Line Rider, which is saying something because I played Line Rider like no other back in its glory days. TLS2 has the perfect blend of shooting, strategy, and blood that makes you want to keep playing it over and over.
See If Your PC Can Play A Game, Before You Play It
33 years ago
YouGamers is an online services built for gamers: You choose a game, the site scans your computer hardware, and then displays whether or not your computer can play the game. If your PC doesn’t meet the requirements, the website will give you some advice about what you should upgrade in order to play. Attentive users will notice that the scans are run with 3DMark, which is the industry standard for computer hardware scanning and evaluation. So, if you’re wondering about Crysis crashing your machine, just check with YouGamers.
See If Your Computer Can Run A Game Before You Play It!
I used YouGamers to see just how well it worked, and I have to say I love it. I knew that Assassin’s Creed had high system requirements, so I went tried seeing if my computer could handle the power. After a quick 2-minute wait, during which I could still browse around the internet, YouGamers had scanned my computer and told me that I beat the minimum requirements to play Assassin’s Creed, but if I wanted to see its full glory, I should get a new videocard. I declined because I’m poor right now, but at least I knew that my machine could take the game when I got around to buying it.
ATI Catalyst 8.5 WHQL Drivers Released
03 years ago
ATI released their new Catalyst drivers, bringing in new features like 1080p HDTV support, Windows XP Service Pack 3 support, and improved HDMI Audio, among other things. Take a look over the changelog if you want to see all the specifics that the 8.5 drivers bring. The drivers are fully compatible with Windows XP and Windows Vista 32 and 64 bit, and a reboot is required (what program doesn’t require a reboot?) after installation. So if you’re an ATI user on a Windows machine, download the update and get new features and bug fixes to make your computer a better machine.
Woopra Brings You Super-Cool Site Stats For Free
03 years ago
Have you ever wanted a stats system for your website that collected a ton of data and presented all of it in a beautiful desktop client? Woopra is your answer to that. It has live tracking and web stats, displaying your viewers in real-time and even letting you start a chat with them if you fancy. Woopra displays all your data on a desktop app that they are planning to be skinnable by all the graphic artists out there. Now, because Woopra tracks and displays live data, allowing admins to respond to sudden spikes in traffic. Woopra also lets you track multiple blogs/websites on one account, making it easy for larger companies with lots of websites to track everything easily. Another cool feature is the search bar, letting you search through things like geographical views, IP addresses, and visitor incoming links. You can also see custom notifications for things like traffic spikes, certain users visiting, or ad clicks.
To get Woopra working for you, just sign up for Woopra, install the appropriate plugin for your site (WordPress, vBulletin, or general Javascript), and lastly download the client (see below).
FreeSnap Improves your Open Windows
43 years ago
I just finished reading an article over at Lifehacker about FreeSnap, a program that gives you more power over your windows. Some of the great things that FreeSnap manages to do are:
- Hotkey control
- very low memory usage (about 4 mb’s)
- You can size your windows fully horizontal or vertically, or center the window
- Easy custom window resizing, useful for web developers who need to see websites at different screen resolutions
I like that FreeSnap can make the window a certain size because I mess around with website creation a bit. This software is Windows only, sorry Linux guys, but a Linux version may one day be coming your way.
Test Upcoming Microsoft Games From Your Home
23 years ago
by Pxl_Buzzard
in Gaming
Microsoft opened up its testing doors to gamers of all ages this week, inviting them to sign up and join their game beta testing program. The only requirements are that you complete the initial sign up and come back to update your profile every once and while. I quote from the Microsoft website, “Whether you play once a year or every day, whether you pre-order the latest consoles or wouldn’t think of paying for a game – we want feedback from you!”
Sign Up to Test Games for Microsoft!
If you want to influence the games you play, sign up to be a part of the testing experience. Did I mention that it’s free?