Inner space, outer space

Hello everyone,

I've been checking out something old. Well, not so old actually. It came out in 2017 but wasn't particularly well received when it did come out. Perhaps unfairly but we'll come back to that later.

Ok. Quick peek first ... For the thumbnail you know.

I've been continuing to accessorise ... Gadgets are cool. I need a cover or preferably a wallet style thing to cover the front of the phone when I'm not using it. Partly because the back of it is so slippy, the phone likes to end up on the floor. Partly because it's showing a tendency to open while it's in my pocket and end up on screens like the EULA for Apple Music. Yep, it's done that several times so far ...

So I'm looking for accessories for it. There's another thing it keeps slipping off ... I have that Bluetooth speaker and wireless charger ! But the phone is so slippy, it doesn't stay on the charging pad due to the vibrations coming from the speaker. I know ! Crazy, right ?

The speaker thingy is an Oslo Energy device bought from John Lewis (disclosure note - not provided) and I like what it's giving me as a speaker already. The Cambridge Audio speaker I had before seemed not quite right in what it was sending out in audio. This one is louder and purer. Perhaps because it's louder. Volume tends to cure bad sound.

So the laptop is currently sending music to the hifi through one Bluetooth widget and system audio (like stream audio) to the Oslo Energy thing. On the whole, the system copes pretty well but I have been hearing periodic audio break up from them as probably things get busier. I haven't heard it yet tonight though.

I also have another Ugears model to put together at some point.

Internet spaceships ? I've been enjoying going back to Mass Effect Andromeda. I was probably on a down when it first came out, plus I'd been watching it on stream and was getting a bit spoiled on it. The memory has faded since and the temptation came back to play it.

There's one taken from the game's own screenshot mechanism. Nothing so sophisticated as a F10 For Screenshot button, gotta use a console command unless you have access to an nVidia card for their Ansel feature.

One on the ground, showing the early crew, your rover and the scout spaceship they give you. I'm steadily turning up the graphics but these early shots were from cruder settings. Hopefully better later.

That's another from pretty early in the game, as I'm getting used to the Ansel system. In the foreground, we have Sara Ryder, Pathfinder protagonist and the character you play in the game. She's thrust in to the role due to events in the prologue and the game takes a theme of happy go lucky, make it up as you go along and shoot lots of things.

I've been enjoying it so far, although the last couple of sessions haven't had any combat. That's one thing about these games, it doesn't have to be pew pew all of the time, I've been enjoying watching the stories unfold and I think the developers had an over riding first priority of FUN with this one.

And then there's another one of our girl and her spaceship.

By the way, I play as the female protagonists because I like the voices. Jennifer Hale was marvelous as Commander Shepard in the first games and Fryda Wolff makes for a lovely Sara Ryder so far.

Oh and there's also been Stellaris (the wars continue), Motorsport Manager (last season in the lower league coming up I think) and Elite's been on the back burner for a few days. Oh and I've been enjoying England doing well in the cricket too. If the weather cooperates tomorrow, there should be another win happening.

I did find some gorgeous things earlier this week though.

Later !