2012
24.01
In a recent chat with Australia’s PC & Tech Authority, Andy McNab talked about tech in the S.A.S., Battlefield 3, and his own collection of cool toys.
PCA: There’s a lot of tech in the SAS regiment
AM: Everyone’s got a laptop and a smartphone. They all want Powermonkeys because their batteries keep dying. You can easily rig an iPhone up to the internal communications system of a Warrior tank.
PCA: But you can never completely rely on tech
AM: In the military, you have to know what to do when your kit goes down. The Special Forces are often beyond the FEBA (Forward Edge of the Battle Area), so there’s nobody to help if your sat-nav stops working. You need to be able to read a map or use astronavigation.
PCA: Modern military tech is astonishing
AM: An unmanned aerial vehicle can show you what’s on the ground in a 10-metre square. It might take off in Afghanistan and then get handed over to the control centre in Nevada. Those guys will then fly the mission before handing it back to the team on the ground.
PCA: The sound in Battlefield 3 is incredible
AM: The guys at DICE had a huge catalogue of gunshots that they’d recorded. I’d listen to them and combine different bits to make sure it sounded right for the in-game environment. I also had to ensure the dialogue was accurate, the environments were correct and the characters handled their weapons properly.
PCA: He’s also into surfing, boarding and biking
AM: I’m starting to sound like a cliché now, aren’t I? I’ve got a six-foot, three-fin surfboard, a Burton snowboard and a BMW GS1200 bike. I’ve even got a Bluetooth helmet for phone calls on a ride.
McNab may be getting a little more grey, but he’s definitely staying up-to-date! Check out more great articles at pcauthority.com.au.
2011
23.12
Andy McNab and the company he co-founded, Uncuva, are battling for eBook supremacy with Kobo, a rival firm. I would go into more detail but frankly it’s pretty boring if you’re not in the book business. If you want to read more, have a look here.
2011
16.12
Christmas is almost here — have you gotten that special commando in your life something special? Here’s our suggestions for gifts that will make any Andy McNab fan merry!
2011
29.11
Moscow, 2014
Dima opened his eyes, a second of blankness before he remembered where he was and why. The call could come at any time, they’d said. It was just after three. Bulganov’s voice was thick with fatigue. He told him when and where. He started to give directions, but Dima shut him up.
‘I know where it is.’
‘Just don’t fuck up, okay?’
‘I don’t fuck up. That’s why you hired me.’
You can read the first few chapters of Andy McNab’s novel ‘Battlefield 3 – The Russian’ online:
Go here to read Chapter 1 and 2
and for Chapter 3 Go Here
And here you’ll find a Q & A with Andy McNab by GameSpot
2011
29.11
Story characters come to life at Overstrand’s Belfry School
October 21, 2011
Fantastic Mr Fox stepped out of the pages of Roald Dahl and into a north Norfolk classroom where he enjoyed a fantastic time with the likes of Alice in Wonderland, a number of hobbits and countless other storybook characters.
Pupils at Overstrand’s Belfry School dressed up as fictional favourites to mark the end of a six-week project all about books.
Their studies included reading, writing, designing and making books, according to head teacher Titus Cotton. And the school council decided to round-off the whole-school project with a fancy dress celebration.
“One boy came as Edgar Allan Poe with a cravat, slicked-down hair and a painted moustache,” said Mr Cotton, who turned up for school dressed as Wally from Where’s Wally? “We also had an Andy McNab in khaki fatigues, Ray Bradbury’s Illustrated Man, covered in tattoos, and one boy said he would go as the Invisible Man – and wouldn’t turn up to school!”
Events also included a book fair, run by the Norfolk Children’s Book Centre, a mass read-in involving all 105 pupils, aged four to 11, and competition for the best handmade bookmarks.
Mr Cotton added that the project had been hugely successful. He said: “It’s given them an absolute love of books.”
Source: EDP24 Website
