April 2008 Archives
(08:15:55) is awash with technology, tiredness and an email that's taken quite a while to write so far. Coffee is needed for any progress to be made.
(11:03:46) is still catching up on emails that were sent last week. Fortunately I have a nuked chocolate doughnut and a cuppa tea. And an apple. Yes.
(20:43:35) Is off to bed.. two blog entries *nearly* written.. one more to go! They'll have to wait till morning. Where on EARTH has April gone?
(09:22:39) is having no IT joy today.. attempts to debrick my iPaq are countered by a reluctant mac (needing a hard reboot). Attempting to compensate..
(10:29:08) It lives! My ipaq is back to life.. could've been expensive. We now return to our regular programming. After I've reinstalled everything..
(10:30:50) won't be buying Grand Theft Auto 4. Or tweeting about it. Darn.
(10:32:52) will not be buying Grands Thefts Autos 4. Or tweeting about it. I'm sorry for any convenience.
(21:15:02) fears more gadgetry expense is on the way; that's the second time the external HD's just died.. looks like inadequate PSU-age. Now? Bedtime.
(09:30:42) can't see today being much better, to be honest. I really need to clean out the fishtank.
(09:52:36) is eating spogs, while sitting in a parking bay, before going with Beth to try & help with some family trauma. And collect the guinea pigs.
(14:29:33) School run time. I'm quite gadget-light at the mo. Hoping to resplat my iPaq tomorrow;a return to work I'm otherwise not looking forward to.
(16:25:19) is going to empty the washing machine. The afternoon has reached that level of detail...
(08:32:50) is having a Cooked Breakfast before facing challenges of one of my favourite phobias.. I don't *do* heights *shudders* http://goape.co.uk/
(10:51:22) The best things are worth waiting for.. delayed monkey action because of thunder & lightning.. now back on course for height-related fear.
(11:37:54) is having a major adrenalin buzz. This is terrifying. But good. I think. Not for vertigo sufferers. Like me..
(21:46:04) will be going to bed now and hoping the week starts with a little more positive energy than the weekend's ended...
(12:55:20) has had an.. unusual morning.. an hour on the phone to Orange (sorting out GPRS for Beth).. then bowling (yay!)now enjoying the sunshine.
(13:23:16) Overheard conversation snippets: "I love you, but I don't really find you attractive" & "Maybe unlucky people shouldn't buy the lucky bag"..
(17:43:11) has Doctor Who, chocolate-covered coffee beans & peace. Does it get any better?
(09:43:42) is having a relaxed amble round Winchester..the sun's bringing out the spectacular colours of the floral displays; photos don't do justice.
(18:25:42) is in Jongleurs, Southampton - ready for some comedy tonight.. warmed up nicely by The Now Show en route. This place is lush. LED spots FTW.
(07:15:04) is probably going to get the ipaq repaired.. Beth, however, has ordered herself a Samsung i600 - who'd have thought it?
(07:18:11) is rather impressed with Zattoo ... reasonably good quality streaming TV (http://www.zattoo.com) Not sure about the rights issues, though..
(10:16:21) Looking at weekend reading.. why are there so many 'sad child on the front' books in the top 20? All seems quite unuplifting (downdropping?)
(12:47:45) is in a pub in Camberley (I think) after being seriously rained at on the M25. Excellent forked lightning. Having disagreements with TomTom.
(21:00:21) is watching 'Heroes Unmasked'.. I'd no idea Kensai was an American.. what with Hugh Laurie in 'House' I'm really beginning to wonder: WHY?
(21:06:25) is liking Heroes season 2 more second time round- always looks better on the BBC :D (and with a couple of glasses of red wine!) Yum..Nicky..
(08:56:58) is all done doing nightshifts & working and things. I've dismantled my iPaq.. revenge for it breaking. Now I need a Satnav. Recommendations?
(11:45:17) is using caffeine to delay the inevitable. Apparently it's obvious that I've been awake all night when I speak. Best I stay quiet, I fear..
(12:38:00) has had Pro-Plus for the first time.. it's effective oh yes. Now? Coffee at Sainsbury's .. 99p for a large fresh-ground cup thing. Ver good.
(15:04:09) My iPaq's dead (it's an ex-hx4700).. if resurrection fails, I need a new cameraphone/PIM/wi-fi/typey-typey thing. but what? N95? N810? HELP!
(16:39:11) Hmm.. I can kinda understand it, but O2's Ts&Cs are a bit harsh: "You may not.. use your iPhone to.. enable Voice over Internet (VoIP)" Hmm.
(16:41:33) But.. http://tinyurl.com/2ruevf .. can't see O2 having *too* much of a problem with VOIP over wi-fi..?
(18:05:26) Bloodshy & Avant.. Denniz Pop.. Max Martin.. Eric Prydz.. The Knife.. Machinae Supremacy.. Sweden's a remarkable source of fine electronica.
(18:05:45) (except Eric Prydz)
(16:45:45) is expecting quite a tough night.. I've only been awake an hour and already I've had gadget failure. Need more coffee. And a shower. Fresh.
(18:45:17) heehee.. my website was down for over 24 hours; nobody noticed! I languish in happy obscurity. SEO? Waste of time for the likes of me :D
(12:56:27) Family Sunday lunch - round the table with no telly, no internets & the children demonstrating how they can count in foreign languages. Top.
(16:45:05) is off for a pre-nightshift nap. Still not sure how long my metabolism's "power nap" length is, yet; hoping for the best after 90 minutes..
(08:31:17) drinkin' red-eye, and 'contemplating my place in the greater existence' as suggested by the Neuros OSD firmware upgrade. Quite brilliant..
(16:16:31) They just had Tuvan throat singing on CBeebies. That rocks. We're just back from a damp scoot up the hill. Big, fat raindrops in-a area.
(18:26:32) Oh yes - it was pain upgrading to the Neuros OSD dev firmware, but worth it: Streaming Internet Radio ftw. (OK.. command line, but a start!)
(19:59:03) I've been a-blogging: More things to do with the Neuros OSD (including being frustrated) http://tinyurl.com/6g3mls
(08:24:48) Beth & I have been married for 10 years today. Amazing she's put up with me. She rickrolled me in card format AND made me coffee. She rocks.
(08:25:47) In the battle of actually getting some IT support (at half time)
(10:27:28) Thank you @petecooper, @regularjen and @Z80GameCoder :) Looks good for 10 more (at least!).. feels good to have made it this far, though.
(19:09:27) Home.. and I have some kind of weekend ahead, though nightshifts start on Sunday night. I have also broken the web interface on the Neuros.
(20:29:28) sing: "Take a seat in this.. dream kitchen; you can wipe your feet, and dry your hair" YouTube is like a jukebox, isn't it? With pictures.
(22:20:39) I've been a-blogging: Neuros OSD - the fun that can be had... http://tinyurl.com/6ptaj7
(08:11:28) is bemoaning his poor organisational skills.. I was going to see Focus on Monday, but I forgot to put a run of nightshifts the diary :( Boo!
(08:13:27) forgot to put the word 'in' in that last tweet, too. I'm going to get a bagel & coffee. Then I shall try to organise my life. Bring it on..
(20:17:54) Thank heavens I managed to get an email & blog entry onto a USB stick before my laptop battery died. And it started NOT CHARGING. Again.
(20:19:35) Good heavens.. I then get a work call & have to spend 25 mins talking an engineer through fixing something that I could've done in 2..
(20:20:52) Chris Heavens.. I think I've worked out the significance of 8.10pm ice cream chimes. I think he sells burgers to the people at the factory.
(08:17:22) A tweet from last night: not being racist or nuffink, but thank goodness HDMI was in no way developed by the French. SCART: spawn of satan.
(08:24:42) I am SO smitten with my Neuros OSD. OK, it's not HD, and it doesn't *quite* do everything I want it to.. yet, but it has so much potential.
(09:36:32) Meetings day today. My mission: to get to every meeting less than 10 mins late. You'd be surprised how much of a challenge I'll find that..
(12:08:05) Watching UK Food on my PDA at work. Sky box -> Neuros OSD -> stream_fuse hack -> router -> interwebs. Low bandwidth, but pro ...
(12:11:55) Next OSD challenge? Install some kind of web interface. The remote control is somewhat.. limiting. So much potential - I wish I could code..
(12:21:37) Carrying a 4" 'LCD TV' in the office is something of a hit, but having to call my wife to change channels kinda loses the effect somewhat..
(17:27:18) Ahh.. a 12" Trevor Horn epic delights my ears (Tom Eames's electro podcast - ver good) on an early/late coach. A good end to a workday. Yes.
(20:12:30) Wooble installed - http://www.snipr.com/wooble - a web interface for the Neuros. Simple, but gives me full control from the internet. Wow.
(08:25:58) A fractured Tuesday so far.. usual cocktail of sleepiness, coffee & emails. Guardian Science podcast.. ritalin for creative use. Tempting!
(14:03:19) This has been a highly caffeinated day, so far. Talk of civet coffee (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kopi_Luwak) has not put me off. Flavia...
(16:12:15) is hiding out in the Business Lounge, trying to eschew interwebs and office distractions, and concentrate on a spreadsheet.
(16:13:22) doesn't want to appear bitchy (or pretend to any sense of style) but I'm sure two of the people in here should've gone to Specsavers.
(16:38:31) has 25 mins left to scrape through the remainder of a Spreadsheet Of Doom.. getting there, but so many unquestioned answers. Or vice versa.
(19:39:19) Ooh! My Neuros has arrived! AND Beth has bought me ramekins. If I could work out how to combine them WITHOUT Gordon Ramsey getting involved?
(07:22:00) Time to do the school thing.. throw some clothes on, down some coffee then off up the hill. I shall shave for aerodynamic improvement.
(09:07:30) There's some videos that regularly get emailed, but I never tire of seeing (despite the artifice) http://snipr.com/bad-day (not a rickroll!)
(09:12:28) Arrrghhh! Dentist!
(10:32:00) Back from the dentist for early lunch. But now.. do I [a] potter round the house usefully? [b] catch up on my blogwritings? Or [c] profit?
(12:13:04) Ooh.. looks like the Neuros OSD might be just what I was wantin'.. Open Source, Linux based.. 140 quid from Maplin. Cheaper than an ITX PC!
(12:16:16) This is why the Neuros is so cool: http://tinyurl.com/5cn49b - hackability!
(13:35:40) I've been a-blogging: Bedford.. http://tinyurl.com/6h8db9
(13:48:24) I've been a-blogging: Daily Photo of the Day : the green http://tinyurl.com/6dfxvv
(16:27:11) I've been a-blogging: studio project photos... http://tinyurl.com/6m776g
(16:53:51) I've been a-blogging: TV transmission.. more gadgetry! http://tinyurl.com/62dtnn
(17:20:34) is in Asda; just bought The Orange Box for a price that even couldn't be beaten online (£24.71 - bargoon) It's been spend spend spend today!
(09:22:54) has no brass bands to distrect.. just the sound of My Little Pony and Oidz. I really should get some laundry done. Mundanity morning.
(14:43:04) is applying 'acoustic tiles' (read: hard disk packaging) to the studio door. No More Nails is more fun than you'd expect.
(17:43:49) will watch Doctor Who tonight, I think. And maybe do some sanding. Despite buying a staple gun, I'm tempted to procure a rotary sander, too.
(08:43:18) Saturday morning.. family time! I fear we will be making a nuisance of ourselves shortly. We're having a disco on the grass out front :D
(09:42:52) I just fixed one of the children's toys with No More Nails. *That* is extreme parenting. WIN
(11:59:46) I've been a-blogging: While the cat's away... party! http://tinyurl.com/58ju5t
(10:32:03) has just downed a 4-shot Americano after nearly losing it with the flood people. The phrase "I'm the customer" was needed;never a good sign.
(11:40:50) ..and now thunder, lightning & hail has arrived. Perfect timing for school lunchtime :D Ever the geek, I'm thinking: wish I'd bought a UPS..
(12:30:51) has just been sucked back into the luscious world of AAC+ streaming electronica... must pull myself together and catch up on Bleepshows :D
(15:14:30) I just received this on an email list. In a word: arrghhH! http://tinyurl.com/5onvgt . I rickrolled them in retaliation. :D
(19:17:37) Wizard needs food, badly.
(19:24:12) My favourite buttons on a remote: 1. Menu; 2. Vol -; 3. Off ; 4. Mute; 5. La cucaracha the pig
(12:14:27) Lunchtime; no more caffeine for me today, I fear. I shall save myself up for Therapeutic Wine later. Working from home tomorrow..convenient!
(16:04:24) is having a banana. YUM!
(16:35:08) Banana: the only fruit (OK, herb) that you can eat straight after fiddling around inside a PC. It's sustenance for geeks.
(19:40:11) is 8 minutes late for his appointment. On the sofa. With some wine, orange juice and a book. Night night, addictive internet.
(08:59:13) I'm nearly in Birmingham. It's rapidly become apparent that there's no convenient way to get here from Luton. 3-and-a-half hours is rubbish.
(19:26:17) home.. finally. It's been a heavy heavy day in Birmingham, and I lost my coat. But I have links.. oh yes, I have links.
(19:52:42) Remind me not to go out carrying too much tech.. and looking forrin: http://tinyurl.com/5jzmo8
(13:18:33) needs more caffeine to do anything of consequence today. Time to go through the task list again and avoid distractions (darn you, Facebook!)
(15:04:08) is sitting amidst chaos, since my closest neighbour is moving downstairs. He was going to remove his desk.. cue office-based cataclysm.
(19:07:37) I'd never known of the existence of the Glass Armonica! I SO want one: http://tinyurl.com/6p8fhp Bet it's fragile, though..
(19:16:13) Yes happy pop mashup what I likes: http://tinyurl.com/6ylr36 GOOD mood music :)
(20:34:57) is 'just doing something' before bed. Why do I deny myself an early night in favour of noodling with computers? WHY?
(08:05:05) Back to school.. popped dinner money in at the office.. ended up in a queue of mums who'd carried offspring's stuff & forgotten to let go..
(09:26:09) is setting up for a children's party. This is going to be chaos.. but carefully playlisted.
(14:08:45) Downloading PDFCreator ( http://snipr.com/23ltv ) . Why? I can't get my wi-fi enabled laser printer to print right from XP on VMware Fusion.
(10:01:02) is heading gardenwards... the strategy? To try and get stuff planted out *before* the snow so.. er.. hmm. This might not work. Good luck me.
(11:50:13) Back in from the garden, and about to offer the children the traditional Hot Chocolateness. It's really very mild out there. Why the fuss?
(11:54:11) I've got "Elvis Ain't Dead" & "She's So Lovely" mixed in my head. "I don't know how we'll make through this.. I'll get by without you now.."
(12:14:02) Radio 2 right now - A Blagger's Guide. Probably the funniest music based satire show in the playpark
(14:29:22) needs more coffee in an attempt to compel me to get this place sorted. Perhaps a reward for my endeavours? That and chocolate yes.
(16:13:09) Where does Rupert live? "Nutwood. It is a fictional place in a fictional world ...more interesting, pleasant & real than the 'real world'."
(16:14:00) (I had to find out; Lenni wrote a letter to Rupert & wanted to know where to post it. We left it in the brambles at the end of the garden..)
(21:01:08) Doctor Who 2008ep1: surprisingly entertaining.. Catherine Tate & Russell T Davies normally irk me separately. Bernard Cribbins, though, FTW.
(22:09:03) I've been a-blogging: Curtains and gardening... and more, I've no doubt. http://tinyurl.com/6y9alh
(08:14:08) Friday morning.. in on time, but I've already had a bit of a rant. There's a right way and a wrong way to go about things. Coffee: right.
(09:02:13) Trumpton : the movie. "One town..one fire brigade..seven brave men. Captain Flack gives the orders: 'Elevate!' 'Deescend'" Straight to DVD..
(10:55:08) FastTicket machine: borked. Siemens support portal thing: borked. I'm having trouble getting things done. I shall reboot prophylactically.
(11:52:53) Everything's still broken. I'm supposed to be going to a lunchtime new technology session, but I've a meeting that can't be postponed. BOO!
(13:43:57) Has now been shown a lady looking at a lollipop and another looking surprised. "Oops, an error has occured." Yes. A spelling error. Dolts.
(19:40:56) has had more success with tech at home.. replacement 50mm lens: autofocus works; replacement memory for Beth's laptop: works. Hungry now.
(20:15:29) "Cake or Death?".. which came first - Eddie Izzard ( http://snipr.com/cakeor ) or Portal? ( http://snipr.com/ordeath ) ... I think I know.
(20:30:57) How much do I try to scrape out from the inside of a peanut butter jar before I 'call it'? TIme of death: 21:29...
(08:46:15) is an Alpha Socializer. I think.
(08:46:33) wonders if there is, indeed, a difference between a shrimp and a prawn.
(08:47:18) is on his third PC keyboard today. That's a whole lot of key cleaning. It still feels fusty. Ew.
(19:40:19) believes that burglar deterrents should transcend the law. Mantraps.. lasers.. Barney. My mate Trev's now been burgled twice in a fortnight.
(11:54:40) This has not been the most impressive of Tuesdays.. it's a bit low-octane, in an attempt to avoid the migraine's return.. no April foolin'..
(12:44:02) is watching colleagues disappear from the workshop to see if they can wangle their way into the Radiohead soundcheck.. has something broken?
(12:46:28) has just read an email that starts: "Dear All. I have had only null comments about this policy..." What on earth is a null comment?
(14:39:03) What are the rules on rickrolling? Can it be done any time of day? And what's with these 'teams' that I keep hearing about. Link me, please.
(18:59:04) ahh home again.. I've read the DigitalOne April Newsletter. And it contains *no* good news (except that BFBS "may be back.." Tenets of PR?
(19:20:50) ...and now, ladies and gentlemen, I will close the parentheses: )
