When I was younger the year 2000 seemed an impossibly distant dream.
Ten years ago, I was watching fireworks explode over Sheffield, almost incredulous at having reached that particular moment in time. Now, another ten years have passed almost in a blink. I am in a much happier place than I was then, and apart from my health being a bit crappy this year I am feeling optimistic about another notch on the bedpost of time.
Looking forward, I am really enjoying studying again (as you probably will have gathered from my posts recently) and I intend to start building up the amount of exercise I do (and hopefully losing a bit of weight as well). My last year's resolution to read a book a week was a success, although academic reading has cut back on my leisure reading recently.
Best wishes to everyone reading this!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Moominland Midwinter - Tove Jansson
Moominland Midwinter by Tove JanssonMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
'It's dead. All the world has died while I slept. This world belongs to somebody else whom I don't know. Perhaps to the Groke. It isn't made for Moomins.
The Moomin family traditionally hibernate through the entire winter, safe and snug in their Moomin House. One year, Moomintroll wakes up early and finds himself on his own, unable to wake anybody else up, not even his Mama. Outside the house the world is cold and white, with no sign of the sun or the comforting warmth of Spring.
Gradually he discovers the others who are awake through the cold, dark months. The lonely and the rum, the dispossessed and hungry, the dweller under the sink and the ancestor in the dark. He also meets Too-Ticky now living in the Bathing House by the frozen sea and the irrepressible Little My who discovers the possibilities afforded by icy slopes and Mama's best silver tray.
This is a book that I have read many times, returning to at the darkest time of the year to savour both the air of melancholy and the hope for the return of the sun. It is a simple delight.
View all my reviews >>
On the pointlessness of watch lists and airport security
A comment over on thebustocrookes's journal prompted me to reply, and it turned into more of a mini-rant, so I've posted it here instead. One of my areas of interest in doing my current degree is the issue of personal privacy in the age of the internet, particularly where governments and large commercial concerns are involved.
If you look at the past decade there have been six planes involved in terrorist attacks in the US - the four on 9/11, the shoe bomber and the pants bomber. The numbers have been crunched here but to summarize, your chances of getting on a plane that is a terrorist target are less than one in ten million (or twenty times less than your chance of being struck by lightning).
If you exclude 9/11 then there have been *no* successful plane attacks on the US and UK, the two biggest western targets. The issue of terrorism on the populations of Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan is another matter entirely though. There was also the 7/7 bus bombing in London, but no amount of id cards or biometric scanning could possibly have prevented that.
Looking at watch lists and biometric scanning, let's conduct a thought experiment. Imagine you have a scanner that is 99% effective at spotting a terrorist going through the security gate (wildly optimistic given the current technology). Suppose you have a thirty million people using an airport like Gatwick in a year, then 1% of them will be falsely accused of being a terrorist. That's three hundred thousand suspects with the real terrorist hidden somewhere amongst them. Even if your scanner is 99.99% effective that still leaves three thousand suspects to sift through trying to spot the genuine terrorist.
Current governments in the US and UK want to create vast databases of personal information on every citizen in order to 'fight the war on terror'. Leaving apart the simple fact that no large government IT project has *ever* been successfully completed on time and on budget (or done what it was supposed to) this is a vast expense and encroachment on our civil liberties for no real benefit in security.
The transport watch lists sound like a good idea, but currently there is no way to know if you are on the list or of getting off of the list if you have been falsely accused (for example, of having a similar name to a real terrorist). Do you think this is only going to affect people with foreign sounding names? The shoe bomber was called Richard Reed, which is about as innocuous as you can get. Also, all of the 9/11 bombers and the current pants bomber were on watch lists and had been reported to the authorities, but it didn't stop them from getting on planes to carry out their attacks.
The current and ever increasing restrictions are always foiling the last plot, and a determined terrorist will always find a way through. It is inevitable. However, there aren't many terrorists and there a lot of people using airports, so it's just something that we're going to have to live with.
Christopher Hitchens makes the point quite eloquently in an article over at Slate that ordinary travelers are being punished while the terrorists are not being caught.
Go figure.
If you look at the past decade there have been six planes involved in terrorist attacks in the US - the four on 9/11, the shoe bomber and the pants bomber. The numbers have been crunched here but to summarize, your chances of getting on a plane that is a terrorist target are less than one in ten million (or twenty times less than your chance of being struck by lightning).
If you exclude 9/11 then there have been *no* successful plane attacks on the US and UK, the two biggest western targets. The issue of terrorism on the populations of Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan is another matter entirely though. There was also the 7/7 bus bombing in London, but no amount of id cards or biometric scanning could possibly have prevented that.
Looking at watch lists and biometric scanning, let's conduct a thought experiment. Imagine you have a scanner that is 99% effective at spotting a terrorist going through the security gate (wildly optimistic given the current technology). Suppose you have a thirty million people using an airport like Gatwick in a year, then 1% of them will be falsely accused of being a terrorist. That's three hundred thousand suspects with the real terrorist hidden somewhere amongst them. Even if your scanner is 99.99% effective that still leaves three thousand suspects to sift through trying to spot the genuine terrorist.
Current governments in the US and UK want to create vast databases of personal information on every citizen in order to 'fight the war on terror'. Leaving apart the simple fact that no large government IT project has *ever* been successfully completed on time and on budget (or done what it was supposed to) this is a vast expense and encroachment on our civil liberties for no real benefit in security.
The transport watch lists sound like a good idea, but currently there is no way to know if you are on the list or of getting off of the list if you have been falsely accused (for example, of having a similar name to a real terrorist). Do you think this is only going to affect people with foreign sounding names? The shoe bomber was called Richard Reed, which is about as innocuous as you can get. Also, all of the 9/11 bombers and the current pants bomber were on watch lists and had been reported to the authorities, but it didn't stop them from getting on planes to carry out their attacks.
The current and ever increasing restrictions are always foiling the last plot, and a determined terrorist will always find a way through. It is inevitable. However, there aren't many terrorists and there a lot of people using airports, so it's just something that we're going to have to live with.
Christopher Hitchens makes the point quite eloquently in an article over at Slate that ordinary travelers are being punished while the terrorists are not being caught.
Go figure.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Signs that I *may* be getting old
1) As is traditional, I didn't shave for a couple of days over Christmas (hey, I wasn't going out of the house, so I can look like a tramp if I want to). However, I was slightly miffed to note that my salt-and-pepper beard is now composed of rather more salt than pepper. In fact, if I let it grow out I have a horrible suspicion that I would end up looking like Santa.
2) I was contemplating the mysteries of the universe this morning when I felt a twinge in my back that rapidly turned into more of a somebody-jabbing-hot-needles-into-my-back sort of feeling that persisted for most of the day and is only now just about wearing off with the aid of some ibuprofen.
3) I was delighted to discover that my iPod has spontaneously generated a 'Honky Tonk' genius mix consisting of Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys, Hank Williams and Johnny Cash.
4) Clothes that I think make me look natty and reasonably smartly dressed actually, I am reliably informed, make me look like a vicar. The irony of this has not escaped me.
5) I need an alarm clock with 5 cm high illuminated numbers so I can see it to tell the time without putting on my glasses in the night. Also, I am pleased to see that it has a 'nap mode'.
2) I was contemplating the mysteries of the universe this morning when I felt a twinge in my back that rapidly turned into more of a somebody-jabbing-hot-needles-into-my-back sort of feeling that persisted for most of the day and is only now just about wearing off with the aid of some ibuprofen.
3) I was delighted to discover that my iPod has spontaneously generated a 'Honky Tonk' genius mix consisting of Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys, Hank Williams and Johnny Cash.
4) Clothes that I think make me look natty and reasonably smartly dressed actually, I am reliably informed, make me look like a vicar. The irony of this has not escaped me.
5) I need an alarm clock with 5 cm high illuminated numbers so I can see it to tell the time without putting on my glasses in the night. Also, I am pleased to see that it has a 'nap mode'.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
When the work is done
In a shock development, I actually went out of the house today.
OK, so the first attempt to go to Meadowhall at lunchtime resulted in us taking one look at the carpark and doing a swift u-turn home, but when we returned at five o'clock it was relatively quiet allowing us to get on with returning some bits and bobs and do some shopping. Jan found a pair of trainers that met Jamie's stratospheric standards for trendiness and design, and I found a new suit at half price from £200 originally and then another £25 off for returning an unwanted pair of pyjamas. Even better, I found that I could still get into a 36" waistline even after all of the xmas indulgences. Result!
Last night we watched part one of the new adaptation of Day of the Triffids, and I can't say that I was overly impressed. The original book and the classic 1980s tv version were very much of the 'quiet English apocalypse' school of fiction where the characters would escape the horror of the urban environment and go to live in the country with an aga and no pesky working class oiks, whereas this one seems to be more like a full-on disaster movie with whizzy CGI landscapes and lots of running around. The characters, and how they react to an unimaginable situation, seem to have been forgotten in all of the blood and thunder.
I also got the impression that this was originally filmed as a six part series with cliff hangers every thirty minutes and it has now been snuck out in the televisual dead zone betwixt xmas and the new year. Not impressed. I also predict that the denouement will involve some McGuffin of broadcasting triffid noises over the handy radio station equipment (that doesn't seem to have been fried to a frazzle by the humungous coronal mass ejection from the Sun for some reason). Oh, and while I'm in nitpick mode, how come the titular plants seem to have developed root systems like something out of a Japanese tentacle porn anime?
In games news, the new update for Orbital on the iPhone brings a whole new Supernova mode which is really rather good. The new aiming mode is offset by increasing the number of hits each bubble needs to be popped and then introducing a shock-wave explosion that makes it possible to set up high scoring combo scores in highly satisfying chain reactions. Quite possibly the best 59p that you will ever spend in the app store.
OK, so the first attempt to go to Meadowhall at lunchtime resulted in us taking one look at the carpark and doing a swift u-turn home, but when we returned at five o'clock it was relatively quiet allowing us to get on with returning some bits and bobs and do some shopping. Jan found a pair of trainers that met Jamie's stratospheric standards for trendiness and design, and I found a new suit at half price from £200 originally and then another £25 off for returning an unwanted pair of pyjamas. Even better, I found that I could still get into a 36" waistline even after all of the xmas indulgences. Result!
Last night we watched part one of the new adaptation of Day of the Triffids, and I can't say that I was overly impressed. The original book and the classic 1980s tv version were very much of the 'quiet English apocalypse' school of fiction where the characters would escape the horror of the urban environment and go to live in the country with an aga and no pesky working class oiks, whereas this one seems to be more like a full-on disaster movie with whizzy CGI landscapes and lots of running around. The characters, and how they react to an unimaginable situation, seem to have been forgotten in all of the blood and thunder.
I also got the impression that this was originally filmed as a six part series with cliff hangers every thirty minutes and it has now been snuck out in the televisual dead zone betwixt xmas and the new year. Not impressed. I also predict that the denouement will involve some McGuffin of broadcasting triffid noises over the handy radio station equipment (that doesn't seem to have been fried to a frazzle by the humungous coronal mass ejection from the Sun for some reason). Oh, and while I'm in nitpick mode, how come the titular plants seem to have developed root systems like something out of a Japanese tentacle porn anime?
In games news, the new update for Orbital on the iPhone brings a whole new Supernova mode which is really rather good. The new aiming mode is offset by increasing the number of hits each bubble needs to be popped and then introducing a shock-wave explosion that makes it possible to set up high scoring combo scores in highly satisfying chain reactions. Quite possibly the best 59p that you will ever spend in the app store.
- 17:06 Just got a £200 suit half price in the sales plus I'm still a 36" waist after Xmas - result! #
Monday, December 28, 2009
Blackfriar's Bridge
Blackfriar's Bridge is an excellent short story about the perfect crime and what could possibly go wrong with it. Well worth 10 minutes or so of your time.
Assassing
Well, that's the official bit of Christmas over and done with, and I still have an entire week before I go back to work so hurrah for that.
My Mum and Dad left to go home this morning, and while it has been lovely having them here it is nice to get the house back to ourselves. Alicia has also gone off to visit her mother for two days so it really does seem quiet round these parts. So quiet in fact that I could hear a watch ticking on a shelf across the other side of the room this afternoon. Bliss!
I've also got back into working on my next T175 TMA and completed the section about RSS feeds in 296 words (for a 300 word limit). No sign of anybody else wanting to get organised for the online chat about virtual worlds though, so it might be just me talking to myself at this rate. Hmmm.
I finally got around to having a go at Assassin's Creed II, and it really does live up to expectations. I spent a couple of hours just running around the rooftops of renaissance Florence climbing towers, stealing treasure and just generally admiring the scenery. It did take me a little while to get the hang of the controls, but I think they can be summed up as hold down the right trigger and A button, and point yourself at the nearest wall with likely looking handholds.
In iTunes free downloads news, today's offering was Trivial Pursuit, which turned out to be not at all bad, at least when I'd discovered the pursuit mode rather than the tediously random classic mode. I don't know if I'll bother with any of the downloadable extra question packs but stranger things have happened at sea.
My Mum and Dad left to go home this morning, and while it has been lovely having them here it is nice to get the house back to ourselves. Alicia has also gone off to visit her mother for two days so it really does seem quiet round these parts. So quiet in fact that I could hear a watch ticking on a shelf across the other side of the room this afternoon. Bliss!
I've also got back into working on my next T175 TMA and completed the section about RSS feeds in 296 words (for a 300 word limit). No sign of anybody else wanting to get organised for the online chat about virtual worlds though, so it might be just me talking to myself at this rate. Hmmm.
I finally got around to having a go at Assassin's Creed II, and it really does live up to expectations. I spent a couple of hours just running around the rooftops of renaissance Florence climbing towers, stealing treasure and just generally admiring the scenery. It did take me a little while to get the hang of the controls, but I think they can be summed up as hold down the right trigger and A button, and point yourself at the nearest wall with likely looking handholds.
In iTunes free downloads news, today's offering was Trivial Pursuit, which turned out to be not at all bad, at least when I'd discovered the pursuit mode rather than the tediously random classic mode. I don't know if I'll bother with any of the downloadable extra question packs but stranger things have happened at sea.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
- 08:46 If we called that other bloke the Shoe Bomber why aren't we calling this fruitcake the Pants Bomber? Let's get #pantsbomber trending now! #
- 09:31 Perhaps he just got confused when he heard that hot pants were making a comeback? #pantsbomber #
- 09:34 Setting fire to your testicles is *not* going to impress the 72 virgins that you were hoping to get ... #pantsbomber #
Wearing the inside out
The snow is nearly all melted now, leaving just treacherous patches of ice on the pavement to fell the unwary.
Again, a day of idleness, although my efforts in amassing the Jingle furniture set in Animal Crossing did not go unrewarded as I received my weekly letter from the Happy Room Academy with a new score of 71,000 points and a model house as a reward. I've also paid off a mortgage, so I now have a basement which I have turned into a playroom with my arcade machine, pinball table and train set. Good times.
It was fascinating watching Jamie playing Assassin's Creed II today in the sequence where he was infiltrating the Palazzo Ducale in Venice. It looked to be a pretty much spot on model of the real thing, so much so that I was able to recognise the bits where I'd plotted a pivotal scene in my nanowrimo novel La Serenissima. I'm looking forward to playing this when I can get a look in.
Right, time for a spot of Zelda, I think.
Again, a day of idleness, although my efforts in amassing the Jingle furniture set in Animal Crossing did not go unrewarded as I received my weekly letter from the Happy Room Academy with a new score of 71,000 points and a model house as a reward. I've also paid off a mortgage, so I now have a basement which I have turned into a playroom with my arcade machine, pinball table and train set. Good times.
It was fascinating watching Jamie playing Assassin's Creed II today in the sequence where he was infiltrating the Palazzo Ducale in Venice. It looked to be a pretty much spot on model of the real thing, so much so that I was able to recognise the bits where I'd plotted a pivotal scene in my nanowrimo novel La Serenissima. I'm looking forward to playing this when I can get a look in.
Right, time for a spot of Zelda, I think.
Sunday Links
- ZooBorns: Boy oh Boise: Baby Cotton-Top Tamarin!
- 私信 Slo-Mo Maru
- 25 Unlikely Animal Friendships
- The perfect way to slice a pizza
- Top Ten Astronomy Pictures of 2009
- It Felt Like a Kiss: The Film Adam Curtis' extraordinary art project
- PA news pictures of the decade Iconic images of the noughties
- The Deadliest place on Earth? Surviving Cueva de los Cristales - The Giant Crystal Cave
- Diagram of Geek Culture Welcome to my head
- Richard Feynman on doubt,uncertainty and religion Wise words from one of the 20th centuries most astute scientists and thinkers
- World's shortest explanation of Gödel's theorem
- The 21st century: FAQ Charles Stross explains all
- Star Wars Facebook Updates
- Herbert West: Reanimator A reading from the H.P.Lovecraft Literary Podcast
- Cthulhu Wallpaper Squamous decorations for your desktop in a variety of sizes (and weird angles)
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Beat Box (Close to the Edit)
Not much to report today, really.
After clearing up and hoovering the remaining detritus from yesterday, I settled down to playing a bit of Animal Crossing, snagging a complete set of Jingle furniture thanks to my extensive collection of hats and silly mustaches. It's an Animal Crossing thing, don't ask ...
Jamie then wrested control of the telly so he could go back to the 16th century to assassinate most of the inhabitants of Venice and surrounding areas, so I took solace in the simpler delights of Zelda : Spirit Tracks on my DSi. Oh, what a joyful game this is - pootling along train tracks in a steam engine and occasionally tooting the whistle to scare pigs off the track, combined with the usual dungeoneering and just enough of a twist on the mechanics to keep things fresh. If you have ever played any Zelda game, then this really is an essential purchase.
Finally, bubble and squeak and cold turkey for tea, and a chance to catch up on the several dozen things recorded off the telly. Oh, and a beer. And maybe some more chocolates and a bit of xmas pud. With custard.
Cheers!
After clearing up and hoovering the remaining detritus from yesterday, I settled down to playing a bit of Animal Crossing, snagging a complete set of Jingle furniture thanks to my extensive collection of hats and silly mustaches. It's an Animal Crossing thing, don't ask ...
Jamie then wrested control of the telly so he could go back to the 16th century to assassinate most of the inhabitants of Venice and surrounding areas, so I took solace in the simpler delights of Zelda : Spirit Tracks on my DSi. Oh, what a joyful game this is - pootling along train tracks in a steam engine and occasionally tooting the whistle to scare pigs off the track, combined with the usual dungeoneering and just enough of a twist on the mechanics to keep things fresh. If you have ever played any Zelda game, then this really is an essential purchase.
Finally, bubble and squeak and cold turkey for tea, and a chance to catch up on the several dozen things recorded off the telly. Oh, and a beer. And maybe some more chocolates and a bit of xmas pud. With custard.
Cheers!
- 14:26 Why is mah favrit sitting place illuminated? #caturday twitpic.com/vb9b7 #
Friday, December 25, 2009
- 21:17 Just settling down to watch @robinince 's Nine Lessons and Carols for Godless People - aces! #
- 10:08 Look who's been down the chimney ... twitpic.com/v4dj5 #
Simply having ...
A bit of a late night last night and perhaps just one rum more than was perhaps advisable left me feeling a little groggy this morning, but a cup of tea followed by a walk in the woods where the icy wind and brilliant sunshine perked me up a little. The late night was down to watching the inspirational, moving and highly amusing Nine Lessons and Carols for Godless People. I think that this could become another annual tradition!
Back home with the turkey underway (all thanks to the advice of the blessed Saint Delia) and it was time for presents - guess who got to open his first.
As usual, everybody got everything that they wanted - a Magic Mouse and some moleskine notebooks for Jan, Assassin's Creed II and some new trendy t-shirts and hats for Jamie, tops and a Joan Baez DVD for Alicia and books, an iphone dock alarm and a new Zelda game for me. Hurrah!
Lunch was the traditional monster affair with turkey, sprouts, potatoes mashed and roasted, parsnips, carrots, bread sauce, cranberry sauce and gravy. Not surprisingly I was too full for any pudding and needed another walk to wake up again.
Doctor Who is recording, so we'll be watching that later. I hope everybody else is having as much fun as we are!
Back home with the turkey underway (all thanks to the advice of the blessed Saint Delia) and it was time for presents - guess who got to open his first.
As usual, everybody got everything that they wanted - a Magic Mouse and some moleskine notebooks for Jan, Assassin's Creed II and some new trendy t-shirts and hats for Jamie, tops and a Joan Baez DVD for Alicia and books, an iphone dock alarm and a new Zelda game for me. Hurrah!
Lunch was the traditional monster affair with turkey, sprouts, potatoes mashed and roasted, parsnips, carrots, bread sauce, cranberry sauce and gravy. Not surprisingly I was too full for any pudding and needed another walk to wake up again.
Doctor Who is recording, so we'll be watching that later. I hope everybody else is having as much fun as we are!
Thursday, December 24, 2009
- 08:13 No sign of Daisy this morning ... just been out looking for her with no joy. :-( #
- 08:43 She's back! :-) twitpic.com/uxf8q #
- 09:20 Seasons greetings to you too! tweetphoto.com/7084297 #
- 11:35 twitpic.com/uxums - Season's Greetings! May whatever festival you celebrate be a merry one! #
The Festive Twelve
In what is now an annual tradition Phill and Phil return for another festive podclash with Collings and Herrin. Available from iTunes or here.
Twas the night before ...
A heavy fall of snow turned the world even whiter than it was before. The only problem was that Daisy the kitten didn't come in for her breakfast first thing which is most unusual for her. I took Barney for a walk to go and look for her with no joy. I was starting to panic by this point and thinking about posting a missing cat notice on Sheffield Forum when I was struck by inspiration. All it took was for me to shake her food tub outside the back door when, as if by magic, she reappeared.
Phew!
In other somewhat disappointing news, my main light box has gone on the blink. Fortunately I have my back-up Lumie one to keep me going until I can get it fixed. It should still be under warranty, so there should be no problem in getting a replacement tube or whatever it is.
Pork pie, pickles and prosciutto for tea tonight!
Phew!
In other somewhat disappointing news, my main light box has gone on the blink. Fortunately I have my back-up Lumie one to keep me going until I can get it fixed. It should still be under warranty, so there should be no problem in getting a replacement tube or whatever it is.
Pork pie, pickles and prosciutto for tea tonight!
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
- 20:16 Wow! I just got the top score on @1vs100LIVEUK - w00t! #
- 17:53 I've gone to Fallen London! www.failbettergames.com/echobazaar #echobazaar #
- 17:59 Sorrow-spiders are already repulsive. Spider-councils are what happens when sorrow-spiders go bad. fallenlondon.com/c/2670 #
- 18:00 Everything is prepared. You wrench the bars free and squeeze hastily through the window as the su... fallenlondon.com/c/2671 #
- 18:00 The dirigible spirals slowly down over the smou ldering lights of Fallen London. The cavern breeze... fallenlondon.com/c/2672 #
It's oh, so quiet ...
Day one of the holidays and a lie in, followed by a bracing walk in the woods with brilliant sunshine glinting off the snow. Lovely.
I pottered around the house and did a bit of OU work before my Mum and Dad arrived, bearing mountains more food and a case of wine too. We also unpacked the hamper that they had bought us from Valvona and Crolla in Edinburgh full of nommy goodies. I think that we are pretty much stocked up with everything we need now I think, and anything left over will go to stock Alicia's food cupboard when she goes back to college.
I think I am going to start slowly building up my exercise levels again to see how I cope. I've got an application called RunKeeper on my iPhone which uses the GPS to log how far I've walked. I do quite like keeping track of things like that and it uploads the data to a website that maps it all on to a map. Very clever.
 |
| From Winter |
I pottered around the house and did a bit of OU work before my Mum and Dad arrived, bearing mountains more food and a case of wine too. We also unpacked the hamper that they had bought us from Valvona and Crolla in Edinburgh full of nommy goodies. I think that we are pretty much stocked up with everything we need now I think, and anything left over will go to stock Alicia's food cupboard when she goes back to college.
I think I am going to start slowly building up my exercise levels again to see how I cope. I've got an application called RunKeeper on my iPhone which uses the GPS to log how far I've walked. I do quite like keeping track of things like that and it uploads the data to a website that maps it all on to a map. Very clever.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Fahren, fahren, fahren auf der autobahn
After a day working at home yesterday, I ventured out into the icy cold this morning (-7 according to the weather sensors) to defrost the car. It took ten minutes of concentrated scraping combined with the heaters to clear the windscreen sufficiently to be able to see out. At least the motorway was blessedly empty (presumably nobody else was daft enough to venture out) and so I was in work on time.
A particularly pesky problem with online submissions turned out to be an expired certificate that hadn't been updated on the customer sites and I managed to run through a bit more of the testing. Fortunately the release is not needed until after Christmas so it is not as much of a panic as I thought it might be.
In games news I was inordinately pleased to have broken the 100,000 kills target in MiniGore. I'm not usually a gamerpoint whore, but I made an exception in this case to unlock the rather natty Santa hat. I seriously doubt, however, that I will be aiming for the 1,000,000 kills target to unlock the Sensei Evan character - I doubt that my aching thumbs could stand the strain.
I need a new obsession, but I am currently spoilt for choice. I really like geoSpark in small doses, along with 33rd Division and Mini Squadron (a side scrolling air combat game). I think that 7 Cities might do the trick though - it's a tower defence game with a theme of defending cities from marauding pirates coming up a river estuary. I've just played the first two missions to get a feel for the tactical options, but it's looking promising so far. At least it will keep me busy until we get the promised DLC maps for geoDefence:Swarm.
The big news of the night, however, is me beating about 10,000 other people to get the top score in a round of 1vs100 live tonight - yay!
A particularly pesky problem with online submissions turned out to be an expired certificate that hadn't been updated on the customer sites and I managed to run through a bit more of the testing. Fortunately the release is not needed until after Christmas so it is not as much of a panic as I thought it might be.
In games news I was inordinately pleased to have broken the 100,000 kills target in MiniGore. I'm not usually a gamerpoint whore, but I made an exception in this case to unlock the rather natty Santa hat. I seriously doubt, however, that I will be aiming for the 1,000,000 kills target to unlock the Sensei Evan character - I doubt that my aching thumbs could stand the strain.
I need a new obsession, but I am currently spoilt for choice. I really like geoSpark in small doses, along with 33rd Division and Mini Squadron (a side scrolling air combat game). I think that 7 Cities might do the trick though - it's a tower defence game with a theme of defending cities from marauding pirates coming up a river estuary. I've just played the first two missions to get a feel for the tactical options, but it's looking promising so far. At least it will keep me busy until we get the promised DLC maps for geoDefence:Swarm.
The big news of the night, however, is me beating about 10,000 other people to get the top score in a round of 1vs100 live tonight - yay!
- 22:17 Just got in from seeing @ArianeSherine at Sheffield Sceptics in the Pub - she's luvverly! #
- 08:38 Frosty gas works twitpic.com/umf31 #
- 12:06 RT @SLSingh We have 9914 signatures. Help us get to 10000 before Christmas! Visit www.libelreform.org/sign (and please RT!) #SinghBCA #
Monday, December 21, 2009
Skeptics in the Pub
Just got in from the very first meeting of Sheffield Skeptics in the Pub where we listened to the luvverly Ariane Sherine give a very entertaining talk about how the atheist bus campaign started almost by accident and spiraled into something quite extraordinary with a global impact. I'm a little bit too tired to give a full review of it now, but there was certainly a lot of food for thought, particular about raising awareness of how divisive so-called 'faith schools' are and how they are commanding vast amounts of public spending which is going towards what is in effect selective education.
Good stuff, and we'll certainly be going to future meetings.
Good stuff, and we'll certainly be going to future meetings.
- 19:34 I unlocked "Merry Christmas" in "Minigore"! bit.ly/8MfrbP #
- 19:39 I killed, like, one hundred already - how many more are there? twitpic.com/udy1r #
- 08:41 The sun has returned - happy solstice! twitpic.com/uh68d #
Sunday, December 20, 2009
- 19:57 It's Mojit o'clock! twitpic.com/u7uqu #
- 15:53 Just been out walking in the woods - magical! Nice to be tucked up back in the warm now though ... twitpic.com/ucvfo #
Snowflakes
Another early (ish) start for some reason, but at least it allowed me to get on with the ironing and then a bit of T175 work with a break for a bacon sarnie with extra chillie sauce at some point. I made my posting to the forum discussion and then felt very tired for some reason, needing a half hour nap to get my mojo back.
As threatened the other day I got around to reinstalling Second Life, and even remembered the account I had originally. The good points are that it seems to run OK and I managed to find the virtual Open University campus quite easily. The bad points were that the world was a very empty place and I couldn't get the hang of designing an avatar that looked even remotely like me. I suspect that they make it purposely obtuse so as to create a market for designers to sell you custom faces and the like.
The snow started sometime in the early afternoon, slowly at first and then quickening to large, floating flakes dancing dreamily in the breeze. I know it is not much in the grand scheme of things, but seeing the world blanketed in white if only for a short while always gladdens the heart. We took the dog for a walk in the woods and he was dashing hither and yon, finding trees freshly coated in snow to leave his mark on. Lovely.
Back home in the warm now, so as the song goes - let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!
As threatened the other day I got around to reinstalling Second Life, and even remembered the account I had originally. The good points are that it seems to run OK and I managed to find the virtual Open University campus quite easily. The bad points were that the world was a very empty place and I couldn't get the hang of designing an avatar that looked even remotely like me. I suspect that they make it purposely obtuse so as to create a market for designers to sell you custom faces and the like.
The snow started sometime in the early afternoon, slowly at first and then quickening to large, floating flakes dancing dreamily in the breeze. I know it is not much in the grand scheme of things, but seeing the world blanketed in white if only for a short while always gladdens the heart. We took the dog for a walk in the woods and he was dashing hither and yon, finding trees freshly coated in snow to leave his mark on. Lovely.
Back home in the warm now, so as the song goes - let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!
Christmassy Links
- White Wine In The Sun Tim Minchin's Xmas song
- I Got You What You Want For Christmas By the very wonderful MJ Hibbett & The Validators
- The 2009 Holiday Cover Show From Coverville
- A free Christmas MP3! Download 'Bookclub' from Nat Johnson and the Figureheads
- Hardcore hip-hop Xmas Nuff said
- A Secular Christmas Carol
- The World's Smallest Snowman
- Christmas past BBC News - Audio slideshow
- The 12 Blogs of Christmas A Doctor Who Story for Christmas by Paul Cornell
- Silent Carols Early silent film versions of A Christmas Carol
- Uncle's Christmas Carol Tales From Homeward presents Uncle the enormously wealthy elephant's take on the famous story
- Free sample chapters for Christmas Not sure what books to buy this year? Here's a handy and nicely presented sampler of twelve different books in pdf format
Saturday, December 19, 2009
- 09:28 Monochrome cat #caturday dogwoodtales.blogspot.com/2009/12/monochrome-cat.html #
White Blur
Yet another cold day and a busy one too.
I was awake far too early for a Saturday morning and ended up starting on household chores before it had even got properly light. These included cleaning the spare room in anticipation of my Mum and Dad arriving next week, putting some washing on and then sorting out a car full of cardboard and other stuff to take to the dump.
After the dump, it was time for a quick shower and then on to some T175 work. I've had to chivvy my tutor as he was late starting an on-line activity that we need to do for the TMA, and I hope that other people are paying attention to the forum. The first part is a discussion of the question 'What has been the effect of the internet on our ability to absorb and evaluate information?' which should be interesting, and then we will be talking about the extent to which virtual worlds have replaced aspects of the real one.
I'm wondering about giving Second Life another whirl - I tried it a couple of years ago, but it didn't run particularly well on the laptop that I had at the time. Hopefully my MacBook Pro will cope better with it, and I'm interested to have a nosy around the Open University campus online.
Oh yes, and I also submished my computer marked assessment ahead of the Christmas Eve deadline, so yay me.
A bite of lunch, and then off to retrieve number one daughter from University for the hols. Amazingly enough she *didn't* come back with a bag full of washing to do, although the shared kitchen that she uses in her flat was a major health hazard. Some of the boys had gone home for the holidays leaving worktops with pans full of half eaten stew, a sink full of dirty plates and overflowing bins with a pile of pizza boxes and takeaway cartons. Yuk.
It will be slightly strange having her at home for two weeks, although I did notice she was referring to her digs as 'home' when discussing work that she's got to do next year ... :-)
I'm very glad to be in the snug and warm tonight - the mercury has just taken a nose dive and there are some snow flakes descending from on high.
I was awake far too early for a Saturday morning and ended up starting on household chores before it had even got properly light. These included cleaning the spare room in anticipation of my Mum and Dad arriving next week, putting some washing on and then sorting out a car full of cardboard and other stuff to take to the dump.
After the dump, it was time for a quick shower and then on to some T175 work. I've had to chivvy my tutor as he was late starting an on-line activity that we need to do for the TMA, and I hope that other people are paying attention to the forum. The first part is a discussion of the question 'What has been the effect of the internet on our ability to absorb and evaluate information?' which should be interesting, and then we will be talking about the extent to which virtual worlds have replaced aspects of the real one.
I'm wondering about giving Second Life another whirl - I tried it a couple of years ago, but it didn't run particularly well on the laptop that I had at the time. Hopefully my MacBook Pro will cope better with it, and I'm interested to have a nosy around the Open University campus online.
Oh yes, and I also submished my computer marked assessment ahead of the Christmas Eve deadline, so yay me.
A bite of lunch, and then off to retrieve number one daughter from University for the hols. Amazingly enough she *didn't* come back with a bag full of washing to do, although the shared kitchen that she uses in her flat was a major health hazard. Some of the boys had gone home for the holidays leaving worktops with pans full of half eaten stew, a sink full of dirty plates and overflowing bins with a pile of pizza boxes and takeaway cartons. Yuk.
It will be slightly strange having her at home for two weeks, although I did notice she was referring to her digs as 'home' when discussing work that she's got to do next year ... :-)
I'm very glad to be in the snug and warm tonight - the mercury has just taken a nose dive and there are some snow flakes descending from on high.
Friday, December 18, 2009
In the meadow we can build a snowman
Or not as the case may be.
Overnight we had a dusting of snow, enough to turn the world white and cover the cars, but not really any more than that. It's jolly cold though and the temperature barely rose above freezing before dropping back down again.
Poor old Frank the cat seems to have a cold and has been sneezing and snuffling and looking a bit sorry for himself. He's still tucking into his food, so he hasn't lost his appetite, and I'm not too worried about him. He's up to date on his jabs, so it's not likely to be anything serious, I hope.
A work at home day today and reasonably quiet too. I ran through a bit more testing, and then wrapped some presents listening to my Christmas shuffle on my iphone - mostly J-pop covers of seasonal classics. The trimmings and the tree are up and the lights are a cheerful bulwark against the dark outside. Two more days and then the light will return.
Overnight we had a dusting of snow, enough to turn the world white and cover the cars, but not really any more than that. It's jolly cold though and the temperature barely rose above freezing before dropping back down again.
Poor old Frank the cat seems to have a cold and has been sneezing and snuffling and looking a bit sorry for himself. He's still tucking into his food, so he hasn't lost his appetite, and I'm not too worried about him. He's up to date on his jabs, so it's not likely to be anything serious, I hope.
A work at home day today and reasonably quiet too. I ran through a bit more testing, and then wrapped some presents listening to my Christmas shuffle on my iphone - mostly J-pop covers of seasonal classics. The trimmings and the tree are up and the lights are a cheerful bulwark against the dark outside. Two more days and then the light will return.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Cold as ice
Well, after all of the hoo-hah, the snow today only amounted to a bit of sleet this morning on the motorway and a few half hearted flakes this afternoon in Leeds. Supposedly there is some more on the way, but I'm not holding my breath. Bah - cumbug!
As we were going out straight from the office last night I locked my laptop in the cupboard again and put the key back in the consultant's desk drawer where it lives. Only problem was that she locked her drawer as well and took that key home with her which wouldn't have been a problem except that she wasn't in at half past eight this morning.
Cue a heavy sigh.
I then rang her work mobile to see what time she would be in (and to find out if she was worse the wear from the previous night) only to hear her phone ringing on her desk.
Cue another heavy sigh.
Fortunately there was a spare PC to use until she sauntered in at ten o'clock, but it's always a hassle having to wait for Outlook to get its act in order the first time you login to it, and there were various things that I couldn't do because I wasn't a local administrator on that machine, but hey ho.
The office was a bit on the subdued side today apart from the sound of toy helicopters doing battle in the far corner. I've been sidelined onto some system testing which might be tedious but at least I can plug my earphones in and get on with following the test scripts.
MiniGore kill count 60273
As we were going out straight from the office last night I locked my laptop in the cupboard again and put the key back in the consultant's desk drawer where it lives. Only problem was that she locked her drawer as well and took that key home with her which wouldn't have been a problem except that she wasn't in at half past eight this morning.
Cue a heavy sigh.
I then rang her work mobile to see what time she would be in (and to find out if she was worse the wear from the previous night) only to hear her phone ringing on her desk.
Cue another heavy sigh.
Fortunately there was a spare PC to use until she sauntered in at ten o'clock, but it's always a hassle having to wait for Outlook to get its act in order the first time you login to it, and there were various things that I couldn't do because I wasn't a local administrator on that machine, but hey ho.
The office was a bit on the subdued side today apart from the sound of toy helicopters doing battle in the far corner. I've been sidelined onto some system testing which might be tedious but at least I can plug my earphones in and get on with following the test scripts.
MiniGore kill count 60273
- 19:10 Drinking mojitos - can't think if anything more Christmassy ... :-) twitpic.com/trut8 #
- 15:28 Light snow in Leeds LS11 #uksnow #
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Train to Sao Paolo
On the train this morning for a change. Not a bad journey, but it takes longer than the car and also includes a fifteen minute walk from the station into the office, so it's not really practical if I'm lugging a laptop bag as I am most days. Fortunately I had the foresight to lock my laptop in the cupboard last night.
The reason for preferring rail over road on this occasion was to allow me to go straight out from the office for a meal and leaving do for aforementioned cow-orker whose final day it was today. A pint of Hoegaarden in the Adelphi and thence onwards to Las Iguanas, a restaurant of the Mexican persuasion. A margarita to start with, then bolhinos Sao Paolo, mushroom fajitas and queso to finish on. I may also have had a spiced mojito at some point ...
The reason for preferring rail over road on this occasion was to allow me to go straight out from the office for a meal and leaving do for aforementioned cow-orker whose final day it was today. A pint of Hoegaarden in the Adelphi and thence onwards to Las Iguanas, a restaurant of the Mexican persuasion. A margarita to start with, then bolhinos Sao Paolo, mushroom fajitas and queso to finish on. I may also have had a spiced mojito at some point ...
- 07:55 On the train to Leeds with a Moth podcast to listen to ... #
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow
One of my habits at this time of year is to keep a weather eye on the five day forecast for signs of snow.
However, I am cynical enough to know that even when the BBC weather man says "Z0MG!!! LOTSA SN0W!!11! RLY!" it usually turns out to be nothing more than a light dusting or a bit of half hearted sleet. For example, yesterday they were faithfully promising snow for Wednesday but this morning it has mysteriously transmuted into light rain. Now they are predicting heavy snow showers for Friday - we shall see what transpires.
Bit of an odd day in the office today. One of my cow-orkers is leaving tomorrow, so he was sorting out his old papers and stuff today. It's really going to change the dynamic of the team when he goes, at least until we can get somebody else in to replace him. There are a couple of internal candidates, but nothing is going to happen until the new year, I imagine.
Good news on the telly front - apparently 'Miranda' has been picked up for a second season. It really is one of the most enjoyable and upbeat comedies on telly at the moment and really deserves a higher profile slot than being tucked away on BBC2 on a Monday night. Also, according to Andrew Collings himself 'Not Going Out' is also coming back, so a double hurrah!
However, I am cynical enough to know that even when the BBC weather man says "Z0MG!!! LOTSA SN0W!!11! RLY!" it usually turns out to be nothing more than a light dusting or a bit of half hearted sleet. For example, yesterday they were faithfully promising snow for Wednesday but this morning it has mysteriously transmuted into light rain. Now they are predicting heavy snow showers for Friday - we shall see what transpires.
Bit of an odd day in the office today. One of my cow-orkers is leaving tomorrow, so he was sorting out his old papers and stuff today. It's really going to change the dynamic of the team when he goes, at least until we can get somebody else in to replace him. There are a couple of internal candidates, but nothing is going to happen until the new year, I imagine.
Good news on the telly front - apparently 'Miranda' has been picked up for a second season. It really is one of the most enjoyable and upbeat comedies on telly at the moment and really deserves a higher profile slot than being tucked away on BBC2 on a Monday night. Also, according to Andrew Collings himself 'Not Going Out' is also coming back, so a double hurrah!
- 09:23 I'm starting to get a bit irritated with people flying mini helicopters round the office - it's like Apocalypse Now in here! #
- 09:47 Mini helicopter is down! Repeat mini helicopter is down! (Between the gap in the desks) #
Monday, December 14, 2009
Neither snow, nor rain
After the bright mornings of recent days, it was back to the darkness and cold rain again. I don't mind the cold, but cold and damp together is a dispiriting combination. Yuk.
Knackered now, from a trip straight from work to Ikea to buy a new bed and various other bits and pieces for Jamie's room. It was a reasonably pain free trip round and it wasn't too busy, so we had some fish and chips in the restaurant for tea. Yum.
Telly last night was the last, final, final bit of the X Factor which seemed more strung out than a kite in a force 10 gale. I didn't see any of the songs and just turned on for the final result but even that seemed to take more than half an hour. Neither of the finalists are particularly inspiring, but then again I don't tend to listen to music for the quality of someone's voice. Give me a Tom Waits or a John Otway any day who will belt out a song with gusto and emotion, rather than somebody who can warble a bland song with the notes in the right order. Last year's winner Leona Lewis is increasingly looking like the exception that proves the rule of X Factor mediocrity.
Much better was the final episode of the Thick of It with both camps preparing for an election battle with a stirring call to arms. The true irony is that politics, at least as portrayed on this programme, boils down to sticking one on the opposition, regardless of party, rather than any ideological conviction. We still have no idea of whether the governing party in the show is from the left or the right, and there is no way of telling either from their policies or their rhetoric. It's a cynical view, but it's probably an accurate one.
Knackered now, from a trip straight from work to Ikea to buy a new bed and various other bits and pieces for Jamie's room. It was a reasonably pain free trip round and it wasn't too busy, so we had some fish and chips in the restaurant for tea. Yum.
Telly last night was the last, final, final bit of the X Factor which seemed more strung out than a kite in a force 10 gale. I didn't see any of the songs and just turned on for the final result but even that seemed to take more than half an hour. Neither of the finalists are particularly inspiring, but then again I don't tend to listen to music for the quality of someone's voice. Give me a Tom Waits or a John Otway any day who will belt out a song with gusto and emotion, rather than somebody who can warble a bland song with the notes in the right order. Last year's winner Leona Lewis is increasingly looking like the exception that proves the rule of X Factor mediocrity.
Much better was the final episode of the Thick of It with both camps preparing for an election battle with a stirring call to arms. The true irony is that politics, at least as portrayed on this programme, boils down to sticking one on the opposition, regardless of party, rather than any ideological conviction. We still have no idea of whether the governing party in the show is from the left or the right, and there is no way of telling either from their policies or their rhetoric. It's a cynical view, but it's probably an accurate one.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
- 18:43 Things get festive in Animal Crossing twitpic.com/t85o6 #
- 08:13 I unlocked "What's my tagline?" in "Minigore"! bit.ly/8MfrbP #
Where's Captain Kirk?
It was the long awaited semi-final of the X-Factor on telly last night, so of course we watched Star Trek courtesy of Mr Lovefilm and jolly good it was too.
I'm normally a bit wary of big screen blockbuster versions of old tv series, as they pretty much inevitably end up being rather disappointing and shallow, but this version of the classic Star Trek story struck the right balance between nostalgia and telling an interesting story in its own right. There were plenty of moments to make fans of the original smile as well as some stunning action sequences (although I still prefer the more deliberately paced space battles rather than throwing the Enterprise around like an X-Wing). The whole time-travel paradox story is a little bit convoluted, but at least it sets things up for future sequels without having to worry about 40 odd years of Star Trek continuity.
In Animal Crossing news, the snow is finally here and I managed to make my first perfect snowman yesterday and so received a snowman telly in the mail this morning. I quite fancy seeing if I can collect a whole range of snowman furniture this year, which I never quite managed in Wild World. I need a change from the mushroom theme in any case.
Minigore kill count : 23780
I'm normally a bit wary of big screen blockbuster versions of old tv series, as they pretty much inevitably end up being rather disappointing and shallow, but this version of the classic Star Trek story struck the right balance between nostalgia and telling an interesting story in its own right. There were plenty of moments to make fans of the original smile as well as some stunning action sequences (although I still prefer the more deliberately paced space battles rather than throwing the Enterprise around like an X-Wing). The whole time-travel paradox story is a little bit convoluted, but at least it sets things up for future sequels without having to worry about 40 odd years of Star Trek continuity.
In Animal Crossing news, the snow is finally here and I managed to make my first perfect snowman yesterday and so received a snowman telly in the mail this morning. I quite fancy seeing if I can collect a whole range of snowman furniture this year, which I never quite managed in Wild World. I need a change from the mushroom theme in any case.
Minigore kill count : 23780
Sunday Links
- ZooBorns: Pygmy Hippo Weighs a Ton on the Cute Scale
- 私信 Maru vs Hole
- The Real True Historic Origin of LOLCats
- Stopping to Take in Yonge Street The longest street in Canada, all 40KM of it in stop motion video
- Best archaeological finds of 2009
- 10 strangest Jesus sightings of 2009
- Top 10 science stunts for Christmas parties
- Scary Santas You'd better be good, for goodness sake ...
- Law & Chaos Wendy Pini's concept art for a sadly never made Stormbringer movie
- Why Fake-Looking CG Space Battles Are Beautiful
- The best bloopers ever Bill Dance makes fishing DVDs. The outakes are rather amusing, particularly when he starts swearing - dag gummit!
- We don't need God, we've got biscuits Charlie Brooker. (Also Charlie Brooker: why I love video games)
- The History of the Boombox
Saturday, December 12, 2009
- 09:34 On the way into Sheffield for my M150 computing tutorial - just waiting for the train ... #
- 09:35 The one that got away ... #caturday twitpic.com/t6g7v #
- 09:46 I unlocked "I don't remember this forest" in "Minigore"! bit.ly/8MfrbP #
- 09:46 I unlocked "Expert mode" in "Minigore"! bit.ly/8MfrbP #
- 09:48 Playing MiniGore on the train with the Xmas theme ... twitpic.com/t6h6d #
- 09:50 #internetshakespeare Et web 2.0 Brutus? #
- 13:02 Glorious sunny day in Sheffield twitpic.com/t6whi #
Jumping someone else's train
Into Sheffield today for my second M150 tutorial, and jolly interesting it was too. We were mainly talking about algorithm design with a bit on boolean algebra and some very handy tips for the next TMA. The end of course assessment also has an optional question on javascript which will be very handy for scoring some easy points and I'll probably be going for that rather than the essay question.
It was a lovely day too, with the sun glinting off the fountains down by the station as I walked back to catch my train. The train was rammed to the gills with football fans, presumably on the way to Leeds for a match, but I was only on for fifteen minutes so I didn't have to listen to the beery singing for too long.
Back home and my contribution to the grand redecorating of Jamie's room was to take his old carpet and some other junk up to the dump whilst Jan got on with the painting. It's looking good so far, but will need another coat tomorrow.
MiniGore update - 9222 kills so far ...
It was a lovely day too, with the sun glinting off the fountains down by the station as I walked back to catch my train. The train was rammed to the gills with football fans, presumably on the way to Leeds for a match, but I was only on for fifteen minutes so I didn't have to listen to the beery singing for too long.
Back home and my contribution to the grand redecorating of Jamie's room was to take his old carpet and some other junk up to the dump whilst Jan got on with the painting. It's looking good so far, but will need another coat tomorrow.
MiniGore update - 9222 kills so far ...
Friday, December 11, 2009
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
A Christmas Carol by Charles DickensMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Is there anybody who hasn't experienced 'A Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickens in one form or another? Probably not many, but if you haven't tried the original text then you are missing a lot of the richness and relevance of the story.
Given that these things are now well worn clichés it is easy to forget that in one short story Dickens firmly established both the iconography of the traditional Christmas celebration as a family feast with good will to all and also the trappings of the cautionary ghost story with a moral twist. He achieves both goals with remarkably deft and humourous use of language that is still amusing and relevant more than 160 years after the story was written.
The text is long out of copyright and available from Project Gutenberg, and I can heartily recommend the reading by Mitch Benn available from his website here or by searching for 'Mitch Benn Podcast' on itunes.
View all my reviews >>
Sun's coming up, like a big bald head ...
A sharp frost this morning, and I felt a lot better after a decent night's uninterrupted sleep. It took me a while to scrape and defrost the car, but the roads were surprisingly clear and I was at my desk just as the sun was peeking up above the gas works across the way.
Auditors in today, so no work at home Friday today, but at least I managed to snuck off early at 4:30 ish. A bit of M150 work at lunch today in advance of the tutorial tomorrow. I'm not sure exactly what we'll be covering at this one, but I've got no major worries about any of the subject matter. It's nice to be able to talk to the tutor and some of the other people face to face, rather than just via the forum.
In games news, I had a quick look at the MiniGore update last night and there is a whole bunch of new stuff in there. It's particularly neat when darkness falls leaving just torchlight to illuminate the scene as you get attacked by a giant wormy thing. There are also some new unlockable characters and I am tempted to join that Rev Chap in an effort to get 100,000 kills by Christmas to earn a Santa hat. It's a tough job, but somebody's gotta do it ...
Auditors in today, so no work at home Friday today, but at least I managed to snuck off early at 4:30 ish. A bit of M150 work at lunch today in advance of the tutorial tomorrow. I'm not sure exactly what we'll be covering at this one, but I've got no major worries about any of the subject matter. It's nice to be able to talk to the tutor and some of the other people face to face, rather than just via the forum.
In games news, I had a quick look at the MiniGore update last night and there is a whole bunch of new stuff in there. It's particularly neat when darkness falls leaving just torchlight to illuminate the scene as you get attacked by a giant wormy thing. There are also some new unlockable characters and I am tempted to join that Rev Chap in an effort to get 100,000 kills by Christmas to earn a Santa hat. It's a tough job, but somebody's gotta do it ...
- 07:02 The dog didn't bark in the night - hurrah! #
- 08:30 In work before the sun this morning ... twitpic.com/t15yk #
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Black Dog
Tired again, partly from the driving yesterday, but mostly from the dog woofing at three o'clock in the morning and then again every fifteen minutes or so for most of the rest of the night, spaced so that I could almost fall asleep again but not quite. I'm sure that this sort of thing is banned under some international war crimes convention or something, isn't it?
Snow in Animal Crossing tonight, and finally a reasonable price for turnips netting a 40,000 bell profit and enabling me to pay off my next mortgage. New room tomorrow, so I'll have room for my large festive tree to go with my bonsai collection. I also managed to catch a lobster for the museum too.
Snow in Animal Crossing tonight, and finally a reasonable price for turnips netting a 40,000 bell profit and enabling me to pay off my next mortgage. New room tomorrow, so I'll have room for my large festive tree to go with my bonsai collection. I also managed to catch a lobster for the museum too.
- 13:20 OU: Opening up our universe #OU40 #
- 14:03 Leonardo Da Vinci called music 'the shaping of the invisible' - inspiring quote from my OU sourcebook today. #
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Podcast of the day - road trip special
- As It Occurs To Me - This is a special post watershed edition, guaranteed to be extra offensive - so good, I listened to it twice!
- Guardian Tech Weekly - The usual round up of tech news, with an interesting piece about Murdoch's feud with Google and their response to it
- Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers - An excellent reading of the Red Dwarf novel by Chris Barrie - a must listen for Dwarf fans.
- Adam and Joe - Good stuff as usual - it always makes me smile when Adam and Joe make each other laugh so much that they can't speak
- The Moth - Teri Garr's tale of richly deserved revenge against a cheating ex
- Coverville - Tom Waits Cover Story - A mix of unlikely and interesting cover versions of Tom Waits songs
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