And we're back... for the last post of 2007, with a solid non-negotiable promise to write another tomorrow to try to get into this whole goal setting business.
About a year ago I posted about how fast 2006 seemed to slide by. 2007 seemed faster still. I think whilst time well spent may feel like time slipping away, time poorly spent feels even more so. I wish I could do a positive year in review post, but really I can't say that I feel i've achieved anything in 2007. Why do I feel this way? Probably because my memory is shot - what can I say, I just happen to love sitcoms.
Thankfully, I have this blog, and if nobody else ever reads it, i'm very glad I can go back... Everything it evokes in my mind isn't written down for all to read, but it's great for jogging my memory to remind my that this year wasn't completely devoid of new and interesting experience!
Reminded myself of my first gig, plus what was probably my last gig and the others in-between, and the indescribable feeling they gave me.
Reminded myself of the second band, and the way I feel everybody realised early on it wasn't going to work, but didn't say anything for months - this wasn't a bad outcome - I think everybody learned more by hanging on for longer.
Reminded myself of how much better I feel about my job today, even though some of the things I've said previously are still true.
Reminded myself of a number of occasions on which i've felt inspired to do something in 2007, but haven't acted upon the feeling.
Reminded myself of how much I feel i'm learning from new media, about people, when you boil it down.
Ever vigilant in avoiding being a bandwagon jumper. An incoherent thought there worthy of rewriting, but I like how it comes out. It's basically (ugh) saying I fear too easily believing what I read, hear and see, but at the same time i'm more indecisive than ever. This is perhaps a half-thought that I need to expand upon later.
Back to time. In truth, the only time I feel i'm wasting at the moment is my free time. There are a number of things that should take care and fill some of that of that. Some of them are ridiculous cliches, but they need to happen - yes, fitness. Others are more complex. I am clinging like a child to having x hours of free time in my daily life. In busier weeks with little free time I notice and fear the lack of free time, buy I enjoy what I have more. In weeks with plenty of free time, which is most weeks, though i'm long since incapable of boredom, I feel I must start using this time for something positive, and stop succumbing to some of the time sinks I currently involve myself with.
Some scoff at people's insistence on using the cusp of a new year as a trigger for self-improvement. I ask this - is it really a bad thing that the majority of people have a personal trigger that forces them to think about who and what they are with some regularity? If so, please explain why?
Looking forward to:
- Moving to the West Midlands some time early next year. I badly need a change of scene.
- Hopefully getting involved in an interesting project at work.
- Getting a new acoustic guitar and improving further.
- Seeing some people that i'm starting to lose touch with more often - very important.
- Many other things, but that's fine for now.
Happy New Year to anybody that hit this clicking on "Random Blog", plus anybody that might actually have taken an interest! May all your dreams come true in 2008 :) Too cheesy? No.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Monday, December 17, 2007
Virgin Media Continues to Fail
Tonight as of 9:30 I can’t access the Internet via Virgin Media. My cable modem is steadily blinking. On these devices any other blinking or strobing is fine. Only when it’s steady is something wrong. Something is definitely wrong tonight.
There are five numbers listed on the back of the Virgin Media bill that might lead to some resolution. I calmly started dialing, using incidentally, my Virgin Media telephone line.
Customer care, 150, gives a long unbroken beep.
Faults, 151 gives “it has not been possible to connect your call”.
Externally, 0845 454 1111, “we’re having some technical difficulties right now… if you need some help in a hurry, you can visit our website". Can I really?
The service status line, 0800 561 0061, same message as 151.
The expensive broadband support line, 0906 CHICHING, “I’m sorry this number is not in service”
I was absolutely convinced I must have been barred from calling out, but no, my own mobile phone buzzed agreeably when I dialed *that* number.
So, I have no broadband connection, the faults and status lines says the situation is impossible, the external line is having technical difficulties and as it has done so often in the past, asked me to visit a web site that I obviously have no chance of accessing, and even the cash gouging 25p/minute broadband support line that I repeat I will “ONLY EVER NEED TO CALL IF THEY FUCK THINGS UP”, aka tonight, is allegedly out of service.
If I didn’t know better I’d think something terrible had happened at Virgin Media tonight. Part of me hopes so. May I congratulate them though on perhaps the longest streak yet of unbroken connectivity, not so much because I mind losing access on the odd occasion for an hour or two if maintenance necessitates it, more because I haven’t had to attempt to get in touch with them for such a long time, which has always been, remains to be, and I have no doubt will always be a move that leads to the very worst customer service experience around.
Branson seems to have long since abandoned any interest in maintaining an air of positivity around the Virgin brand. Buying shit businesses like NTL and doing nothing whatsoever to improve them is clear evidence of this. Isn't he circling Northern Rock as we speak?
Oh and by the way, it came back about an hour later. If I could be bothered i'd try the phone numbers again to see if they came back, but i'd imagine the only person less interested in that than me right now is you.
There are five numbers listed on the back of the Virgin Media bill that might lead to some resolution. I calmly started dialing, using incidentally, my Virgin Media telephone line.
Customer care, 150, gives a long unbroken beep.
Faults, 151 gives “it has not been possible to connect your call”.
Externally, 0845 454 1111, “we’re having some technical difficulties right now… if you need some help in a hurry, you can visit our website". Can I really?
The service status line, 0800 561 0061, same message as 151.
The expensive broadband support line, 0906 CHICHING, “I’m sorry this number is not in service”
I was absolutely convinced I must have been barred from calling out, but no, my own mobile phone buzzed agreeably when I dialed *that* number.
So, I have no broadband connection, the faults and status lines says the situation is impossible, the external line is having technical difficulties and as it has done so often in the past, asked me to visit a web site that I obviously have no chance of accessing, and even the cash gouging 25p/minute broadband support line that I repeat I will “ONLY EVER NEED TO CALL IF THEY FUCK THINGS UP”, aka tonight, is allegedly out of service.
If I didn’t know better I’d think something terrible had happened at Virgin Media tonight. Part of me hopes so. May I congratulate them though on perhaps the longest streak yet of unbroken connectivity, not so much because I mind losing access on the odd occasion for an hour or two if maintenance necessitates it, more because I haven’t had to attempt to get in touch with them for such a long time, which has always been, remains to be, and I have no doubt will always be a move that leads to the very worst customer service experience around.
Branson seems to have long since abandoned any interest in maintaining an air of positivity around the Virgin brand. Buying shit businesses like NTL and doing nothing whatsoever to improve them is clear evidence of this. Isn't he circling Northern Rock as we speak?
Oh and by the way, it came back about an hour later. If I could be bothered i'd try the phone numbers again to see if they came back, but i'd imagine the only person less interested in that than me right now is you.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Almost Famous
I've just finished watching Almost Famous for only the second time, around seven years after I first saw it. I regret waiting this long. This film takes position high on a list of films that must be used to regain perspective.
I wish I could bottle the feelings this film gives me. Exactly what the feelings are isn't important. The film makes me realise how easily we build tolerance to our most intense emotions. For some reason, arguably no reason, we strive to achieve the numbness of everyday life - neither high nor low. This film makes me wonder why i'd choose to spend a single day of my life not experiencing one or the other.
A film that can make me appreciate the best and worst of life in equal measure - that's an achievement.
I wish I could bottle the feelings this film gives me. Exactly what the feelings are isn't important. The film makes me realise how easily we build tolerance to our most intense emotions. For some reason, arguably no reason, we strive to achieve the numbness of everyday life - neither high nor low. This film makes me wonder why i'd choose to spend a single day of my life not experiencing one or the other.
A film that can make me appreciate the best and worst of life in equal measure - that's an achievement.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Leicester Specific Post - The Fan Club Expands, 'Traz Buried
This post is probably less relevant to anybody reading than any other post. Alternatively, you found it specifically and its very relevant. Either way...
Tonight I went to The Fan Club in Leicester. Opening night of its new 3 room's. I knew nothing of what they'd done, but it didn't take a genius to work out it probably involved knocking through to what we once knew as Sector 5, Alcatraz or Oxygen. To be honest, I only knew it as Oxygen, and briefly as Alcatraz on its second failed attempt under that name. That's because i'm younger than some that remember the other names. It doesn't mean any less to me.
Initial excitement that a club I have favoured in the past was growing lasted only a short time. Fan Club is still a reasonable club, but its new rooms remind me of places I don't tend to enjoy. Lounge furniture, carpets etc.
This is not the worst part. I have seen the dingy long room that I once called home with the cage and the stage transformed into an admittedly more expensive room with cream couches, intense spotlights and curtains on the bar back wall.
For some reason, this gets to me. Probably because my nostalgic mind believed that the place would once again lie dormant and eventually rise again as a familiar rock club. The Fan Club's acquisition of "next door" effectively puts 'traz in the ground forever. There is no way any right minded person would ever undo the work that has been done to make the place what it is now. I don't hate it, but time I spend in it just reminds me of time I spent enjoying the best nights of my young life, when it looked very different, and played very different music.
'traz was raw. Fan Club, believe it or not, was also fairly raw. The new Fan Club extension is far from raw. It's exactly what you would expect of a company extending a club in 2007, and for some reason I didn't expect it at all. For some strange reason, I expected Alien Concepts to attempt to capitalise on the old place's vibe. I'm not sure why, given that last time it was open as the old place it failed dismally. I have little doubt that the next step will be to close the original room for a few weeks and bring it up to lounge spec, after which 'traz will remain dead, and Fan Club will also be a completely different place, which means something too, but much less.
Am I living in the past? No. I'm just spending a night there and writing about it. Day to day this doesn't matter at all. Most people that cared about 'traz moved on 2-3 years ago. I just hope that they look back with fond memories to the only place they've ever visited where they never felt remotely out of place, and never once felt an air of judgment. It was the happiest and most easy going of places. This was the magic of 'traz, and i've never found a place like it since it disappeared.
Drunken rant over. If anybody reads this and feels similar, leave a comment. I'd love to know if i'm alone on this.
Tonight I went to The Fan Club in Leicester. Opening night of its new 3 room's. I knew nothing of what they'd done, but it didn't take a genius to work out it probably involved knocking through to what we once knew as Sector 5, Alcatraz or Oxygen. To be honest, I only knew it as Oxygen, and briefly as Alcatraz on its second failed attempt under that name. That's because i'm younger than some that remember the other names. It doesn't mean any less to me.
Initial excitement that a club I have favoured in the past was growing lasted only a short time. Fan Club is still a reasonable club, but its new rooms remind me of places I don't tend to enjoy. Lounge furniture, carpets etc.
This is not the worst part. I have seen the dingy long room that I once called home with the cage and the stage transformed into an admittedly more expensive room with cream couches, intense spotlights and curtains on the bar back wall.
For some reason, this gets to me. Probably because my nostalgic mind believed that the place would once again lie dormant and eventually rise again as a familiar rock club. The Fan Club's acquisition of "next door" effectively puts 'traz in the ground forever. There is no way any right minded person would ever undo the work that has been done to make the place what it is now. I don't hate it, but time I spend in it just reminds me of time I spent enjoying the best nights of my young life, when it looked very different, and played very different music.
'traz was raw. Fan Club, believe it or not, was also fairly raw. The new Fan Club extension is far from raw. It's exactly what you would expect of a company extending a club in 2007, and for some reason I didn't expect it at all. For some strange reason, I expected Alien Concepts to attempt to capitalise on the old place's vibe. I'm not sure why, given that last time it was open as the old place it failed dismally. I have little doubt that the next step will be to close the original room for a few weeks and bring it up to lounge spec, after which 'traz will remain dead, and Fan Club will also be a completely different place, which means something too, but much less.
Am I living in the past? No. I'm just spending a night there and writing about it. Day to day this doesn't matter at all. Most people that cared about 'traz moved on 2-3 years ago. I just hope that they look back with fond memories to the only place they've ever visited where they never felt remotely out of place, and never once felt an air of judgment. It was the happiest and most easy going of places. This was the magic of 'traz, and i've never found a place like it since it disappeared.
Drunken rant over. If anybody reads this and feels similar, leave a comment. I'd love to know if i'm alone on this.
Thursday, December 06, 2007
Friendly FUCKING Poker
I play Poker on Facebook quite a bit. I don't expect to do this forever, but for now at least, I do it. Think of it as no worse a waste of time than Call of Duty, Halo, Guitar Hero etc. I doubt the behavior i'm about to describe is specific to Facebook, and i'm tired of writing that word anyway, so just assume we're talking about any fake monkey.. ur money game with a mix of people who have some idea and people who have none.
Now, this has a huge serving of sour grapes piled alongside a point, but what is this bullshit ubiquitous obsession these friendly fake monkey poker players have of congratulating the most ridiculous luck as "nice hand"?
You call my last ditch push with AQ suited with K5 off suit and about half of your stack. I score no ace or queen; you score the king on the river. You did not play a nice hand! It's spoken to you as if I was bluffing and you called me - beat the bluffer - it's just not accurate! The odds were very much in my favour. This was a lucky hand for you, not a well played hand, not a nice hand.
I lost fair and square. Naturally the best hand preflop won't always be the best hand after the river. Take my chips, be happy, feel lucky but do NOT discuss the hand with the "nice hand" idiot telling them "i was a little nervous" as if you made a sensible well thought out call. If you claim to be calling a bluff, you failed - it wasn't a bluff. You just happened to win anyway. Fuck you.
I really hope I never succumb to losing real money to this game.
Now, this has a huge serving of sour grapes piled alongside a point, but what is this bullshit ubiquitous obsession these friendly fake monkey poker players have of congratulating the most ridiculous luck as "nice hand"?
You call my last ditch push with AQ suited with K5 off suit and about half of your stack. I score no ace or queen; you score the king on the river. You did not play a nice hand! It's spoken to you as if I was bluffing and you called me - beat the bluffer - it's just not accurate! The odds were very much in my favour. This was a lucky hand for you, not a well played hand, not a nice hand.
I lost fair and square. Naturally the best hand preflop won't always be the best hand after the river. Take my chips, be happy, feel lucky but do NOT discuss the hand with the "nice hand" idiot telling them "i was a little nervous" as if you made a sensible well thought out call. If you claim to be calling a bluff, you failed - it wasn't a bluff. You just happened to win anyway. Fuck you.
I really hope I never succumb to losing real money to this game.
Saturday, December 01, 2007
Futurama: Bender's Big Score
After learning this morning that the region 2 release of the new Futurama DVD movie was indefinite, yadda yadda, you know the rest.
This was brilliant. I can't understand why i'm not seeing rave reviews. That said, I tend to be easily pleased, and don't consider this a bad thing - just means I see more good in everything.
Futurama starved for several years I would have been happy with just about anything, but this seemed very well put together. I've seen others say that past characters were over-used. I felt that only perhaps on Santa's second appearance, but it didn't upset me!
I'm a sucker for anything involving paradoxy time travel, and perhaps that's why I liked this so much. I'm not saying it's better than all past episodes, and I do think they might have trouble as TV episodes. The story is very complicated in places and I don't think anything shown on Comedy Central is going to make sense to a dip-in dip-out viewer. WHO CARES? Not me.
One statement - anybody surprised by the "reveal" in the last five minutes probably doesn't appreciate the show. I really hope the writing/drawing was intentionally such that it was clear throughout.
One question. Can I really deepen my voice by inhaling smoke? I've always though my voice was too high..
This was brilliant. I can't understand why i'm not seeing rave reviews. That said, I tend to be easily pleased, and don't consider this a bad thing - just means I see more good in everything.
Futurama starved for several years I would have been happy with just about anything, but this seemed very well put together. I've seen others say that past characters were over-used. I felt that only perhaps on Santa's second appearance, but it didn't upset me!
I'm a sucker for anything involving paradoxy time travel, and perhaps that's why I liked this so much. I'm not saying it's better than all past episodes, and I do think they might have trouble as TV episodes. The story is very complicated in places and I don't think anything shown on Comedy Central is going to make sense to a dip-in dip-out viewer. WHO CARES? Not me.
One statement - anybody surprised by the "reveal" in the last five minutes probably doesn't appreciate the show. I really hope the writing/drawing was intentionally such that it was clear throughout.
One question. Can I really deepen my voice by inhaling smoke? I've always though my voice was too high..
The REAL Facebook Privacy Issue
Finally I read a post that actually nails the Facebook Beacon privacy issue.
Yes, FB publishing items in news feeds on an opt-out basis was something to worry about, but few seem interested that the companies they're buying from are sharing their sales data about us with Facebook. This post pretty much confirms that even with the opt-out available, the data has already been sent to FB - they're just suppressing it once they have it.
http://community.ca.com/blogs/securityadvisor/archive/2007/11/29/facebook-s-misrepresentation-of-beacon-s-threat-to-privacy-tracking-users-who-opt-out-or-are-not-logged-in.aspx
So remember, you're opting out of showing your friends what you bought, but FB still knows. I think at this point, I blame the vendors. Facebook just provide the tool of evil.
Yes, FB publishing items in news feeds on an opt-out basis was something to worry about, but few seem interested that the companies they're buying from are sharing their sales data about us with Facebook. This post pretty much confirms that even with the opt-out available, the data has already been sent to FB - they're just suppressing it once they have it.
http://community.ca.com/blogs/securityadvisor/archive/2007/11/29/facebook-s-misrepresentation-of-beacon-s-threat-to-privacy-tracking-users-who-opt-out-or-are-not-logged-in.aspx
So remember, you're opting out of showing your friends what you bought, but FB still knows. I think at this point, I blame the vendors. Facebook just provide the tool of evil.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
I love Maemo!
I have just flashed my Nokia N800 with the OS2008 Beta.
I wish to install Kagu..
To install Kagu I need to install Python.
To install Python I need to use apt-get.
To use apt-get I need to gain root.
To gain root I need to enable R&D mode.
To enable R&D mode I need to use flasher.
To use flasher I need to boot my PC using Ubuntu Live CD
There isn't actually anything above that if I can't do if I put my mind to it, but I figure i'm 6 nested steps into what I want to achieve now, and if i've hit 6, the odds of the next step taking me down to 5 rather than 7 seem low.
Unlike many of my posts, this isn't actually a complaint. OS2008 is so damn swift its impossible to be upset. Rarely do OS updates provide a faster platform. There is little question everything will be fixed - it's a beta. If I want these things now I have to work a little harder.
[lapse]
Okay now i've taken a few minutes away I have renewed enthusiasm. Might just spend a few more minutes seeing if there's another way to get Python in. That would make the whole thing so much easier. Wish me luck or call me a retard for taking the wrong approach, but please, if you do that, at least pick me up and put me back on the right path.
I wish to install Kagu..
To install Kagu I need to install Python.
To install Python I need to use apt-get.
To use apt-get I need to gain root.
To gain root I need to enable R&D mode.
To enable R&D mode I need to use flasher.
To use flasher I need to boot my PC using Ubuntu Live CD
There isn't actually anything above that if I can't do if I put my mind to it, but I figure i'm 6 nested steps into what I want to achieve now, and if i've hit 6, the odds of the next step taking me down to 5 rather than 7 seem low.
Unlike many of my posts, this isn't actually a complaint. OS2008 is so damn swift its impossible to be upset. Rarely do OS updates provide a faster platform. There is little question everything will be fixed - it's a beta. If I want these things now I have to work a little harder.
[lapse]
Okay now i've taken a few minutes away I have renewed enthusiasm. Might just spend a few more minutes seeing if there's another way to get Python in. That would make the whole thing so much easier. Wish me luck or call me a retard for taking the wrong approach, but please, if you do that, at least pick me up and put me back on the right path.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Musing on a Sunday Evening
ebay powersellers - why do you never write in good English?
facebook - do you really think you have longevity?
facebook poker - why do you add new features and not fix minor interface problems?
kagu - i like you. I don't know why. you're not that intuitive and you don't find much album art..
canola - i still like you. you find lots of album art.
os2008 - i await your release, only to be sure i'll not install you until canola works with you.
google reader - you're great now, but i'd like a universal undo button for mark as read please.
virgin media cable - you've been working ok for a while now, but i still hate you with a passion.
blockbuster - i stayed with you a little longer for a 1 month 50% discount. This isn't over yet!
netbeans - you crank java.exe to over 100MB, but you still seem cool.
excel vba - i'm so sick of coding this for my living.
coding - i'm pretty sick of you altogether.
me - i'm ok. I'll be 27 next weekend.. Still no clearer.
facebook - do you really think you have longevity?
facebook poker - why do you add new features and not fix minor interface problems?
kagu - i like you. I don't know why. you're not that intuitive and you don't find much album art..
canola - i still like you. you find lots of album art.
os2008 - i await your release, only to be sure i'll not install you until canola works with you.
google reader - you're great now, but i'd like a universal undo button for mark as read please.
virgin media cable - you've been working ok for a while now, but i still hate you with a passion.
blockbuster - i stayed with you a little longer for a 1 month 50% discount. This isn't over yet!
netbeans - you crank java.exe to over 100MB, but you still seem cool.
excel vba - i'm so sick of coding this for my living.
coding - i'm pretty sick of you altogether.
me - i'm ok. I'll be 27 next weekend.. Still no clearer.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
SPAMBook
Today I ask one question:
Why don't more people take issue with the Facebook application invitation model?
I noticed recently that some of these applications insist upon me annoying other people with invitations if I wish to "play". This necessity marries with an attitude in a post I read a while back from a FB app developer giving FB a hard time for forcing invites to be issued X at a time, accusing FB of ruining opportunities for app developers. Perhaps giving with one hand, taking with another would be more accurate, but either way, well within FBs rights, and a partial move in the right direction to avoid some of this invite spam.
The typical scenario today:
My real-world contacts are invited by another to try an application. They accept where I would normally choose not to, and are presented with a random list of a number of their friends, all ticked off. The implication - "annoy this person with an invite for this application that I haven't even used yet".
It doesn't in many cases represent any real intent on the part of my friend - they just want to get on with it, and apathetically or ignorantly let the invites go. Ping - another row in my right-side bar. Doc searls illustrates this today whilst making what I assume is a smarter point below his image.
In my ideal Facebook application, hopefully enforced by some Facebook terms and conditions on the application provider, here is what I want:
Friend has invited you to try this application. Click here to try..Click.. Application actually appears and I can use it, evaluate it, etc. If at any time I want to invite people, give me an option to do so, and if you wish even push the issue when I exit, but not with a pre-ticked list of friends. I want a friend browser complete with search and network filter, with "Invite" buttons alongside (imagine Blockbuster's online rental service, replacing DVDs with friends). That way I can locate the people I actually think might enjoy the application, I won't annoy people through apathy or ignorance, and best of all, if i'm really lucky, i'd never receive the initial invite, because in 95% of cases, I have no interest in these stupid applications anyway.
That would be more akin to the Facebook I liked enough to check regularly pre-applications, as opposed to the Facebook of today. It used to be a powerful communication/information tool. Those existing features have been hidden behind this application SPAM. Enough.
Why don't more people take issue with the Facebook application invitation model?
I noticed recently that some of these applications insist upon me annoying other people with invitations if I wish to "play". This necessity marries with an attitude in a post I read a while back from a FB app developer giving FB a hard time for forcing invites to be issued X at a time, accusing FB of ruining opportunities for app developers. Perhaps giving with one hand, taking with another would be more accurate, but either way, well within FBs rights, and a partial move in the right direction to avoid some of this invite spam.
The typical scenario today:
My real-world contacts are invited by another to try an application. They accept where I would normally choose not to, and are presented with a random list of a number of their friends, all ticked off. The implication - "annoy this person with an invite for this application that I haven't even used yet".
It doesn't in many cases represent any real intent on the part of my friend - they just want to get on with it, and apathetically or ignorantly let the invites go. Ping - another row in my right-side bar. Doc searls illustrates this today whilst making what I assume is a smarter point below his image.
In my ideal Facebook application, hopefully enforced by some Facebook terms and conditions on the application provider, here is what I want:
Friend has invited you to try this application. Click here to try..Click.. Application actually appears and I can use it, evaluate it, etc. If at any time I want to invite people, give me an option to do so, and if you wish even push the issue when I exit, but not with a pre-ticked list of friends. I want a friend browser complete with search and network filter, with "Invite" buttons alongside (imagine Blockbuster's online rental service, replacing DVDs with friends). That way I can locate the people I actually think might enjoy the application, I won't annoy people through apathy or ignorance, and best of all, if i'm really lucky, i'd never receive the initial invite, because in 95% of cases, I have no interest in these stupid applications anyway.
That would be more akin to the Facebook I liked enough to check regularly pre-applications, as opposed to the Facebook of today. It used to be a powerful communication/information tool. Those existing features have been hidden behind this application SPAM. Enough.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Week
This has been sat in my drafts folder since late August. Can't see why I didn't post it - it remains apt:
Happy Saturday afternoon anybody!
Have I just had a week off work? You'd better believe it.
Did I enjoy it? Naturally.
Am I sunburnt? Unfortunately.
I spend my normal weekdays thinking through automation problems and coding VBA. I managed to hold off a single thought of VBA until after 9pm on Thursday night. I guess I don't love my job. That said, I never claimed to.
Happy Saturday afternoon anybody!
Have I just had a week off work? You'd better believe it.
Did I enjoy it? Naturally.
Am I sunburnt? Unfortunately.
I spend my normal weekdays thinking through automation problems and coding VBA. I managed to hold off a single thought of VBA until after 9pm on Thursday night. I guess I don't love my job. That said, I never claimed to.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Takamine G Series (2005-2007) Goodbye my Friend.
Since I bought my acoustic guitar I have been standing it freely on its end. This is often possible and it has always balanced well.
Well meaning friends have warned me, as if i'm stupid (and as you can see I am!), that it might be better to store it more securely. I smugly stated that it was great to be able to stand it up this easily, and it never fell over.
When I got a stand for my electric I almost double-ordered to have one for the acoustic, but I didn't.
When I was asked by Endsleigh if I wanted accidental damage cover in my home insurance, I skimped and said no.
When I could have gone to town to look for an SD card reader to work on resolving my Nokia N800 SD card corruption problems, I instead sat at home and played Rancid's "The 11th Hour".
Today, at approx 3pm, and at this point hardly needs to be made after all the foreshadowing, I stood my guitar not quite upright enough, and it fell and landed on its face. Crack!
I can't believe that a song so ill fitting to an acoustic guitar ended up being the last thing I ever played on my Takamine EG510SC. The music shop said repair isn't worth it when factoring in no future resale value once repaired, but they're convinced that my insurance should cover it. I nodded along (over the phone - i am working on my communication issues) depressed knowing that it wasn't going to pan out this way, and Endsleigh confirmed it was minutes later.
I'm gonna miss this guitar. It is without a doubt the guitar i've spent the most time playing since I started.
The lesson for me today is start listening to other people about so many things.
The lesson for you today - If you see your guitar falling on to its front... dive. Save it. If you incur a sprain or huge bruise, it will be worth it. I'd happily accept a punch in the face to have been able to stop this from happening. On a related topic, if anybody wants to pay me about £350 to punch me in the face, i'll consider it - please leave a comment.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Can I actively encourage consumers to avoid PC World?
20 minutes ago I was angry, but I'm over it now.
You'll recall me debating whether to buy a Nokia N800. Having now decided to do so, I was happy to discover that PC World now stock it. That was my mistake, and i'm over that too.
You see, having steered clear of PC World's high prices on anything that isn't an actual PC over the past ten years or so, i'd forgotten about the incompetence and lack of customer focus (that I feel I received today - just in case). In my post I refer to three main players:
1) Guy working in Fosse Park Leicester store on Sunday who said the display model would be working if I came back tomorrow. This guy isn't important, but he did kick the whole thing off by implying the same thing that eventually caused the mess.
2) Guy working in Fosse Park Leicester store on Monday who told me that I could get the item at the web price in any store, but it was out of stock there, in stock across town.
3) The manager of the St Georges Leicester store on Monday who didn't even consider making any kind of exception for me following no 2's mistake that caused me a wasted 5 mile trip across town in the rush hour.
I'll forgive the tech desk girl because she just had to handle the mess made by no.2, although if she saw me on fire I'd not expect much, and she shrugged off corporate responsibility faster than you could utter "that's the Fosse Park store" as if it excused anything. Note to big company - if you trade under one large brand, act like it. If your sister store across town makes a stupid mistake, at very least apologise. That's called damage control, and can if well exercised lead to customer retention.
The policy that screwed my retail experience sort of makes sense. If stock less than three, no web reserve. No web reserve, no web price. This is going to work better for some products than others, and it's only going to hurt them where the N800 is concerned, but this isn't my problem or what annoyed me. What did is that no. 2 was well aware of the stock level at St Georges, well aware that I was looking for the web price, and I would assume he knew that I wasn't going to be able to get it in line with their policy, yet he gave me no indication that I wouldn't be able to buy at the web price across town, as turned out to be the case.
Across town, the manager didn't manage anything where I was concerned, but its hard to know whether he had any power to. I suspect the manager of a PC World at 6:30pm might not be that high on the food chain. Perhaps they're warned not to make any decisions.
Note to big company #2 - Half an hour ago you almost sold a product currently in low demand and potentially warmed up a fairly apathetic customer (that may eventually also want to buy a mid-range laptop) for doing anything as half decent as stocking a rare product in the first place. For the sake of £30 / inability to delegate customer relations to store managers / inability to train staff on policy (delete as appropriate) you soured me beyond any hope of return to your entire chain, and you won't be selling me an N800 on any other day regardless of stock or price.
My only regret - trying to leave via the store entrance. That looked pretty stupid, but I still have my money. Somebody else, probably Misco, will get that. PC World, you get nothing, you lose, good day sir!
You'll recall me debating whether to buy a Nokia N800. Having now decided to do so, I was happy to discover that PC World now stock it. That was my mistake, and i'm over that too.
You see, having steered clear of PC World's high prices on anything that isn't an actual PC over the past ten years or so, i'd forgotten about the incompetence and lack of customer focus (that I feel I received today - just in case). In my post I refer to three main players:
1) Guy working in Fosse Park Leicester store on Sunday who said the display model would be working if I came back tomorrow. This guy isn't important, but he did kick the whole thing off by implying the same thing that eventually caused the mess.
2) Guy working in Fosse Park Leicester store on Monday who told me that I could get the item at the web price in any store, but it was out of stock there, in stock across town.
3) The manager of the St Georges Leicester store on Monday who didn't even consider making any kind of exception for me following no 2's mistake that caused me a wasted 5 mile trip across town in the rush hour.
I'll forgive the tech desk girl because she just had to handle the mess made by no.2, although if she saw me on fire I'd not expect much, and she shrugged off corporate responsibility faster than you could utter "that's the Fosse Park store" as if it excused anything. Note to big company - if you trade under one large brand, act like it. If your sister store across town makes a stupid mistake, at very least apologise. That's called damage control, and can if well exercised lead to customer retention.
The policy that screwed my retail experience sort of makes sense. If stock less than three, no web reserve. No web reserve, no web price. This is going to work better for some products than others, and it's only going to hurt them where the N800 is concerned, but this isn't my problem or what annoyed me. What did is that no. 2 was well aware of the stock level at St Georges, well aware that I was looking for the web price, and I would assume he knew that I wasn't going to be able to get it in line with their policy, yet he gave me no indication that I wouldn't be able to buy at the web price across town, as turned out to be the case.
Across town, the manager didn't manage anything where I was concerned, but its hard to know whether he had any power to. I suspect the manager of a PC World at 6:30pm might not be that high on the food chain. Perhaps they're warned not to make any decisions.
Note to big company #2 - Half an hour ago you almost sold a product currently in low demand and potentially warmed up a fairly apathetic customer (that may eventually also want to buy a mid-range laptop) for doing anything as half decent as stocking a rare product in the first place. For the sake of £30 / inability to delegate customer relations to store managers / inability to train staff on policy (delete as appropriate) you soured me beyond any hope of return to your entire chain, and you won't be selling me an N800 on any other day regardless of stock or price.
My only regret - trying to leave via the store entrance. That looked pretty stupid, but I still have my money. Somebody else, probably Misco, will get that. PC World, you get nothing, you lose, good day sir!
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Facebook - The Tide is Turning
This weekend, Calacanis and Scoble are dualing on what boils down to a "Fad or the Future" debate. Both continue to write on the topic ignoring the very real fact that the majority of users of the service don't have anything like the same experience as theirs, by virtue of most of us not being Internet famous.
I'm falling on the "Fad" side. Far from an early adopter, I've been using Facebook for just a few months, but it has changed beyond recognition in that time. Signal to noise is definitely becoming annoyingly skewed, and it's due to these new applications!
Let's for brevity ignore so many applications being valueless, and that these tend to be the type that even mostly well-meaning people choose to propagate. In fact, let's not ignore that. People are happy to send Zombie invites to masses of people - it's harmless fun. They actually seem less willing to invite friends to well thought out and dare I say, useful applications, perhaps for fear of being geek-labeled?
Back to the point. I'm invited into these pockets of activity with little idea of what to expect from them. Today I agreed to a quick quiz that a friend had invited me to take. After the quiz, the normal "who to invite" screen appeared. After deselecting-all (which should really be a one-click operation, or better yet the default), the experience ends with one more button offering to assist me with inviting more friends, and that, as they say, is it. I have absolutely no idea what I gained from taking this quiz. Had I known I wouldn't even get some kind of analysis, I wouldn't have bothered. Waste of my time!
Not long ago it appeared that Facebook may end up being ruined by a ramping up of the ad. model, but before this has even become an issue it's being ruined by these applications. The only intent of many of these applications appears to be to spread virally, gain a large userbase, then perhaps then try to find a quick way to make some money on each user.
It's boring, it's transparent (the bad kind) and it's getting in the way of the presentation of the interesting data about people I know. Today, what I assume is Facebook themselves are polling users on the usefulness of the invite process for the applications. At the time of voting, the "No's" have it. What they choose to do with this information might be interesting, and hopefully piss off the whining application spawners who feel entitled (wrongly) to their viral marketing tool that is Facebook.
I'm falling on the "Fad" side. Far from an early adopter, I've been using Facebook for just a few months, but it has changed beyond recognition in that time. Signal to noise is definitely becoming annoyingly skewed, and it's due to these new applications!
Let's for brevity ignore so many applications being valueless, and that these tend to be the type that even mostly well-meaning people choose to propagate. In fact, let's not ignore that. People are happy to send Zombie invites to masses of people - it's harmless fun. They actually seem less willing to invite friends to well thought out and dare I say, useful applications, perhaps for fear of being geek-labeled?
Back to the point. I'm invited into these pockets of activity with little idea of what to expect from them. Today I agreed to a quick quiz that a friend had invited me to take. After the quiz, the normal "who to invite" screen appeared. After deselecting-all (which should really be a one-click operation, or better yet the default), the experience ends with one more button offering to assist me with inviting more friends, and that, as they say, is it. I have absolutely no idea what I gained from taking this quiz. Had I known I wouldn't even get some kind of analysis, I wouldn't have bothered. Waste of my time!
Not long ago it appeared that Facebook may end up being ruined by a ramping up of the ad. model, but before this has even become an issue it's being ruined by these applications. The only intent of many of these applications appears to be to spread virally, gain a large userbase, then perhaps then try to find a quick way to make some money on each user.
It's boring, it's transparent (the bad kind) and it's getting in the way of the presentation of the interesting data about people I know. Today, what I assume is Facebook themselves are polling users on the usefulness of the invite process for the applications. At the time of voting, the "No's" have it. What they choose to do with this information might be interesting, and hopefully piss off the whining application spawners who feel entitled (wrongly) to their viral marketing tool that is Facebook.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
(Not A) Simpsons Movie Review
No review here - I haven't got out to see it yet, but felt I might see what the media was making of it. Everyones favorite search engine returns Channel 4's page as top hit tonight (that said, it crawls so quickly now who knows what will be top tomorrow). I link to this only to make my point - how by anyone's definition is this a review???
I fail to remember the last time Channel 4 managed to impress me in any way. Pathetic, for what was once just about the only channel I ever watched.
Richard Luck - "Review" has a very specific meaning, and I think you know this. I see no evidence in this article that you've even seen the film.
I think I'll stop looking and reserve judgment until I've seen the film at this point. I'm in the fortunate position unlike most long-time Simpsons fans of still enjoying at least some of the new shows, so the prospect of this doesn't fill me with the dread many would say it should.
Not my most coherant post.. To summarise, Channel 4 a shadow of former self, Channel 4 website incorrectly labels articles scraped together from minor interviews as review, and I need to see this movie.
I fail to remember the last time Channel 4 managed to impress me in any way. Pathetic, for what was once just about the only channel I ever watched.
Richard Luck - "Review" has a very specific meaning, and I think you know this. I see no evidence in this article that you've even seen the film.
I think I'll stop looking and reserve judgment until I've seen the film at this point. I'm in the fortunate position unlike most long-time Simpsons fans of still enjoying at least some of the new shows, so the prospect of this doesn't fill me with the dread many would say it should.
Not my most coherant post.. To summarise, Channel 4 a shadow of former self, Channel 4 website incorrectly labels articles scraped together from minor interviews as review, and I need to see this movie.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Facebook - World Collide
Does anybody else find themselves double taking every time they check their Facebook feed and see two friends from unrelated portions of their life listed as if jointly partaking in an event, such as
"Elaine Keene and May Brussels added the My Aquarium application."
It always briefly flashes through my mind before I fully read it that somehow these people that have never met have embarked upon some kind of a relationship. Of course, that would perhaps be one of the key purposes of networks such as these, but in my circles at least, it doesn't ever seem to happen for real.. just for that split second in my mind.
"Elaine Keene and May Brussels added the My Aquarium application."
It always briefly flashes through my mind before I fully read it that somehow these people that have never met have embarked upon some kind of a relationship. Of course, that would perhaps be one of the key purposes of networks such as these, but in my circles at least, it doesn't ever seem to happen for real.. just for that split second in my mind.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Migrating to Google Apps
So, on learning that Google's "Apps for your Domain" (GAFYD) is actually free (as in beer) up to a point, I decided to give it a go. The reason - gradually breaking free (as in.. oh never mind) of my lock-in to Virgin Media (ntlworld), having held an email address with them for five years in the face of their never-ending bullshit. They just last month sent me two emails to tell me we'll now be paying 25p a minute for broadband support calls, which naturally most of us with a clue will only ever need when they screw up.
Anyway, GAFYD..
Problems I have with this service itself are minimal - it works exactly as its supposed to. It would be nice if the whole thing could appear transparently hosted on my domain so I can avoid my works filter on the gmail.com domain, but I can see how that might be difficult for them to achieve. Some problems:
Google Reader not in the package - Some people think they're logging in using GAFYD - i'm not seeing it. Looking at the URL's for the actual Apps versions of GMail and Calendar tells me they're not the same versions. Most of the standard Google web applications simply aren't ready to accept GAFYD logins.
Working Calendar Widget for Start Page - It seems openly acknowledged that the standard calender widget doesn't show any entries. Attempts to install a newer version give the entries only if you go through the process of logging right into the calendar, defeating the point.
Working Calendar Widget for Google Desktop - I finally upgraded to a large wide LCD and decided to use the sidebar built into Desktop, but its Calendar widget only supports, yep, standard Google accounts.
EDIT: Bullshit, sorry. I later found that gadget versions of Gmail and Calendar quite happily work from the Desktop sidebar with an Apps account. Excellent!
These seem to be the kind of problems that Google gradually gets around to solving, but if anybody has any tips to get any of these problems solved more quickly, speak up!
Anyway, GAFYD..
Problems I have with this service itself are minimal - it works exactly as its supposed to. It would be nice if the whole thing could appear transparently hosted on my domain so I can avoid my works filter on the gmail.com domain, but I can see how that might be difficult for them to achieve. Some problems:
Google Reader not in the package - Some people think they're logging in using GAFYD - i'm not seeing it. Looking at the URL's for the actual Apps versions of GMail and Calendar tells me they're not the same versions. Most of the standard Google web applications simply aren't ready to accept GAFYD logins.
Working Calendar Widget for Start Page - It seems openly acknowledged that the standard calender widget doesn't show any entries. Attempts to install a newer version give the entries only if you go through the process of logging right into the calendar, defeating the point.
Working Calendar Widget for Google Desktop - I finally upgraded to a large wide LCD and decided to use the sidebar built into Desktop, but its Calendar widget only supports, yep, standard Google accounts.
EDIT: Bullshit, sorry. I later found that gadget versions of Gmail and Calendar quite happily work from the Desktop sidebar with an Apps account. Excellent!
These seem to be the kind of problems that Google gradually gets around to solving, but if anybody has any tips to get any of these problems solved more quickly, speak up!
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Facebook Ramping Up the Business Model?
Two days ago, Mark Evans said the below, in his post "Five Things That Could Kill Facebook":
1. The evolution of its business model: What many people like about Facebook is it has a clean, easy-to-access look and feel. You log in, you quickly see what’s been happening in your world, you do your thing. What happens when Facebook starts to introduce more advertising into the mix so it can start taking advantage of its billions of pageviews? Suddenly, the lean look disappears as the business model starts to move onto the scene.
Today, for the first time, I have an advertisement in my mini-feed big enough to push the majority of yesterdays actual friends updates off screen. I don't recall seeing an ad in this position before. I'd say thats 1/5, but actually i'm already on board with Mark's 3rd:
3. Application noise. For all the excitement about Facebook opening its API to the world, it’s also more noise for users. I can’t tell you how many multiple invitations I’ve got for Flixster, for example. It’s already getting annoying. This is an issue Fred Wilson focused on.
So far one of the more irritating in this category are applications that tease with statements of "Person X has asked you a question on Facebook." Clicking this link simply gives me the option to add the Question appication. I don't know what this is, and I don't want to add it, probably subjecting my contacts to "has added the Question application" and "has removed the Question application", which also adds to the noise.
Keep an eye on these guys. They could still blow this before they manage to sell it for the money they want.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Yamaha YDP-131 Digital Piano
All major purchases made over the past few years, in my life at least, have been well researched utilising a resource that the world has come to know as "The Internet". Very rarely is it that I want to know about a product and can't find a single objective review (as opposed to cut and pasted copy-written copy-writing bullets). I was sorely disappointed to find that in my quest for opinion on the object to the left, even Mahalo couldn't assist me.
So, I reach out to you here, if you're paying attention. Is the Yamaha YDP-131 something I should consider? I live in a flat so space is an issue. Rows of buttons and features don't interest me - I just want to play a piano. Others in this price range are mostly Casio models that look a little cheap. The above looks like something I could stand to have in my living room and of course, has a traditionally reputable brand. Thoughts?
Help me out here!
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
The Sopranos
I've never watched an episode of the Sopranos.
Two to three years ago, it seemed everybody was talking about the end of the Sopranos. When it sprung to mind next, I assumed it must have ended. Then suddenly earlier this year, everybody is talking about the end of the Sopranos. A few more weeks and that's the last we'll hear of the Sopranos, I thought. Months later, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that for the last few days, everybody has been talking about the end of the Sopranos.
Maybe I should watch the Sopranos. That is all.
Two to three years ago, it seemed everybody was talking about the end of the Sopranos. When it sprung to mind next, I assumed it must have ended. Then suddenly earlier this year, everybody is talking about the end of the Sopranos. A few more weeks and that's the last we'll hear of the Sopranos, I thought. Months later, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that for the last few days, everybody has been talking about the end of the Sopranos.
Maybe I should watch the Sopranos. That is all.
Monday, June 04, 2007
Orange Customer Service - VERY Disjointed
I've just had a painful encounter with Orange (Pay as you Go).
Saturday night my phone drops below 99p and I receive a text telling me to reply with last 4 digits of nominated card, amount and security code. Thinking "cool new quick way of doing it" I complied, and spent the next 30 mins worried that i'd been scammed.
Concluding that it's unlikely anyone other than Orange would know my account balance or the rest of my card details to actually make a transaction, I calmed down as Customer services (3rd attempt, first two offshore or onshore were completely useless) told me it was an Orange service, but didn't necessarily go through immediately. By today, Monday my phone balance hadn't changed, and on checking my bank account, the money was indeed gone.
Calling back to get help with this was like an NTL flashback. The first (free) centre I connected to couldn't check bank data, and i'm not convinced the second (paid) centre could either. At any rate, they couldn't check it tonight - "sometimes systems have problems". Usually when I call.
I won't bore you with the rest of the details. Suffice to say, my account balance now reflects reality, though I won't try to top up in this way again, and I don't recommend anybody else does.
Bottom line, if you take MY money but don't give me MY service for MY money, DON'T YOU DARE then call crediting my account that same amount of money a GOODWILL GESTURE! It is your BARE MINIMUM RESPONSIBILITY.
PS: As I wrote the final paragraph above my plugged in Nokia silently lit up - "From Orange. Thanks for topping up. Your card has been charged [n] and your new balance is [n x 2]." Figures.
PPS: They also asked me, a domestic customer, to fax my bank statement. What year is this? If I didn't work in an office I can't begin to imagine how I would have done this (and I'm sure as hell not doing it anyway).
PPPS: (last one, promise) Orange used to answer the phone immediately, with UK based people behind the headsets. Given that Orange appears to have left it late to get into call centre offshoring, i'd have hoped they might have looked around to see what a mess it clearly creates.
Saturday night my phone drops below 99p and I receive a text telling me to reply with last 4 digits of nominated card, amount and security code. Thinking "cool new quick way of doing it" I complied, and spent the next 30 mins worried that i'd been scammed.
Concluding that it's unlikely anyone other than Orange would know my account balance or the rest of my card details to actually make a transaction, I calmed down as Customer services (3rd attempt, first two offshore or onshore were completely useless) told me it was an Orange service, but didn't necessarily go through immediately. By today, Monday my phone balance hadn't changed, and on checking my bank account, the money was indeed gone.
Calling back to get help with this was like an NTL flashback. The first (free) centre I connected to couldn't check bank data, and i'm not convinced the second (paid) centre could either. At any rate, they couldn't check it tonight - "sometimes systems have problems". Usually when I call.
I won't bore you with the rest of the details. Suffice to say, my account balance now reflects reality, though I won't try to top up in this way again, and I don't recommend anybody else does.
Bottom line, if you take MY money but don't give me MY service for MY money, DON'T YOU DARE then call crediting my account that same amount of money a GOODWILL GESTURE! It is your BARE MINIMUM RESPONSIBILITY.
PS: As I wrote the final paragraph above my plugged in Nokia silently lit up - "From Orange. Thanks for topping up. Your card has been charged [n]
PPS: They also asked me, a domestic customer, to fax my bank statement. What year is this? If I didn't work in an office I can't begin to imagine how I would have done this (and I'm sure as hell not doing it anyway).
PPPS: (last one, promise) Orange used to answer the phone immediately, with UK based people behind the headsets. Given that Orange appears to have left it late to get into call centre offshoring, i'd have hoped they might have looked around to see what a mess it clearly creates.
Sunday, June 03, 2007
www
I'm thinking of buying a digital piano. Plenty of places to look but when you want detail, if you're anything like me, you'll visit manufacturers sites.
Now, this is an annoyance - I have no problem getting round it, but I expect there are people that would fail to realise the cause of this problem...
If I type yamaha.co.uk into a browser; I get nothing.
In some ways worse than this, if I type casio.co.uk into a browser, I get their UK site front page on which every link leads to a "page not found" with the same links that have just failed to load.
The reason - Yamaha haven't realised that marketers aren't using www at the front of many web addresses anymore. Casio have realised it, tried to implement a solution and haven't bothered to test it beyond the front page.
Why risk losing custom in this way?
Now, this is an annoyance - I have no problem getting round it, but I expect there are people that would fail to realise the cause of this problem...
If I type yamaha.co.uk into a browser; I get nothing.
In some ways worse than this, if I type casio.co.uk into a browser, I get their UK site front page on which every link leads to a "page not found" with the same links that have just failed to load.
The reason - Yamaha haven't realised that marketers aren't using www at the front of many web addresses anymore. Casio have realised it, tried to implement a solution and haven't bothered to test it beyond the front page.
Why risk losing custom in this way?
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Northampton Gets Live 3D Mapped
This evening reading the TechCrunch take on Microsoft Live 3D Maps, the thought occurred that it would be a lot cooler if I could actually see somewhere I know, mapped in 3D.
Imagine my shock - Northampton (UK), my home town, amongst only 9 that are thus far available.
Glossing over why on earth anybody would choose Northampton over, say, London, Birmingham or Manchester to map, this is indeed very cool. Whilst not perfect (you do need to let your mind ignore the non-3D flatter objects), this is the most the Live brand has impressed me to date. Marvel at the Market Square. I took a glide around the corner to see if the Chronicle & Echo building had the newspaper logo on the front but I can't remember which building it is. Perhaps this is asking a little much in any case.
Another point, Live Maps seems more willing to give me up close imagery of my current Leicestershire locality. Google only manages a fairly greenish blur over most of the Midlands, as if to say "only trees and huts between the major cities, move along".
Strangely, for all practical uses, I still prefer Google. It seems snappier. About to comment on Google's platform independence I now realise that Live Maps in its 2D guise works perfectly well in Firefox, so that might not be valid.
Bottom line here, the mapping battle is a fantastic battle to watch. Is it even worth looking at any of the other contenders at this point or is it a two horse race? Hard to say if they're not all aiming for the same goal. 3D mapping and route planning both need perfecting, then combining. I'd like one of these contenders to take my start point and destination, then show me in full 3D how to get there (sped up, naturally). At this point I don't mind which contender manages it first.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
The Queen
Had a look at this Oscar related film this evening. This was not as expected.
- The first half was full of comic moments, unquestionably intentional.
- The guy playing Blair was playing Bremner playing Blair. This is a good thing.
- Charlie seemed to come off a little too well.
- 2/3 in, Mam as in Jam bombs around deserted Scottish countryside in a battered Land Rover; ends up wailing to herself knee deep in a river. How factually accurate is this?
- Jack Bauer's dad seems to be married to the Queen. Almost expected to see him chasing the Land Rover in a blacked out 4x4.
As a Brit never having paid much attention to the Royal Family I expected to be bored by this. However it struck me that somebody decided that if you can't be for someone, be against everybody. Every character, even dead Diana was painted as flawed. The point was well made.
- The first half was full of comic moments, unquestionably intentional.
- The guy playing Blair was playing Bremner playing Blair. This is a good thing.
- Charlie seemed to come off a little too well.
- 2/3 in, Mam as in Jam bombs around deserted Scottish countryside in a battered Land Rover; ends up wailing to herself knee deep in a river. How factually accurate is this?
- Jack Bauer's dad seems to be married to the Queen. Almost expected to see him chasing the Land Rover in a blacked out 4x4.
As a Brit never having paid much attention to the Royal Family I expected to be bored by this. However it struck me that somebody decided that if you can't be for someone, be against everybody. Every character, even dead Diana was painted as flawed. The point was well made.
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Google Inconsistency
This is not a standard anti-Google post. I still like Google for the moment, but one thing has been bugging me for a while now - As the google.com basic homepage evolves to become more useful, the UK version lags behind.
google.com
Its no surprise that the top line now reads Web, Images, Video, News, Maps - all very consistent with current trends, and this doesn't matter as my two favored Blog and Groups searches now appear in what amounts to handy AJAXy sub menu that actually carries the search term forward.
google.co.uk
Top line now reads Web, Images, News, Maps, Products, Groups. Perhaps we enjoy shopping more than watching videos in the UK? Nonetheless, Blog search is relegated to the "More" option, which in the behind the times UK yields a static page of many other Google services with no search term passed forward.
Bottom line, if I decide to check Blogs after a web search using the UK version, I have to type the term again or have copied it to paste it. I'd considered momentarily whether these pages might be generated on a per-user basis perhaps rendering this topic redundant, but if that does go on then its ignoring my preference - I don't recall ever clicking Maps or Video. Tell me if i'm wrong though..
The Other Google Toolbar
On to the final annoyance. The multitude of Google services have similar looking text based toolbars at the top, but they are different from App to App.
GMail gives a string of services, some personal, some not, a "my services" button equivalent to "My Account" on some other pages. Calendar is the worst, with no route back to "My Account" anywhere on the page. Beta though so I suppose I can't count it.
The "My Account" aka "my services" page is a great jump-off point. It demonstrates they can easily figure out which services I'm using, so why not just allow me direct access to them from the top of each page?
This giant has produced some of the most useful tools on the network in the past few years, and whilst I can't say I fail to see how this type of inconsistency can happen in what is now a huge company, it surprises me that it doesn't get noticed, and doesn't get fixed, given how frequently updates to these products tend to be pushed.
google.com
Its no surprise that the top line now reads Web, Images, Video, News, Maps - all very consistent with current trends, and this doesn't matter as my two favored Blog and Groups searches now appear in what amounts to handy AJAXy sub menu that actually carries the search term forward.
google.co.uk
Top line now reads Web, Images, News, Maps, Products, Groups. Perhaps we enjoy shopping more than watching videos in the UK? Nonetheless, Blog search is relegated to the "More" option, which in the behind the times UK yields a static page of many other Google services with no search term passed forward.
Bottom line, if I decide to check Blogs after a web search using the UK version, I have to type the term again or have copied it to paste it. I'd considered momentarily whether these pages might be generated on a per-user basis perhaps rendering this topic redundant, but if that does go on then its ignoring my preference - I don't recall ever clicking Maps or Video. Tell me if i'm wrong though..
The Other Google Toolbar
On to the final annoyance. The multitude of Google services have similar looking text based toolbars at the top, but they are different from App to App.
GMail gives a string of services, some personal, some not, a "my services" button equivalent to "My Account" on some other pages. Calendar is the worst, with no route back to "My Account" anywhere on the page. Beta though so I suppose I can't count it.
The "My Account" aka "my services" page is a great jump-off point. It demonstrates they can easily figure out which services I'm using, so why not just allow me direct access to them from the top of each page?
This giant has produced some of the most useful tools on the network in the past few years, and whilst I can't say I fail to see how this type of inconsistency can happen in what is now a huge company, it surprises me that it doesn't get noticed, and doesn't get fixed, given how frequently updates to these products tend to be pushed.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Change my Options will you Myspace?
Yes, apparently you will.
Earlier today Techcrunch reported a spanish language version of Myspace. I don't speak spanish. I guess I just wanted to see if it looked any different, so clicked the innocent looking link. Bored seconds later it was closed and forgotten. Two hours later I return to myspace to find all links and logos still Spanish.
It seems that whilst logged in, if you visit a localised version of Myspace you automatically adopt it. I'm glad this occurred to me and the problem was fixed by visiting uk.myspace.com, because I doubt I could have navigated the Spanish menus to change back.
The interface is inconsistent enough without quirks like this!
Earlier today Techcrunch reported a spanish language version of Myspace. I don't speak spanish. I guess I just wanted to see if it looked any different, so clicked the innocent looking link. Bored seconds later it was closed and forgotten. Two hours later I return to myspace to find all links and logos still Spanish.
It seems that whilst logged in, if you visit a localised version of Myspace you automatically adopt it. I'm glad this occurred to me and the problem was fixed by visiting uk.myspace.com, because I doubt I could have navigated the Spanish menus to change back.
The interface is inconsistent enough without quirks like this!
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Catching up on Climate Change
Last night I watched Davis Guggenheim's "An Inconvenient Truth", fronted by Al Gore. Amidst opinions such as Gore not being quite as socially inept as an episode of South Park from last year suggested I, being the highly suggestible type found at least some of it making sense, although it's hard to become too convinced by what is essentially a set of graphs far more basic than those created daily in the workplace to describe far simpler scenarios than how warm a large rock is this year.
This evening I watched Martin Durkin's "Great Global Warming Swindle", a month after it lost its water cooler appeal. Side note - I don't care what anybody says, i've never seen anybody gather around one of these in the UK.
"Swindle" said a lot more than "Truth" and wrapped up 15 minutes earlier. Any discussion I might attempt on the deeper subject matter would centre around one of the buzz phrases from either side of the argument. If I had to pick one, the debunking of Gore linking temperature rises to CO2 emissions through explaining that the line showing CO2 in fact lags behind temperature, was quite compelling.
"Swindle" makes a bold and interesting point in closing, stating that the anti CO2 brigade wish to deny third world countries electricity, and call me sentimental, but "Truth" briefly caught me off-guard somewhere near the end with its lingering shot over a distant image of a little speck of light coupled with narration along the lines of "all we are, and all that ever happened, happened here".
The former may very well be true, and if everything else they pro CO2's claim is correct, I hope the antis see no success in their wish to stifle development. The latter may very well be true (though we're not sure), but it strikes me as far more of an exercise in audience manipulation than making a specific point on their claims.
So, you tell me, who is going to help me reconcile these two documentaries? Is there anything with about the level of detail of these two pieces with anything other than 100% bias in either direction?
Until you point me in the right direction, i'll go back and remind myself what Filmspotting thought of "Truth".
http://www.filmspotting.net - reviews - ep110 if you wish to join me.
This evening I watched Martin Durkin's "Great Global Warming Swindle", a month after it lost its water cooler appeal. Side note - I don't care what anybody says, i've never seen anybody gather around one of these in the UK.
"Swindle" said a lot more than "Truth" and wrapped up 15 minutes earlier. Any discussion I might attempt on the deeper subject matter would centre around one of the buzz phrases from either side of the argument. If I had to pick one, the debunking of Gore linking temperature rises to CO2 emissions through explaining that the line showing CO2 in fact lags behind temperature, was quite compelling.
"Swindle" makes a bold and interesting point in closing, stating that the anti CO2 brigade wish to deny third world countries electricity, and call me sentimental, but "Truth" briefly caught me off-guard somewhere near the end with its lingering shot over a distant image of a little speck of light coupled with narration along the lines of "all we are, and all that ever happened, happened here".
The former may very well be true, and if everything else they pro CO2's claim is correct, I hope the antis see no success in their wish to stifle development. The latter may very well be true (though we're not sure), but it strikes me as far more of an exercise in audience manipulation than making a specific point on their claims.
So, you tell me, who is going to help me reconcile these two documentaries? Is there anything with about the level of detail of these two pieces with anything other than 100% bias in either direction?
Until you point me in the right direction, i'll go back and remind myself what Filmspotting thought of "Truth".
http://www.filmspotting.net - reviews - ep110 if you wish to join me.
Saturday, April 07, 2007
Nokia N800 in Physical Form?
Heres a valid question. Where in the offline retail world in the UK can I go to see a Nokia N800?
I've consumed an enormous amount of online material on the product, but I rarely buy something until i've seen it for real.
Today I took a stroll around Leicester, figuring there'd be one on show somewhere. I tried Currys Digital (Dixons), Phones 4U, Currys, Comet and PC World.
It goes almost without saying that this product suffers an identity crisis. One way or another it can amongst other things be a phone, a GPS device and an internet device, but nobody sells it alongside phones, rightly so as won't take a SIM card. It would be misleading to sell it alongside GPS devices, as it requires an add-on to unlock that function, and as yet, none of these shops curtain off "Internet devices".
I can't afford to buy one right now either way - need to pay off the car first, but it's disappointing that I can't find one to take a look at. Any ideas?
I've consumed an enormous amount of online material on the product, but I rarely buy something until i've seen it for real.
Today I took a stroll around Leicester, figuring there'd be one on show somewhere. I tried Currys Digital (Dixons), Phones 4U, Currys, Comet and PC World.
It goes almost without saying that this product suffers an identity crisis. One way or another it can amongst other things be a phone, a GPS device and an internet device, but nobody sells it alongside phones, rightly so as won't take a SIM card. It would be misleading to sell it alongside GPS devices, as it requires an add-on to unlock that function, and as yet, none of these shops curtain off "Internet devices".
I can't afford to buy one right now either way - need to pay off the car first, but it's disappointing that I can't find one to take a look at. Any ideas?
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Twitter - Flavour of the Month
It would appear that the so called blogosphere was all about Twitter last week. This week its more about it being all about Twitter.
To me it seems painfully similar to the list of all too personal comments on myspace profiles, but oddly enough I haven't heard anybody make this connection. I'm still a good few months off actively joining this one, similar to the way i'm still a good few months off doing some consistent blogging.
What I do like in the twittersphere (yes, twittersphere.com long gone), and again i'm only jumping on here - Twittervision (disclosure, I do not have a payperpost account). It is however missing some key features:
1. Please, let me pause it if I want to pause it.
2. Sometimes I like seeing it zoom around the world, but sometimes i'd like to just see people Twittering around the UK. Somehow I doubt this would be a difficult feature to add.
3. Can't I switch the Google map to satellite imagery? Actually that may not be something the mapping API allows.
As you can see, very little research went into this post, but I wanted to post something damnit!
To me it seems painfully similar to the list of all too personal comments on myspace profiles, but oddly enough I haven't heard anybody make this connection. I'm still a good few months off actively joining this one, similar to the way i'm still a good few months off doing some consistent blogging.
What I do like in the twittersphere (yes, twittersphere.com long gone), and again i'm only jumping on here - Twittervision (disclosure, I do not have a payperpost account). It is however missing some key features:
1. Please, let me pause it if I want to pause it.
2. Sometimes I like seeing it zoom around the world, but sometimes i'd like to just see people Twittering around the UK. Somehow I doubt this would be a difficult feature to add.
3. Can't I switch the Google map to satellite imagery? Actually that may not be something the mapping API allows.
As you can see, very little research went into this post, but I wanted to post something damnit!
Monday, March 05, 2007
They're Playing the Elephant Song!
I love that song.. Reminds me of elephants.
March now. Not that cold anymore. Wet though..
So what did I do, you ask. For some reason that I still haven't fully come to terms with yet, I bought myself a Ford Fusion TDCi.
The train of thought went something like this:
Ford Focus - Nothing in the spec I need at a price I can afford. Think smaller.
Ford Fiesta - A bit too small?
Ford Fusion - Ding.
I'm still getting used to a 1.4 after two years with 2 litres behind me - it's not so much the feeling that it won't get up to speed as quickly, more than the engine might last longer if I accept that it isn't really designed for traffic light races and treat it well.
Overall impression is good. I find it noisy given that a 1.4 TDCi is the same thing as a 1.4 HDi and my 2.0 HDi seemed quieter, but was it really, or was I just in a larger car with better sound-proofing. Indeed, are the larger PSA engines a little more refined, noise-wise?
I do miss the big car ride of the 306, but the space inside the Fusion is such that comfort isn't an issue. I may have finally found a car that my unusually long legs agree with.
Other things - Passenger seat is a table and a storage unit.. and a seat! I finally have a radio with a working stalk control and its completely pointless - the driving position is so very upright in this thing (which is great!) that it is no more difficult to use the buttons on the unit itself.
One last thing - if anybody tries to tell you that cheap 5 quid unbranded in-car FM transmitters are no good, ignore them and try one - not for hi-fi quality music, but for say, podcasts. I may buy a second of these for the house they're so useful. If not exactly a feat of modern technology, they're a perfect stop gap if the alternatives are too expensive or prohibitive.
March now. Not that cold anymore. Wet though..
So what did I do, you ask. For some reason that I still haven't fully come to terms with yet, I bought myself a Ford Fusion TDCi.
The train of thought went something like this:
Ford Focus - Nothing in the spec I need at a price I can afford. Think smaller.
Ford Fiesta - A bit too small?
Ford Fusion - Ding.
I'm still getting used to a 1.4 after two years with 2 litres behind me - it's not so much the feeling that it won't get up to speed as quickly, more than the engine might last longer if I accept that it isn't really designed for traffic light races and treat it well.
Overall impression is good. I find it noisy given that a 1.4 TDCi is the same thing as a 1.4 HDi and my 2.0 HDi seemed quieter, but was it really, or was I just in a larger car with better sound-proofing. Indeed, are the larger PSA engines a little more refined, noise-wise?
I do miss the big car ride of the 306, but the space inside the Fusion is such that comfort isn't an issue. I may have finally found a car that my unusually long legs agree with.
Other things - Passenger seat is a table and a storage unit.. and a seat! I finally have a radio with a working stalk control and its completely pointless - the driving position is so very upright in this thing (which is great!) that it is no more difficult to use the buttons on the unit itself.
One last thing - if anybody tries to tell you that cheap 5 quid unbranded in-car FM transmitters are no good, ignore them and try one - not for hi-fi quality music, but for say, podcasts. I may buy a second of these for the house they're so useful. If not exactly a feat of modern technology, they're a perfect stop gap if the alternatives are too expensive or prohibitive.
Monday, January 29, 2007
Car, Phone, What's Third?
Well now,
In the last 7 days my car has been declared terminally ill, my phone, which isn't MY phone, somehow suddenly stopped booting up.. Its meant to be a PHONE!
It is most irritating when things like this start getting in the way of other things which are going really well. Our band played our third gig last Friday. We probably technically did better in the first two, but this was a much bigger crowd and it adds a lot.
Now i'm faced, for the fourth time in my life, with buying another car. Lets look at my record:
1 Ford Fiesta - 9 years old when I had it, and I had it five months or so before flattening the left side against a gate post. £1400, effectively written off, but I had no comprehensive insurance at the time, so nothing doing.
2. Ford Fiesta - 7 years old when I had it. Lasted almost two years, although it sounded awful. Probably would have lasted a little longer if it had any oil in it when it last reached operating temperature. £450, died of mechanical failure. This was by far the best value car i've owned.
3. Peugeot 306 - 5 years old when I bought it. Lasted a year and a half. Drove great, never really recovered from a cambelt job gone wrong. 10,000 miles later the belt is wearing away but the thing is so tightly welded together further economical work isn't possible. £2800, soon to die of valve on piston action unless somebody wants a pet project.
4. I'm wanting a Skoda Octavia (its all about reliability and boot space) but recent ones are still £8000 - too much. Ditto a new Vectra. I'm thinking i'll settle for finding a Ford Focus TDCi, as boring as that sounds, but I swear if the crank bolt snaps off in this engine i'm going to hurt someone!
Yes, this was unfortunately a vent rather than an interesting post. If anybody is curious about the 306, the crank bolt snapped off 10k ago presumably leaving half in situ. Whatever the correct solution, the action taken was to create a stub by welding+chemical metaling a bolt in, holding the pulley on with a separate nut. This actually seemed to work, but the belt is wearing too quickly. 50/50 on whether thats due to this or something else eg pump/tensioner. This car could be brought back to life with a new crank - whether the current one is actually damaged beyond use I cannot say, but there are mostly perfectly good parts on this car. If somebody wants to make me a serious offer to make this their problem, get in touch (UK, Midlands - the car will be driveable again, it's just hard to say for how long before the inevitable happens). I don't have the expertise, time or the inclination to do what needs to be done but this really doesn't deserve to be scrapped.
In the last 7 days my car has been declared terminally ill, my phone, which isn't MY phone, somehow suddenly stopped booting up.. Its meant to be a PHONE!
It is most irritating when things like this start getting in the way of other things which are going really well. Our band played our third gig last Friday. We probably technically did better in the first two, but this was a much bigger crowd and it adds a lot.
Now i'm faced, for the fourth time in my life, with buying another car. Lets look at my record:
1 Ford Fiesta - 9 years old when I had it, and I had it five months or so before flattening the left side against a gate post. £1400, effectively written off, but I had no comprehensive insurance at the time, so nothing doing.
2. Ford Fiesta - 7 years old when I had it. Lasted almost two years, although it sounded awful. Probably would have lasted a little longer if it had any oil in it when it last reached operating temperature. £450, died of mechanical failure. This was by far the best value car i've owned.
3. Peugeot 306 - 5 years old when I bought it. Lasted a year and a half. Drove great, never really recovered from a cambelt job gone wrong. 10,000 miles later the belt is wearing away but the thing is so tightly welded together further economical work isn't possible. £2800, soon to die of valve on piston action unless somebody wants a pet project.
4. I'm wanting a Skoda Octavia (its all about reliability and boot space) but recent ones are still £8000 - too much. Ditto a new Vectra. I'm thinking i'll settle for finding a Ford Focus TDCi, as boring as that sounds, but I swear if the crank bolt snaps off in this engine i'm going to hurt someone!
Yes, this was unfortunately a vent rather than an interesting post. If anybody is curious about the 306, the crank bolt snapped off 10k ago presumably leaving half in situ. Whatever the correct solution, the action taken was to create a stub by welding+chemical metaling a bolt in, holding the pulley on with a separate nut. This actually seemed to work, but the belt is wearing too quickly. 50/50 on whether thats due to this or something else eg pump/tensioner. This car could be brought back to life with a new crank - whether the current one is actually damaged beyond use I cannot say, but there are mostly perfectly good parts on this car. If somebody wants to make me a serious offer to make this their problem, get in touch (UK, Midlands - the car will be driveable again, it's just hard to say for how long before the inevitable happens). I don't have the expertise, time or the inclination to do what needs to be done but this really doesn't deserve to be scrapped.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
45 miles later...
I am a commuter. Today was without question the worst day of the year for the thousands like myself, and look at that - it's only January 18th.
And when bad weather ravages the UK ("your land was ravaged?!?") i'm left not surprised, just fuming that as a supposedly intelligent person I can't find a better option than sitting in a queue of traffic.
That said I did eventually break off down a sub-cross-country route. Who knows whether it helped me - didn't take me far off course and got me back to the M1 just north of the blockage, which of course cleared just in time to rob me of that fantastic 'only-car-on-the-motorway' feeling.
45 miles in 2 and a half hours. I'd make a simplistic comment about how unnecessary most commuting is, but I don't think I know enough yet. I do believe things are going to change though. With some of the upcoming "green" proposals, they're going to have to.
And when bad weather ravages the UK ("your land was ravaged?!?") i'm left not surprised, just fuming that as a supposedly intelligent person I can't find a better option than sitting in a queue of traffic.
That said I did eventually break off down a sub-cross-country route. Who knows whether it helped me - didn't take me far off course and got me back to the M1 just north of the blockage, which of course cleared just in time to rob me of that fantastic 'only-car-on-the-motorway' feeling.
45 miles in 2 and a half hours. I'd make a simplistic comment about how unnecessary most commuting is, but I don't think I know enough yet. I do believe things are going to change though. With some of the upcoming "green" proposals, they're going to have to.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Slashdot or TechMeme?
I'm now subscribed to too many blogs to keep both Slashdot and TechMeme in my Google Reader. One or the other has to go.
Truth is almost everything reported on TechMeme also appears on Slashdot, it's just they both have innovative but different "discussion" methods.
Slashdot has its newly updated threshold driven comments system which if used correctly can yield some interesting conversations.
TechMeme manages to pull together every other site running the story.
I think i've answered my own question. TechMeme is the logical winner - it will lead me to the Slashdot story if it exists in the majority of cases. In which case, why do I feel so reluctant to shut off from Slashdot's feed? Maybe i'm more loyal to organisations than I realised..
Damn. Looks like i'm keeping them both. Thanks Blogger, this achieved nothing.
Truth is almost everything reported on TechMeme also appears on Slashdot, it's just they both have innovative but different "discussion" methods.
Slashdot has its newly updated threshold driven comments system which if used correctly can yield some interesting conversations.
TechMeme manages to pull together every other site running the story.
I think i've answered my own question. TechMeme is the logical winner - it will lead me to the Slashdot story if it exists in the majority of cases. In which case, why do I feel so reluctant to shut off from Slashdot's feed? Maybe i'm more loyal to organisations than I realised..
Damn. Looks like i'm keeping them both. Thanks Blogger, this achieved nothing.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Gig Tuesday
Its quarter to midnight on the 16th Jan and i'm on a high having just played my first gig. This wasn't just any first gig - this is the best known venue in town. We may not have appeared the most professional band between songs, but the music certainly sounded great and very few mistakes were made.
This of course answers questions I posed quite some time ago.
I said that I crave a stage i'm not comfortable on (link). Turns out thats only partially true. I do crave the stage, but the feeling when standing on it isn't discomfort, just good old shyness. This is a revelation to me, because I tend to be able to overcome shyness is almost any situation once I get used to it.
Good to know. I'll play another 3 in the coming weeks, so we'll see how they go. Certainly tonight I enjoyed myself in a new way. It's been a while since i've felt that. Feels good.
This of course answers questions I posed quite some time ago.
I said that I crave a stage i'm not comfortable on (link). Turns out thats only partially true. I do crave the stage, but the feeling when standing on it isn't discomfort, just good old shyness. This is a revelation to me, because I tend to be able to overcome shyness is almost any situation once I get used to it.
Good to know. I'll play another 3 in the coming weeks, so we'll see how they go. Certainly tonight I enjoyed myself in a new way. It's been a while since i've felt that. Feels good.
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