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.