2008 #51 - More Drafts

Welcome to a very late instalment. Due to the preparations for Christmas I neglected to write my weekly post earlier this week. Today being Saturday this is by far the latest I've ever been, but i'm damned if I'm going to fuck this up so close to the end, so all 52 will be published!

Continuing my 16/12 theme:

I can see it now. Google types sitting around discussing the market price of the first Android phone. Three schools of thought.

1. Undercut the iPhone - Pro: People like cheap alternatives, traction can be gained. Con: Makes it look like a cheap alternative.

2. Price it higher than the iPhone - Pro: Might suck in some rich folk, Con: People will just buy an iPhone.

3. Charge the same as the iPhone - Pro: None, Con: People will just buy an iPhone.

It looks like 2 is the way it's going. Personally i'd have gone with option 1.

In the end it pretty much went more like 3. I think I can get a free G1 with a contract here in the UK but everyone in the world seems to hate the battery life and that's a pet peeve. I still find it interesting that tech pundits quite unanimously think that Android is going to be a big hit. I hope it is, but it's hard to see why right now. Just because half the world is using Symbian and not realising how bad it is doesn't mean they care. I'm not a phone guy anyway. Not my topic, which is why this got held back.

2008 #30 - I've done 30 of these?!?

Insightful!

I can't get into it.

I'm trying, but I can't seem to force myself to do.. well.. anything.

Starting to think what I hoped was just a rumour my mind ignores.

I'm lazy.

Fuck.

I feel sure I ended up posting this, maybe with a slight variation. Still somewhat true I feel.

When did things change?

There was a time

Ever had one of those moments where you realise you're fulfilling a stereotype? I recall stopping writing here, because it was clearly going to be a crotchety old man post. I'm just too young to be doing that.

LCD TV - Panasonic TX-37LDZ80 Initial Reaction

This isn't the full saved draft but the rest is pointlessly obsolete at this point. I never got around to writing a full review of this TV. There seems to be a generally good vibe on the network about this TV, and about it's "800" replacement. All I need to say is that I'm completely happy with it. I'd change the interface in the firmware perhaps. Give me a slightly easier way of switching between AV1 and HDMI1, which is really all I ever need, but as I more recently discovered if you ask the set to default to AV instead of analogue, it will also allow the defaulted AV1 to be overridden by HDMI1, so you can in effect use the cable itself as a way to switch between the two. That said, my first HDMI cable is getting very ragged around the laptop end. These ports really need to be on the back of laptops, not the side.

That's all the draft material I wish to share. There's two others that aren't really for public consumption. Maybe one day.

WHOA. Freaky occurence. You'll recall several paragraphs back I quoted a draft that said "There Was a Time". As I write this I sit listening to Chinese Democracy for the first time, and what just flicked up in the corner of my screen but the song title "There Was A Time", track six. I wouldn't say it particularly alters my crotchety old man viewpoint though. That's pretty much what Mr Rose is now.

Now, on to six points covering as well as possible everything up to around Christmas Eve. Honestly, i'll be blurring the line a bit. Some of this will be anything up to yesterday.

1. In the run up to Christmas, once that tin of Quality Street was gone, I ate a little better, much like I normally do in fact. I finally boiled some more Borlotti beans also which is a good lunch supplement, though I definitely prefer the Garbanzo beans/Chickpeas so next time I'll buy those again. The Borlottis aren't well known, and It's clear why. They essentially discharge goo which is the exact colour of mould when you cook them. It looks disgusting, but they taste fine. As the end of the year approaches I definitely have stuff to say on the eating well topic. It seems that in a year that i've paid it the most attention I've faired the worst. More in the finale.

2. No real change prior to Christmas so i'll address the last few days early here. Christmas entertainment. UK TV has been about as bad as usual. I've outgrown it. In about 15-20 years I'll grow into it again if my parents are anything to go by. US TV seems non-existent over the past few days. I'd have expected Christmas episodes of Family Guy, American Dad, The Office, but none of them have obliged. Over the past two days looking at Mininova's TV section, there's more UK shows than US shows. Nonetheless, it's been easy to remain entertained. My two favorite Podcasts (current KATG and NLO) both put out three shows during the week. I always prepare myself too much entertainment to take to my parents house over Christmas. I did not have time to touch practically anything else beyond the podcasts. I did play scrabble. That's a different form of entertainment. I have five days before I go back to work, so the coming days will be the real test as to whether I can keep myself busy and not just waste time.

3. Had a rather unexpected Sunday night out with those illusive friends I live near to but rarely see any more. Good time. A nice way to round off the social calendar, although hopefully I'll be out a few more times before the end of the year. Most of the coupley types are largely unavailable now, and certainly won't be available on the 31st.

4. I gave my work goals a thought, but didn't get any time to look at them. Work is all in all going very well at the moment though. Unless there's some way I can get promoted without having to commit to additional hours at work, this is actually about as good as things can be. That, of course, will eventually be a problem, but for now it's good.

5. I said Christmas would give me some thinking time. I've mostly thought about whether I should try to buy a house over the next year. Because I somewhat believe in total economic collapse being on the cards, it's hard to think too seriously about it. If that does happen, it won't be the newly mortgaged homeowners given a pass, that's for damn sure. Holding pattern. Suicide by tiny increments. Status Quo. Ahhhhh.

6. In the week before Chistmas I did plenty of walking. At home for Christmas I helped chop and carry wood for what can't have even been an hour, and found myself wishing I had something like that in the city to allow me to get some exercise. There'a very little I can do for incidental exercise around here.

One more to go. Number 52 will be a reflective piece. Maybe i'll drag back all of the old goals. Who knows. I'll do that before the start of 2009, but then that's it. Stop looking at my hair!