Thankyou Mr Hawkins!! The password doodah clearly works (Did you like my subtle test, there?!?) Now, as for biscuit patenting - I love the idea anyone can make a custard cream or a bourbon and not have to pay anyone royalties. Excellent!! My biscuit-tin is FreeWare!! Or should it be OpenCream as opposed to Open Source!!??? :))
Nigel
- Tue Jan 31 19:35:12 2006

 Hello! Tee-hee!
Nigel
- Tue Jan 31 19:30:15 2006

 Unfortunatly there would be numerous and most likely hilarious legal issues for patenting biscuit coating technologies in the US, since they call them cookies!
Kev
- Tue Jan 31 18:16:34 2006

 Of course, you could copyleft it, and develop OpenBiscuit under some sort of GPL scheme.
Jimmy
- Tue Jan 31 18:06:08 2006

 Kev- yeah, I think copyrighting is about as far as you can go. Although I'm sure the yanks will happily accept biscuit patents, they've been rejected throughout Europe. The other problem, of course, is "Prior biscuit art"- which the US patent office never checks, which means basically that any old Tom, Dick or Harry can patent (say) the Chocolate Bourbon and get away with it. MicroBi$cuit have been lobbying the Euro-MPs to allow biscuit patenting in Europe, but (luckily) they've not yet prevailed. It's good to think that the small biscuit maker is free to develop his/her own biscuit recipes, without having to pay licensing fees to big biscuit business.
Jimmy
- Tue Jan 31 17:59:38 2006

 To avoid sludge, I suggest inventing a special coating ( a bit like Maltesers have to stop you getting all choclaty) that can be applied to biscuits. This idea is now copyrighted by me.
Kev
- Tue Jan 31 17:30:33 2006

 jimmy: have you considered taking off one half of a bournon and then sticking a richtea onto it?
Kev
- Tue Jan 31 17:28:44 2006

 MM- perhaps it was the disappointment of finding that the biscuit had not be pre-dunked? Digestive are good, but too crumbly for my liking (I always end up with sludge at the bottom of the mug).
Jimmy
- Tue Jan 31 17:25:27 2006

 Jimmy: have you considered what might have been in the bourbon biscuit to cause the demise of the mouse. Maybe you need a food taster. Personally my dunking favourite is Digestive, but you have to be quick.
Mad Mumsie
- Tue Jan 31 16:49:55 2006

 I wonder if, having consumed the Bourbon, the mouse would be good if dunked in tea ...
Jimmy
- Tue Jan 31 16:23:42 2006

 Cheers dsp!! I'll probably need help!!
Nigel
- Tue Jan 31 16:19:59 2006

 Jimmy: It probably died of shock then!! :) Travis: Some ripe topics there!
Nigel
- Tue Jan 31 16:18:03 2006

 I'm very disappointed to see I didn't even make the "Evil Top 10".
Jimmy
- Tue Jan 31 16:17:03 2006

 dsp: my knowledge is limited to vhs, s-vhs, hi8, and mini-dv. I had a real pain converting hi-8 into something useable on a computer this past summer, but I think I've got it down now. Sorry I can't be o' help.
Travis
- Tue Jan 31 16:09:11 2006

 What do the following have in common: Jack the Ripper, Thomas Becket, Eadric Streona, King John, Sir Richard Rich, Titus Oates, Prince William Augustus, Thomas Arundel, Hugh Despenser, Oswald Mosley? http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/article342148.ece
Travis
- Tue Jan 31 16:07:25 2006

 Nigel: Congrats on the book purchase! I can help you out if you get stuck.
dsp
- Tue Jan 31 16:05:59 2006

 Hiya, can I pick the brains of the digital telly/mpeg experts... is there a really easy way to convert DVD VOB files to MPEG4 ?
dsp
- Tue Jan 31 16:05:21 2006

 Looks as if this will work: http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_go1773 So when the review is available, I'll let you know.
Travis
- Tue Jan 31 16:02:53 2006

 You have it almost exactly right- except it was a wench, not a winch (and very accommodating she was, too). It wan't just the Bourbon she pulled- but in the interests of staying (kind-of) on-topic, I'll say that my house is now mouse-free. Oddly enough, the mouse wasn't found dead in the trap, but in a different room. How was that? Beats me!
Jimmy
- Tue Jan 31 16:02:47 2006

 Thanks, all. Kev: The book was given to me by one of the editors (who happens to be my Greek professor...and an Irishman). Let me see if there's an online link. If not, I'll be so kind as to post it or link it when it's finished. John: I'd love a password.
Travis
- Tue Jan 31 16:01:32 2006

 Ha! Had an image of a winch pulling a boubon across a field to lure the mice!! Would you care to elaborate on your mouse--baiting activities?
Nigel
- Tue Jan 31 15:57:57 2006

 ... actually, Bourbons also make for a very good mouse-trap lure as I discovered at the weekend ...
Jimmy
- Tue Jan 31 15:51:16 2006

 I think Bourbons are considered persona-non-grata amongst true devotees, however I do admit to a weakness for them. As the chocolate is more cocoa than chocolate I... I... Well, let's just say there's a skeleton in everyone's closet - even mine! :(
Nigel
- Tue Jan 31 15:43:12 2006

 That's it- "Malted milk" - I couldn't remember the name. I've always referred to them as "Cow biscuits". What about Bourbons, though? Admittedly they're chocolatey, but as it's in the biscuit-sandwich, it tends not to escape/diffuse into the drink ... so they can be a good "Compromise candidate."
Jimmy
- Tue Jan 31 15:20:26 2006

 Ah! A fellow officionado! I agree "Malted Milks" are an excellent choice! Chocolate coverings may be ok for coffee drinkers but is a terrible faux-pas in tea, I feel!!! :)
Nigel
- Tue Jan 31 15:16:29 2006

 Hob-nobs are indeed anexcellent choice in terms of flavour. Some people like the chocolate version, but as I don't take sugar in my tea, I tend to stay away from any choccies. What about those malted ones ("Cow biscuits")? And there's also the shortbread-type biccies which have greater structural integrity.
Jimmy
- Tue Jan 31 15:09:33 2006

 Hmmm. Well I have to agree with Mr McVite. Rich Tea has the necessary tensile strength to hold together for at least a couple of good dunks. However for flavour you can't beat a hobnob, though their propensity to disintegrate is not for the faint-hearted. Butter-Crunch too are high on my list.
Nigel
- Tue Jan 31 15:04:10 2006

 Well, it needs to be able to survive a good dunk (with suitable margin for timing error)- but flavour is important too.
Jimmy
- Tue Jan 31 14:52:21 2006

 Are you looking for non-soggy-crumb-dropping, or is taste more important?
Nigel
- Tue Jan 31 14:40:28 2006

 Rich tea, of course!
Mr. McVitie
- Tue Jan 31 14:37:52 2006

 What variety of biscuit is the best for dunking in tea?
Jimmy
- Tue Jan 31 14:23:07 2006

 Well I've been back to Waterstones and bought a.... VBExpress2005 book by MS. There. Done. Committed. (sorry Kev, I couldn't forget my "real" C!!) However, please don't expect miracles! I'll probably be asking lots of daft questions... How exactly do you spell "Helo Wrld"?
Nigel
- Tue Jan 31 14:15:52 2006

HTML TEST

Just checkin' ...
Jimmy
- Tue Jan 31 14:07:09 2006

 John: A password would be useful. Very occasionally my post has been too long. I think you have my work email.
Mad Mumsie
- Tue Jan 31 13:30:52 2006

 My goodness, don't you all look young. (you have no idea how long I've been waiting to say that!)
Mad Mumsie
- Tue Jan 31 13:30:10 2006
dsp
- Tue Jan 31 13:09:01 2006

 Great news everyone! We made the big time!
dsp
- Tue Jan 31 13:07:35 2006

 well like dsp says its the framework thats the hard bit to learn i.e. sockets, xml serializers etc the rest is all semantics as they say!!!
Kev
- Tue Jan 31 13:02:45 2006

 Thanks John! I'll check it out later at home (work bans anything but official email!!) Kev: My first project is likely to be "Hello World" !! :) I was in the local Waterstones last night checking the VB and C# books. They had the OReilly one. The VB ones seemed so much keener to hold my hand for me... :))))
Nigel
- Tue Jan 31 12:53:09 2006

 yes no doubt I will just get bored John and you probably won't be a to tell the diffence from the spam bot and my usual jibberings.
Kev
- Tue Jan 31 12:52:40 2006

 Kev, what's that phrase - security through obscurity...? I think in your case I can rely on security through lethargy!
John
- Tue Jan 31 12:49:00 2006

 Nigel, I have emailed you an, errr, email then (?!?!). I hope it all makes sense!
John
- Tue Jan 31 12:47:32 2006

 I will start work immediately on a spam-bot dedicated to targetting this site. ( or perhaps this would be an ideal first project in vb for you Nigel ? )
Kev
- Tue Jan 31 12:42:19 2006

 Moring all! Hi John. Thanks very much. Appreciated. Yes, my email address is as you mention (my feeble attempts not to be too memorable!! :)))
Nigel
- Tue Jan 31 12:40:32 2006

 Should anyone else (Travis, Mumsie, or anyone else) want a password setting up so you can post longer messages please let me know and I will be happy to oblige. Jimmy - you have a password, not sure if you remember it, please get in touch if not and I can remind you sir!
John
- Tue Jan 31 12:39:02 2006

 Kev - Yep, that seems to work then! Please accept a carte blanche from me at least to flood the board with long complicated diatribes on whatever topic you feel like now!
John
- Tue Jan 31 12:37:27 2006

 Nigel, have set up a password for you too, but not sure where to mail the details too. I have a mail address for you from about a year ago - the last bit is tiscali, and the first bit is mainly just a number... Is this still the right one? If not please mail me with an appropriate address - my address is (my first name)@(this domain).
John
- Tue Jan 31 12:36:04 2006

 This is a test maison-de-stuff
Kev
- Tue Jan 31 12:35:49 2006

 Kev - have just emailed you a cryptic version of your new password.
John
- Tue Jan 31 12:33:51 2006

 .. or are you saying they have chosen you ( well done ), and sent you a book to review which you get to keep?
Kev
- Tue Jan 31 11:59:36 2006

 So Travis, are you saying you bought the book so you could review it, then as a reward they are going to give you another free book that you just read ? Can I ask why they don't give you a different book so you can review that instead, ergo you get free books and they get free reviews ?
Kev
- Tue Jan 31 11:57:27 2006

 Travis, good job mate! Will it be possible to read the review somewhere on the internet or is just a paper thing?
Lox
- Tue Jan 31 11:45:48 2006

 Travis, that's great! Well done!
dsp
- Tue Jan 31 10:16:44 2006

 Cool, T-Boy! John, I think you should try going into a building you've never been into before. Just at random!
Rob Lang
- Tue Jan 31 09:12:59 2006

 Travis- abstinence only?! That really is unbelievably stupid.
Jimmy
- Tue Jan 31 09:10:23 2006

 This may or may not interest you (I realize this is a tautology). I have been chosen to write a book review of "The Philosophy of Film Noir" for InterTexts, a (scholarly) journal of comparative literature. It's a very interesting read so far...and I'm a huge noir fan. For my services, I receive a free copy of the book. Huzzah!
Travis
- Tue Jan 31 05:16:33 2006

 Nigel and Kev: you are dangerously close to the even more frightening truth! Get out while you still can! Agh!
John
- Mon Jan 30 23:48:33 2006

 .net core at the heart of vista? My arse!
John
- Mon Jan 30 23:45:05 2006

 are you suggesting hes in on it, or that hes just in a japanese style - space cadets(ch4 show)
kev
- Mon Jan 30 23:17:37 2006

 No Kev. It's all a con. John's really holed-up in a fake Japan, recreated on the back-lot at Borehamwood. This is how-come he's got it all - the gadgets, the job, the girl, the food, the drink, the Sherlock DVDs... I mean, really! How could anyone have such a good time of it?!?! His new book will be entitled: "Snowmen and the Art of Buying Tables" I predict it will be a best-seller! (Hee-hee!! No offence John!! :)))
Nigel
- Mon Jan 30 23:09:54 2006

 so nigel, do you think john is in some kind of truemanesque style local guyjin show? John have you noticed that, rather oddly, there is always a pepsi can on you new branded table set to face the same way ?
kev
- Mon Jan 30 22:22:00 2006

 Travis: As you say... not exactly encouraging.
Nigel
- Mon Jan 30 22:14:34 2006

 Rob: Just watched the video!! Splendid!!! (Work firewall wouldn't let me)
Nigel
- Mon Jan 30 20:34:40 2006

 Know what you mean Kev. When as work I have to copy-to-clipboard everything I type. Not sure if it's just a rubbish intranet there or the firewall, but it sometimes takes me two or three attempts to send a message, each time dumping me at an "empty" field. I learned the hard way, aftre writing some important missive, only to lose it all at the click of add-message! :(
Nigel
- Mon Jan 30 20:03:04 2006

 John, how can I get a password so I don't get the post too big response ( happened to me earlier today and is rather annoying ). Can you email me a pword please ? I have taken to editing in notepad first now so as not to lose lots of typing!
Kev
- Mon Jan 30 18:19:36 2006

 Hmm, I think bernard might have had something interesting to say, but the anti-spam thingy has prevented us from ever finding out. Oh well
Kev
- Mon Jan 30 18:15:36 2006

 Sorry, this message was too big.
bernard
- Mon Jan 30 18:08:05 2006

 Nigel: Evolutionary theory is fine; this is a university town. More alarmingly, however, the public schools teach abstinence only in "sex ed" classes. There is absolutely no discussion of any other means of birth control. Not surprisingly, there is an alarmingly high rate of sexually transmitted diseases in the public school system, beginning around age 13. Fun stuff.
Travis
- Mon Jan 30 17:59:12 2006

 If it's in Kev's underpants, I'm not interested.
Jimmy
- Mon Jan 30 17:05:31 2006

 MM - You're in! Jimmy - I enjoyed it though! Anyway, you any good with a crowbar? I know where there's some gold!!! :)))
Nigel
- Mon Jan 30 16:53:38 2006

 Nigel: I'm very good at "footing" a ladder, and I have a striped t shirt and a mask.
Mad Mumsie
- Mon Jan 30 16:43:00 2006

 ... so, let me get this right: we've had a big debate about the pros and cons of various languages and systems, none of us have changed our views, but we're all fairly satisfied with the outcome. Have we just been agreeing all day?
Jimmy
- Mon Jan 30 16:42:20 2006

 Whatever is on that site Rob, my filtering software won't allow me to open the llink.
Mad Mumsie
- Mon Jan 30 16:41:43 2006

 For anyone who has any contact with Japan (Safe For Work, Video with Sound) http://www.wimp.com/secrets/
Rob Lang
- Mon Jan 30 16:24:23 2006

 Ho-ho! Would that be a solid vest, or a string vest (I need to estimate your wealth, naturally!)
Nigel
- Mon Jan 30 16:08:48 2006

 I plan on making a killing with gold underpants and vests - I think theres a good business model there!
Kev
- Mon Jan 30 16:01:37 2006

 (Whistle) So, Kev, where about in Norfolk are you?? :))))) Tum-ti-tum... Rope, ladder, mask, swag-bag... Check...! Ahhhh "String Arrays" ......!!!!! :)
Nigel
- Mon Jan 30 15:58:25 2006

 Yes Kev. Just don't tell anyone.
Rob Lang
- Mon Jan 30 15:49:05 2006

 So what your saying is "buy gold and keep it under my bed"?
Kev
- Mon Jan 30 15:42:19 2006

 Actually, many of the high street banks use a system even more shoddy than floating point. How about 'early 80s strings and lookup table driven mathematics'? Scarey? Yes.
Rob Lang
- Mon Jan 30 15:38:36 2006

 Rob: Its good to know that the fate of western democracy is based on "very ropey floating point mathematics". lol
Kev
- Mon Jan 30 15:36:13 2006

 Jimmy, only transactional banking uses BCD. The Credit Risk part of the business (the bit that makes most of the money) is very ropey floating point mathematics.
Rob Lang
- Mon Jan 30 15:30:32 2006

 Going back to John's point about "reinventing the wheel", the established codebase of C/ASM/PASCAL/ etc is so large it would take quite a time to surplant it with modern languages. But that's just "technique" isn't it? The code would need recomiling for any new CPU platform. While Intel keeps backward compatibility, PC code is safe-ish. For embedded environments, with different CPUs C/C++ is so compact it's still the language of choice.
Nigel
- Mon Jan 30 14:52:13 2006

 Ha! Cheers Kev. That's a "don't" for me then!! :)) Bring back punch-cards, I say!! By the way Kev, I'm "keeping" my old language style (call me a luddite!!) and will try Visual Basic Express NET 2005. I was working through some C# examples (at c-sharpcorner) and it's hard to see any similarity with C/C++ at all. (I'm a novice remember!) Looked very BASIC to me. I might cause a ruction and petition for a return to GOTO !!! :))))
Nigel
- Mon Jan 30 14:17:29 2006

 to quote Jimmy- "Theres no such thing as a black art in programming, you either understand it or you don't" - or something like that!
Kev
- Mon Jan 30 13:11:34 2006

 In a nutshell then, we *do* need all these diverse languages to keep us rolling. And driver coding is one of those black-arts you really need blinkers to do properly otherwise you only code for a given set of circumstances? Hmmm. All food for thought. I kinda hope C/C++ and their ilk still have a place. Raw code is "sexy" isn't it? I remember once getting a C compiler which came without basic functions like printf - you were expected to code them yourself!! :))
Nigel
- Mon Jan 30 12:57:36 2006

 OS and drivers should be a snug fit with the hardware and be able to exploit hardware features that are not needed. Business applications have no need to be so close to the silicon. I think that the memory management is a side issue. The key point is the compilation to IL. With all the platform benefits this brings. When mono (see http://www.mono-project.com/ ) becomes a little more mature, .Net will gain more popularity. Choose the right language for the right job!
dsp
- Mon Jan 30 12:46:09 2006

 Sorry, this message was too big.
dsp
- Mon Jan 30 12:45:57 2006

 ... which it kind-of is. It only remains portable if your have the source-code though- which is true of practically any portable language. Including .NET. Have you ever used ILDASM to uncompile your .NET apps? It's frightening *how* close to raw source-code the IL actaully is (comments and all!). Which is another reason why it's not been universally taken-up. Of course.
Jimmy
- Mon Jan 30 12:44:05 2006

 Another good reason then to help C/ASM back to the fore, or maybe why they could not completely go away. I suppose there are BCD data-types in .NET that are pure ASM which can be run on the fly, so perhaps that's where the integer math comes in. For me "C" was always taught as "portable-assembler" anyway.
Nigel
- Mon Jan 30 12:39:42 2006

 No rounding errors!!! So bang goes that idea for a nice fraud!!! (What? You mean someone already tried that??!! Rats!!)
Nigel
- Mon Jan 30 12:33:08 2006

 I believe most financial software isn't high-level at all- largely on the grounds that it doesn't use floating-point maths. I believe that the data-types used are invariably BCD, so there are never any rounding errors between decimal/binary.
Jimmy
- Mon Jan 30 12:19:56 2006

 a .NET framework sounds ideal (as did COBOL/FORTRAN many years ago) and a common "Studio" framework sounds an ideal place to do it. I wouldn't trust a financial calculation to my ASM coding, and a high-level language would be much safer.
Nigel
- Mon Jan 30 11:20:37 2006

 Well I'm looking forward to Windows Vista, but I hope there's not a JIT system at it's core!! What I was always taught was that all computer programs are MC (machine code = addresses, instructions, pointers, stacks etc) for which ASM is a long-hand version. Making a low-level language into a high-level (i.e easily programmable one) inevitably adds redundancy and unwanted layers. I'm surprised if core DX9 is .NET and JIT. For banking and business applications...
Nigel
- Mon Jan 30 11:15:53 2006

 Also, Windows Vista will run on a .NET core, so Microsoft have said that there will be more power handed to the .NET platform. Whether this is true remains to be seen.
Rob Lang
- Mon Jan 30 11:09:30 2006

 ... I believe and probably why .net has the most trouble being accepted by traditional c++ programmers. However the latest DX9 has can be run from .net, Microsoft have wrapped all the call in managed to unmanaged conversions, and I supspect any new derivations will have this too.
Kev
- Mon Jan 30 11:05:55 2006

 ...Accessing the core components of a system like device drivers etc is the real problem with dot net - you need to do this with Managed C++ a sort or hybrid which can sit between managed and unmanaged code and used marshelling and convertion protocols to move data into and out of the dotnet framework. This is the most controversial bit
Kev
- Mon Jan 30 11:05:44 2006

 ....and run it on Linux Mono with no effort. Also If you write a component in C# but you want to access it from your vb.net GUI this is no problem, the MSIL exports the prototypes for the class definitions etc for you so you just 'reference' the assembly and hey-presto it will work.
Kev
- Mon Jan 30 11:05:33 2006

 ...is JIT compiled, this means that as a section of the code is required to run, its compiled into native code i.e. x86 assembler and executed just-in-time, once compiled it stays compiled. You code runs on top of all this. As to the APIs- in dot net the underneath framework is in MSIL ( microsoft intermediate language ) and when you compile your program it is actually an Assembly, not a binary so it cannot run without the framework, however this means you can pick up your assembly
Kev
- Mon Jan 30 11:05:25 2006

 Nigel: the dotnet compilers are written in c++, the mono project for linux is gcc - so underneath they are unmanaged code. Of course the frameworks are developed in c#, this is the largest part of the sytem, then you have the interop sections that allow the managed code to interface to the unmanged dlls and com components. And don't forget .net
Kev
- Mon Jan 30 11:05:11 2006

 Sorry, this message was too big.
Kev
- Mon Jan 30 11:05:00 2006

 Robs absolutely right about maintaining old code bases, its nearly impossible to get someone in to fix old c code, no doubt you have to get in expensive contracters( or make a permy unhappy if its a long job )? Also John is right about the oodles of C++ codebase out there atm, whos going to be fixing all that in the future ? Most 'New' developers are wanting to use new fangled languages and see C++ as slow to develop and clumsy ( thats my word for it anyway )
Kev
- Mon Jan 30 10:47:42 2006

 With any software comparisons, it's always best to fit the application. However, we have a system written in C that is impossible to maintain. The cost to business is huge because any small change to it means hours of work.
Rob Lang
- Mon Jan 30 10:36:51 2006

 Indeed- you could certainly media code in .NET, but you'd be mad to. I suspect that any sensible production version of audio/video code is hand-crafted in assembler (or certainly contains a fir chunk of it).
Jimmy
- Mon Jan 30 09:27:35 2006

 Travis: Sounds like prohibition!! Do they also ban the teaching of evolutionary theory in Lubbock?
Nigel
- Mon Jan 30 09:21:56 2006

 For all you guys who are true "Pros" (meant as a compliment - nothing else!) I see the advantages of .NET, but I have to ask what language the APIs and frameworks are written in? For example, most BASIC compilers have been written in C/C++, so at this level I can see where John's view is coming from. MS write OS and runtimes as a big part of the business. Doesn't "media" need code-critical components to run efficiently?
Nigel
- Mon Jan 30 09:09:54 2006

 Morning! So now.... As I used to programme assembler (a long time ago and 8/16bit only - I can't handle such big hex-numbers and off-sets as 32/64-bit!!), I can appreciate that critical code is faster if written in such, or C/C++, .NET and ED languages do sound good as rapid-development languages - as COBOL and FORTRAN used to be I guess. My brain-set is probasbly rooted in "flow" with the odd object! I tried JAVA but sadly failed...
Nigel
- Mon Jan 30 09:05:47 2006

 Well, I reckon it's about time I stick my oar in: If you want run-time performance, go for C++. If you weant development-time performance, then go for .NET! Sadly, I fear that C++ will never be rapid to develop, and non-compiled languages will never run at a decent speed!
Jimmy
- Mon Jan 30 08:47:22 2006

 Having helped one compnay move a monolithic C/C++/Syntel system over into .NET, I think the days of unmanaged code are numbered. John, you got a job in a monolith of a company doing C++, interview processes are about personality - nothing to do with a range of languages. Speaking for the banking industry (a rather rich one), they want to move to a code base that is more manageable. The .NET framework allows you to do that because it take away a fair amount of coding and does it for you. This leaves the code that remains easier to read. Furthermore, Java/C# .NET (pretty much the same thing) facilitates rapid prototyping and extreme programming, both paradigms that the western coding industry is having to take on board to survive the sudden glut of Indian/Chinese coding firms. I'm sure FORTRAN and COBOL programmers had once suggested that their languages were safe but having been on the job hunt recently, it's C# .NET that people want. C++ is only required for reading the old systems and turning them into managed code. I think you're the exception, John. You've managed to get a job with a large software company that can afford to write in legacy code base.

I also think there is an issue about being close minded. If you've never written a line of Java, how do you know that it's not all people think it is? If you've never had to use .NET/Java in anger, how can you possibly say that C++ is NOT on the way out? Sounds like head-in-the-sand to me.
Rob Lang
- Mon Jan 30 07:47:00 2006

 you should look at java and c# john, just to get an insight to something different, horses for courses again! why use c or c++ if another language is better/easier? - just for the hell of it? sounds like closed mindedness to me and thats odd coming from a try-anything-once guy like you!
kev
- Mon Jan 30 00:52:16 2006

 whoops pda crashed - java is quite popular - but i would say these managed languages are very suitable for top layer dev, i.e web stuff too
kev
- Mon Jan 30 00:48:22 2006

 Licsensing is a pain. Being entrepreneurial (I may have made up that word), I was looking into an alcohol delivery business. It turns out that the laws in Lubbock (very religious) make it nearly impossible. I'd also likely be killed by the local "big man" who seemingly owns the town, but it might be worth it for the money for the brief duration of my life.
Travis
- Mon Jan 30 00:47:05 2006

 Java - yea, and what of it? Yet again, I've never written a line of it, and that certainly hasn't dented my ability to get a job! I don't want to sound like a complete cynic, it's not that I'm a die hard C fan or anything, I'm just being realistic. With the industry in the state it is in, with so much of an existing code base, it isn't really in a position to make any big changes.
John
- Mon Jan 30 00:45:28 2006

 Linux is probably the exception there - no doubt some weirdo has already written a Linux kernel in managed code to run on a calculator at sub-zero temperatures on high speed trains in Swedish, upside-down and is mushroom flavoured, etc.
John
- Mon Jan 30 00:42:56 2006

 java
kev
- Mon Jan 30 00:41:52 2006

 At the risk of sounding like that bloke who said he can only imagine five computers ever being sold in the whole world, I really can't see this future of managed code taking over everything that Kev seemed to be spelling out. The huge codebases of C and C++ are not about to be slung out by the big software companies of the world, that basically only really make their money by maintaining these now. Take Windows for example - interop is massively important, and as apparently it is the biggest software project in the world, the manpower simply does not exist to throw it all away and write it again from scratch. The same is true of any big OS - Linux, Solaris, whatever. I'm not saying I can't see the big benefits of managed code, and that it will take a significant share of new software developed from now on, but lets be realistic as well - good old unmanaged C/C++ is here to stay.
John
- Mon Jan 30 00:33:23 2006

 All this talk of .net and managed code reminds me of those afternoons at my former workplace, where Kev and his co-conspirator Simon used to spend ages telling me how rubbish I was because I didn't know anything about .net etc, and how my skillset was all obsolete and I'd have a really hard time getting another job. Ahem. Well without wanting to blow my own trumpet, I have since passed what is notoriously the toughest interview procedure in the world (as far as the IT industry goes anyway), and at every step I repeatedly said I have no experience of .net, c# and so on. Apparently that barely mattered at all, and it turned out that a large part of what got me my job was my unique experience of digital TV, which, if you recall Kev and Simon, was what I said all along would end up being more important. Ha! Have at you!
John
- Mon Jan 30 00:26:23 2006

 agree dsp. its horses for courses, pick a language and spend time learning the framework. think of a simple project and make it happen- that's the best way to learn.
kev
- Sun Jan 29 23:52:04 2006

 And caffeine does help a lot! :-) Off to bed - night!
dsp
- Sun Jan 29 23:19:09 2006

 Hiya everyone. Nigel - I use VB.Net in anger and find it a super-duper language. One of the big benefits of all the .Net languages is that this syntax is just a small part. The majority of the heavy lifting is done with the objects provided in the framework and these are the same regardless of which language you choose.
dsp
- Sun Jan 29 23:18:49 2006

 c# vb.net and c++ are all oo languages of course, for me each has its own place to be used in different situations. learning the syntax of each is quite easy - perhaps you should look at a patterns book, these are the supposed 20-30 design basics that have been identified - you can get a kind of overview of different techniques - using them effectively is where experience helps!
kev
- Sun Jan 29 22:23:58 2006

 nigel: interestingly, eventing is probably made much easier in dot net whrther it be c# vb.net or managed c++. actually, in c++ when you use virtual inheritance,i.e a method in a class that the parent object calls but the implementation is provided by you, this is really eventing But alot ore Convoluted.
kev
- Sun Jan 29 22:18:32 2006

 So then... I've been working on the "event-driven" model. Hmmm. Polling & interupt handling I can understand, but I get the impression ED programming is mainly a boon for OS's and media handling etc.? As an "event-cascade" sounds very like recursion to me, do I unlearn to relearn, or just give it a wide berth? Decisions! C++ suddenly sounds more attractive! Never even liked the paradigm of "objects" if I'm honest, but it sounds more flexible. Need caffeine.... :))
Nigel
- Sun Jan 29 21:51:02 2006

 actually I think its mostly the 24hr supermarkets that have benefited the most, pubs and clubs are just staying open an extra hour or two.
Kev
- Sun Jan 29 17:15:45 2006

 Kev: Yep, I have seen the news, shame that they didn't do it when I was living in the uk!! :P
Lox
- Sun Jan 29 16:56:12 2006

 as you now in the uk too! hurrah for 24hr licensing
kev
- Sun Jan 29 16:31:25 2006

 John: I think that licensing laws are only enforced in north european countries (and the us)... Also here in Italy you can get alchool at any time you like...
Lox
- Sun Jan 29 16:29:38 2006

 Yep Kev, it varies from place to place of course, but it's not uncommon to find places that open up to 4 or 5. As you might expect my memory got a little patchy around that point of the morning, but I think my last venue of the evening was a small Indian restaurant, which opened almost round the clock. There seem to be almost no licensing laws here - any old shack can sell beer, at seemingly whatever time of day they fancy.
John
- Sun Jan 29 14:22:39 2006

 so john, what did you do till 6:30, are the bars open all night?
kev
- Sun Jan 29 12:58:14 2006

 Nigel: Nice story, I can imagine you and your daugher trotting down the street! Did you buy he anything?
John: Bravo! That's my boy! I always used to break these rules when in Japan, if you conform too much you start loosing your spirit a bit (that's what I thought at least!) :)
Lox
- Sun Jan 29 12:11:42 2006

 Sorry to disappoint Kev, no great adventure to tell of. I did have a great night out on Friday, the trains stop quite early here - not long after midnight - so I thought sod it and just stayed out until the trains started up again the next morning. I got home about 6:30AM. Having become painfully domesticated recently - I spend my weekends choosing curtains etc - this little bit of rebellion was a great relief.
John
- Sun Jan 29 11:50:09 2006

 Yeah, sorry about that Kev (but thanks for the sage words!!) I can't offer an adventure - except my daughter took me into town today (she's 2). It was great! What was good was if she lead the way, people just moved politely out of our path, smiling benignly at her (mostly). Whereas when I'm alone people wouldn't budge if their wages depended on it!! Quite refreshing!! :))
Nigel
- Sat Jan 28 21:22:57 2006

 Yawn: today is a techy day, what we need is a hawkins adventure-story to lighten the mood!
Kev
- Sat Jan 28 21:03:15 2006

 Actually, in my experience alot of developers coming from a C, C++ background just don't get C#, the event driven stuff is much more like the VB, delphi languages. You need to switch off your brain then reboot in event mode!
Kev
- Sat Jan 28 21:02:04 2006

 Okay, cheers Kev I'll take a look at the O'Reilly book. (Why do they have all those odd creatures on the front? Why is a peacock so relevant to C# ??) At least MS offer the C# Express edition for free on their msdn site. Sad as I am I still have an archive of old C (and BASIC) code on CDs along with magazine snippets. Iteresting to see how the C stuff fits in :)
Nigel
- Sat Jan 28 20:19:39 2006

 Nigel: this is a good book to get you started http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0596006993/qid=1138478649/sr=8-1/ref=pd_ka_1/026-5341289-2260406
Kev
- Sat Jan 28 20:05:24 2006

 I reckon you should look at C# forget C++ and C it'll just confuse and won't get you anywhere - as for C#, collegue of mine used to refer to it as "Mickey Mouse", and compared to C++ it is, however once you get the OO stuff, classes, inheritence, private, protected public, events and delegates, threads( which is made very easy ) sussed, its actually a really powerful language that means you can concentrate on the design of your software and not the implementation problems that you get in other languages.
Kev
- Sat Jan 28 20:03:39 2006

 Thanks Kev. I'll nip over and check those sites out. I know what you mean about "real" programming in C++. I only ever went into any depth with ANSI C. I probably still have the original Kernigan & Richie reference here somewhere. I've steered clear of VB until now because... well some of those variables looked rediculous!! Still time marches on and I should "update" my knowledge :( So you don't think I could plop my old BASIC code into VB and it compile? :))
Nigel
- Sat Jan 28 19:55:18 2006

 nigel: have a look at http://www.c-sharpcorner.com/ and http://www.codeproject.com/ These are two pretty good resources, codeproject has some really simple howtos for using the windows forms etc there are c# and vb.net examples too ( more c# than vb.net )
Kev
- Sat Jan 28 17:30:42 2006

 Nigel I recommend you look at the c# stuff rather than VB.NET, I think that vb.net is nothing like the old Basic you know and love and will just be rather confusing. Personally I think that vb.net is a bit of a hash now since they bolted on the OO bits, sort of an evil cross betweem 'proper' programming(C++) and BBC Basic! Well thats my tuppence worth. Also the c# stuff will be easier to google for I think, since its more popular! vb.net seems to be more popular in ASP.NET.
Kev
- Sat Jan 28 17:26:10 2006

 Cheers Kev! Yes, I'm a bit new to "Studio" but I get the impression all MS Express compilers share some common framework - i.e .NET. C I'm ok(ish) with but haven't tried C# - I guess it's NET based too. BASIC is my "educationally enforced" language, while others were doing PASCAL!! So I thought VB - and a totally free version at that! - was a good place to start. I don't envisage big projects, just "keeping my hand in" etc!!
Nigel
- Sat Jan 28 17:02:53 2006

 Personally I would take the plunge and use c# I always delt vb.net was a bit of a compromise towards micro$ofts VB3/6 devs. Essentially you are using the framework libraries to access forms and controls or sockets or whatever and those bits are the same its just the calling onventions that change!
Kev
- Sat Jan 28 16:50:13 2006

 Actually, maybe dsp can advise here, since he( i think ) is a vb.net dev. I was under the impression that even though Visual Basic and Vb.net share the same name they are not particularily similar except for keywords like BEGIN and END etc.
Kev
- Sat Jan 28 16:50:07 2006

 Sorry, this message was too big.
Kev
- Sat Jan 28 16:49:58 2006

 Nigel are you talking about vb.net express, if so I will bash you round the head until your ears bleed! LOL actually I am using the c# visual studio express atm so I can play with dotnet 2. I assume the vb is the same as the c# its just the language enabled inside it is different unlike vs2005(8) which has them all.
Kev
- Sat Jan 28 16:46:01 2006

 Hello all! A lovely sunny day here. I've just acquired the free version of Visual Basic Express 2005. Any one know if it's a good intro to the language? Bear in mind I'm an old-fashioned BASIC progger - not used an MS variant before.
Nigel
- Sat Jan 28 16:36:07 2006

 Hi all happy wekend everybody!
Lox
- Sat Jan 28 12:55:25 2006

 Thanks, guys. It's from the Darkness song, "Dinner Lady Arms," which becomes all the more entertaining.
Travis
- Sat Jan 28 00:07:07 2006

 Kev: Ha! My son is always correcting me over that. I say "What did you have for dinner today, Tim?" He';; say "It was *lunch* Daddy. We're having Dinner now!" etc etc... :(
Nigel
- Fri Jan 27 22:11:39 2006

 Hi Travis: Is there a context? In the UK it usually means the ladies who dish-up at the school/factory/office canteen. There's also a famous sit-com by Victoria Wood called the same and about the same!! :))
Nigel
- Fri Jan 27 22:10:15 2006

 dinner lady is usually associated with schools, of course - dishing out the dinner at midday - unless your posh then its called lunch, and dinner is the evening meal instead of tea( Not to be confused with tea-break which you can have at anytime ) - at least that's how it is in my neck of the woods!
kev
- Fri Jan 27 22:09:22 2006

 Bah! Seems that it may be the equivalent of our "lunch lady" or "lunch aid"...
Travis
- Fri Jan 27 22:00:57 2006

 Terminology question: Is there some special meaning to a "dinner lady" in your neck o' the woods? Much obliged.
Travis
- Fri Jan 27 21:59:35 2006

 Dsp: Nice pick (the hat), it doesn't have anything to envy to the famous Mr.Lang Green/Black Mad Hatter Hat...
Lox
- Fri Jan 27 21:51:06 2006

 Eraly night for me too, went to see Match Point (woody allen), nice movie, surely better than Broadback Mountain...
Lox
- Fri Jan 27 21:50:28 2006

 Early night for you, mate? We're just getting sorted to go to the TUC!
Rob Lang
- Fri Jan 27 21:20:15 2006

 I am just now on my way home after a night out. I would like to highlight the time...!
John
- Fri Jan 27 20:53:59 2006

 Graf: you are my hero! These will come in well handy! I'll let you know how I get on! Mega thanks!
dsp
- Fri Jan 27 18:44:05 2006

 DSP: Are these any help? http://bohemiannight.co.uk/ipod/mini_iTunesDB http://bohemiannight.co.uk/ipod/3G_iTunesDB
graf
- Fri Jan 27 18:30:34 2006

 Time to go home. Have a good weekend everyone. Seeing No 1 son and future Mrs Lang tomorrow.
Mad Mumsier
- Fri Jan 27 16:54:00 2006

 DSP: Do you need different iPod's versions of iTunesDB? I should be able to lay my hands on 4 different iPods at the weekend (3G, 5G, mini and shuffle)
Graf
- Fri Jan 27 16:07:14 2006

 Well, at least I won't go hungry!!
Mad Mumsie
- Fri Jan 27 15:01:48 2006

 Hi Rob,
I've just helped your mum pick her hat for the big day...

dsp
- Fri Jan 27 14:49:34 2006

 Hi boys and girls! Does anyone have an iPod?
I am writing some software and need test data.
I need copies of iTunesDB from /iPod_Control/iTunes/
Can anyone help?
dsp
- Fri Jan 27 12:58:59 2006

 John: AH! THE YAMANOTE LINE!! :)
Lox
- Fri Jan 27 12:20:21 2006

 Rob: left a message on your mobile. Pleae all about tomorrow.
Mad Mumsie
- Fri Jan 27 11:35:38 2006

 Just to make you feel better mate, at least you're not working for a company that a lot of people think is evil...............oh.
Rob Lang
- Fri Jan 27 11:14:56 2006

 Not so Hawkins-San http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2370.html
Kev
- Fri Jan 27 10:36:28 2006

 I am now on the Yamanote line. This information will probably be meaningless to everyone but Lox!
John
- Fri Jan 27 09:56:24 2006

 I actually had a zaurus a while back, but hardly used it. It was a Japanese OS which was a little too much for me back then. I had heard it was linux based, but that must have been pretty well hidden under that evil GUI. I never managed to get within a mile of a command shell.
John
- Fri Jan 27 09:37:05 2006

 Well it is 6PM here in Tokyo, so I could probably now determine that the working week is done for me. It has been a bit of a crappy week here in the crazy world of global software development. Although this ought to mean I am filled with joy at the prospect of a Friday night and an impending weekend, somehow my crappy week actually seems to have drained all my enthusiasm and all I really seem to want to do is go home and go to bed!
John
- Fri Jan 27 09:05:07 2006

 No Nigel, it was a problem of a "motivational underflow" nature.
John
- Fri Jan 27 09:01:42 2006

 John: I was stuck behind a slow-moving tractor for a goodly part of the journey this morning... So I was cutting it fine. I take it your reason wasn't a late train? :))
Nigel
- Fri Jan 27 08:54:40 2006

 Wasn't that Sharp Zaurus Linux too? Never seen one in action. Hard to believe you can actually get a Linux GUI on a portable without a hard drive! I guess it most certainly *isn't* X Window!! Anyway, as a postscript to a previous note, my new PC connected to the wireless print server and my laser first time, and worked perfectly!! In the PC versus Mac debate, that's one-nil to the PC! :))
Nigel
- Fri Jan 27 08:53:06 2006

 Oh, and I am very late for work.
John
- Fri Jan 27 00:40:36 2006

 My phone runs Opera!
John
- Fri Jan 27 00:38:37 2006

 nigel: i've been using my dell axim x3i quite happily under wm2003, nokia 770 uses miamo, which you might have heard me mention recently. linux os, slightly scarey, but i think its got great potential as a unit based on open source. atm is has opera, give it 3-6 months imho there will be mozilla ff version. cooltastic. i would get one, but its out-of-stock!!
kev
- Fri Jan 27 00:01:40 2006

 Kev: It had a short but emotional life. It will be fondly remembered - NOT. Nothing but stress from day one!! That new Nokia looks pretty splendid, doesn't it? What OS is it? My PDA had Win Mobile 5, which I actually liked. (It was a hardware problem...)
Nigel
- Thu Jan 26 22:44:26 2006

 Nigel: Do you think your Pda is in silicon heaven?
kev
- Thu Jan 26 22:03:38 2006

 i have my eye on the nokia 770 webtablet. looks cool, and its exactly how i use my pda - Only to surf the web!
kev
- Thu Jan 26 21:58:17 2006

 Bad news. My PDA died.... Got an RMA so it's off back whence it came... Shall I get a refund or an upgrade? Hmmm... Let's see... :(
Nigel
- Thu Jan 26 21:16:06 2006

 nigel: so do i, however, i got a letter today from dwp saying i can get benifts till july(if nessecary) based on what i've contributed already. so in a way i am not scrounging at all, just getting back what i put in. well makes me feel better about claiming anyway. ho-hum off to the offy now for some fags and cider... Now wherd i put my baseball cap!
kev
- Thu Jan 26 15:46:25 2006

 Hi Kev. Ha! "Contingency plans are in place..."... er... not really! (Unofficial viewpoint!) Seems my figures weren't so far out - so I can be relied upon ;). Yes, there were over 100 call-centres - there will be a lot less, larger, contact-centres - they handle benefit claims to, which I don't. I sincerely hope hope your time with the DWP is short!
Nigel
- Thu Jan 26 14:14:26 2006

 Hmm so much for my keeping it quiet conspiracy http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4649110.stm
Kev
- Thu Jan 26 13:44:18 2006

 Nigel: Actually, just thinking about it, the Jobcenters these days are quite efficient - not sure if theres easy cuts to be made there. Being a 'Regular' now, I had to phone a generic 0845 number to make an appointment and everything seems pretty streamlined. A bit different from when I was last on the sausage 10 years ago, you just turned up, saw someone at a desk and signed the bits of paper.
Kev
- Thu Jan 26 13:38:58 2006

 Nigel: I just saw the irony of your statement that the DWP are the largest employers in the Civil Service and and now laying people off - presumably because they hired too many people and it costs too much - or perhaps they are trying to recoup some of the cash lost by some knuckleheads website that allowed people to claim benefits anonymously over the internet !!!
Kev
- Thu Jan 26 13:35:02 2006

 Lox: DWPs stands for Department of Work and Pensions. It is a 'guvmint' organisation so no doubt any closures or almagamations are being kept quiet ;).
Kev
- Thu Jan 26 13:31:44 2006

 Nigel: I see... Well it's always hard to understand what a single company is doing, maybe it's just something that is related to your firm. On the countrary I see that in Italy too all the call centers have been cut down and they seem to work in a big unit for more companies. The bad side is that the people are paid shit wages "by contact" (usually if the contact is not longer than 45 seconds, when selling services, they don't get paid for that phone call)...
Lox
- Thu Jan 26 12:37:24 2006

 Some of you had quite a chat about numbers, last week. The following link might interest you, but don't get too exited ! http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/further5.shtml
Sheri
- Thu Jan 26 11:58:36 2006

 Lox: Hmmm, makes you wonder, doesn't it? The longer I work here the wilier I get and am pretty sure I'll find something - they can't afford to pay redundancy packages from what I hear. Me thinks I should have stayed in the IT side of things - never was any good at chess! Kev: Time scale is probably by next election!
Nigel
- Thu Jan 26 11:02:34 2006

 Hi Kev. Well I originally understood 10,000 in the London area and the other 30,000 out in the provinces. The goal-posts may have changed slightly. The DWP is one of the biggest employers of the civil service so it's a prime target. Call-centres are all being "amalgamated" into fewer, larger "contact-centres" (note the subtle difference!).
Nigel
- Thu Jan 26 10:56:00 2006

 Nigel: Woooo that's pretty serious... I am sorry about your call center, I didn't know (probably I missed the discussion). It's not an easy period jobwise in Europe, but I am wondering about the fact that England not being part of EMU (the Euro), it seemed that things were not that bad in England after all, while now they are cutting employment...
Lox
- Thu Jan 26 10:52:51 2006

 30,000 thats alot nigel, all in the UK, phased in over how long ? What with manufacturing losing 25,000 in the last 3 months, 1,700 at Rentokil reported today - spells big trouble in little britain plc in the next year IMHO!!
Kev
- Thu Jan 26 10:27:45 2006

 Sorry... that should've been "deemed". What kind of example am I?
Nigel
- Thu Jan 26 09:33:44 2006

 Hi Lox: Job cuts. As is well recorded at the Maison, my call-centre closes in June. So I'm a foregone conclusion. Our lovely leaders deamed a reduction of staffing of around 30000 (I believe).
Nigel
- Thu Jan 26 09:30:56 2006

 Nigel: Striking for what? I have never experienced a strike in England in 4 years... :P
Lox
- Thu Jan 26 09:16:15 2006

 Morning all! Quiet night? Well we're meant to be on strike today... Sadly I doubt it would garner much public sympathy so I'm in... I've already been called a "black-leg" but I told them to stop being racist and that seemed to shut them up. Anybody got strong view s on stiking?
Nigel
- Thu Jan 26 08:54:50 2006

 MM: Well then you have to come to Florence! I am sure that Rob will tell you all about it after which you will feel obliged to come to this marvellous place! :)
Lox
- Wed Jan 25 17:58:36 2006

 Arse biscuits!
Jimmy
- Wed Jan 25 17:51:05 2006

 Tom - did you buy three of those PDAs by any chance?
John
- Wed Jan 25 14:50:09 2006

 Many years ago, I used to rush home from work in time to see Magic Roundabout.
Mad Mumsie
- Wed Jan 25 14:44:18 2006

 Time for bed!
Zebedee
- Wed Jan 25 14:01:36 2006

 Hello Florence!
Dougal
- Wed Jan 25 13:36:06 2006

 I've never been to Florence.
Mad Mumsie
- Wed Jan 25 13:08:18 2006

 That's easy Tom: The wifi signal has bounced off any fillings you may have. A combination of gravity and quantum mechanics means the signal is split into three - simple! No spam involved... :))
Nigel
- Wed Jan 25 12:49:41 2006

 Sorry about the spamming there.. dunno what happened. (Except that it's IE...)
tom
- Wed Jan 25 12:06:59 2006

 Mum, there is plenty of Europe left for you. John, Heathrow is a choice venue but was booked up by Mr and Mrs You-Must-Be-Joking. Lox, if you can get there, that would be great!
Rob Lang
- Wed Jan 25 11:51:27 2006

 My hair's fine thankyou! Now then, at the risk of sounding boring - and you may laugh loudly! - I'm enjoying being back on the PC!! I've also set up a "Spaces" bit of MSN for myself and am now exploring msn.com. Am I allowed to be enjoying myself so much? Really good fun! My blog is still very young, and some bits don't appear to work (posting photos and a profile) but I'm enjoying playing! :))
Nigel
- Wed Jan 25 09:54:56 2006

 ............................You don't call her !
Sheri
- Wed Jan 25 08:41:09 2006

 Guys! D'you know how to call a girl who refuses to give you a blow job ?.............................
Sheri
- Wed Jan 25 07:43:21 2006

 Lox/Rob: Only joking about our Florence trip of course - although I would love to go again some time. Given my miniscule holiday allowance it will most likely be quite literally a flying visit. On that note Rob, any chance of changing the venue for the big day to, say, Heathrow Airport?
John
- Wed Jan 25 00:01:08 2006

 Posting this from my Dell PDA using wireless. The handwriting recognition Seems to work even with my scrawl! hope all is well? have been Really. Really Busy recenty. !
Tom
- Tue Jan 24 23:44:59 2006

 Posting this from my Dell PDA using wireless. The handwriting recognition Seems to work even with my scrawl! hope all is well? have been Really. Really Busy recenty. !
Tom
- Tue Jan 24 23:44:45 2006

 Posting this from my Dell PDA using wireless. The handwriting recognition Seems to work even with my scrawl! hope all is well? have been Really. Really Busy recenty. !
Tom
- Tue Jan 24 23:37:03 2006

 John: If you are coming to Florence too and I am in Japan for my trip that'll be the shittest occurence ever!!! Pretty much like the one that got you to seattle while I was in Tokyo!
Lox
- Tue Jan 24 16:16:13 2006

 Rob: Mmmm I have to see the schedule for my trip (which hasn't been fixed yet as a matter of fact) I have a bad feeling that it might be around that time (of you coming to Florence)... Anyways let's see what it can be done. As for coming to the wedding there might be a good chance that I can make it, I have to go back to the office first though before being sure...
Lox
- Tue Jan 24 16:15:19 2006

 Rob's very quiet all of a sudden.
Mad Mumsie
- Tue Jan 24 15:19:40 2006

 Perhaps Cyberdad and I will come as well.
Mad Mumsie
- Tue Jan 24 13:48:49 2006

 Well- you did look awfully friendly with that one in your back-garden...
Jimmy
- Tue Jan 24 13:03:04 2006

 Jimmy - yes you've very clearly identified the potential grounds for ambiguity in my "second cousins" comment. I think I was referring to the Hawkins of The Darkness fame, however as this was clearly a fabrication I would like to amend this in restrospect, and claim instead I am in fact related to snowmen.
John
- Tue Jan 24 12:18:14 2006

 Maybe me and Chie will attempt to fit in a visit to Florence at the end of our UK visit too... I'm sure the last thing you and Kate want is to be left alone during this time, right Rob? Eh? Eh?
John
- Tue Jan 24 12:15:51 2006

 Rob/Lox - superb, a honeymoon in Florence! I couldn't pick a better place... So Lox, if you can't make it to the wedding, you can instead join in on the honeymoon!
John
- Tue Jan 24 12:14:39 2006

 Fabulous Rob - the 24th. Well efforts will be made here to enable at least me (and hopefully Chie) to be in England around that time.
John
- Tue Jan 24 12:13:27 2006

 John- the snowmen are your second cousins?!
Jimmy
- Tue Jan 24 12:12:04 2006

 Lox, will be flying out to Florence on Monday 27th and Coming back on Saturday 8th April. 11 days in total. If you can make it to the wedding, that would be great!
Rob Lang
- Tue Jan 24 11:09:51 2006

 Rob: Thinking of it, I might be in England during that period, that all depends on client's appointments and my knee, but in case I am there....
Lox
- Tue Jan 24 10:11:59 2006

 Rob: Remember to let me know when you are coming down here! Where exactly is the marriage going to be? London? Reading?
Lox
- Tue Jan 24 10:07:11 2006

 Whenever I see a car with wedding ribbons on it, my immediate reaction is "DON'T DO IT"
Mad Mumsie
- Tue Jan 24 09:23:23 2006

 Ahhhh! Splendid!! I'm reminded of that chant they used on the Gladiator's TV show "... bump, bump, bump, another one bites the dust..." !!!
Nigel
- Tue Jan 24 09:21:14 2006

 Nigel: Some scarlet woman has got her claws into my little boy!!
Mad Mumsie
- Tue Jan 24 09:07:16 2006

 Morning! Coo... interesting! So is that a wedding or a graduation ? :)) (Okay, so I'm nosey!)
Nigel
- Tue Jan 24 09:01:18 2006

 John, the plan over here is that if you can't get here, we're going to kidnap you.
Rob Lang
- Tue Jan 24 08:59:47 2006

 John: 24.
Mad Mumsie
- Tue Jan 24 08:54:29 2006

 Rob (or maybe Mumsie) - can you remind me when exactly that significant date in March is...? I want to test the waters a little in advance to see how the management here would feel about me taking a bit of time off, etc.
John
- Tue Jan 24 06:22:23 2006

 Actually they're my second cousins.
John
- Tue Jan 24 06:20:38 2006

 Sheri, sorry I haven't finished it yet, I'm a really slow reader and other things (like snowmen!) keep getting in the way... By the way, the quality is really good, a very professional feel to it (although I am obviously not an expert on the subject of course!).
John
- Tue Jan 24 06:20:07 2006

 Oh, those Hawkins boys. Not John. The fellows from Darkness. I've just bought their newest album. I'm not disappointed in the least. Love these guys.
Travis
- Tue Jan 24 00:41:18 2006

 jimmy: you should have emailed it!
kev
- Mon Jan 23 21:16:23 2006

 What an incredible Monday afternoon. It's only a bit chilly here, which is amazing as it's late January. Must now go eat lunch and read...
Travis
- Mon Jan 23 18:24:36 2006

 Not so flash you'd notice. Just very slow service, I fear!
Jimmy
- Mon Jan 23 15:32:22 2006

 Wow! Must be a flash watch, Jimmy!
Nigel
- Mon Jan 23 15:22:44 2006

 My watch strap has broken. Last time it needed any sort of repair, it had to be sent away. It took several months to come back :(
Jimmy
- Mon Jan 23 14:40:36 2006

 Afternoon.
Mad Mumsie
- Mon Jan 23 13:29:39 2006

 Morning everyone!
Lox
- Mon Jan 23 13:00:53 2006

 Morning all! Bit slow this morning? The Internet here at work has been down until about 11:30. Now, of course, we'll all bring the network down by all logging on together!! :))
Nigel
- Mon Jan 23 11:50:25 2006

 Sheri: I may have bitten off more than I can chew. I have only been able to look at the first few pages. I will at the very least give comments on what I can finish reading by this weekend.
Travis
- Mon Jan 23 05:33:13 2006

 Sheri: Not at all, I have actually finished it. I'll write you a mail with the comments so that I won't write any spoiler here on the board...
Lox
- Sun Jan 22 22:52:00 2006

 To Travis, Lox and John. Giving up the reading of the script ? Is it that bad ?
Sheri
- Sun Jan 22 18:53:10 2006

 Lox: I don't think I've liked any Ang Lee films. I'll see BBM, but I'll wait for video. I also hate Jake Gylenhaal. Sheri: Maybe just say, "Qualified for civil engineering studies via (name of test)."
Travis
- Sun Jan 22 15:40:45 2006

 GUYS. In my CV, I d'like to say that I got a certificate which acknowledges that I passed an entrance exam giving access to civil engineering studies. How can I phrase it in a few words ?
Sheri
- Sun Jan 22 14:03:18 2006

 Sheri: Let's say that I am in touch with the femminine part of me! :)... Well actually I was coerced into going by one of my friend's girlfriend. Needless to say that she was heavily offended after the movie!:)
Lox
- Sun Jan 22 12:56:31 2006

 Morning all! Hi Graf. In their way Apple are a very honest and innovative company. What irked me was the decision to change to Intel processors. I know it's because Intel have now managed to go dual-core etc. For me the Mac way of doing things wasn't so useful and I didn't find the applications as intuitive as others do. Perhaps I've used DOS/Windows too long!! :))
Nigel
- Sun Jan 22 10:11:38 2006

 LOX. Brokeback Mountain? Are you telling us there is a gay who lies dormant in you ?........................................ Yep, I've always known it !
Sheri
- Sun Jan 22 08:25:30 2006

 I genuinely find it easier to get the things done that I want to do with a computer on a Mac. But a lot of that has to do with the iLife suite, which is built around what my hobbies are - photography, making movies and making music. Which is lucky for me, but maybe not so useful for others. Nigel: What is it about what apple are doing now that you don't like?
Graf
- Sun Jan 22 01:37:17 2006

 Went to see the secrets of Borkeback Mountain... Didn't like it, it would score a 5.5 in a scale out of 10... The movie had a very nice photogaraphy but the story was a bit too slow and confused for my taste...
Lox
- Sun Jan 22 00:21:58 2006

 Well a quiet day, I can tell. Just back from taking the kids to McD's now it's time for Daddy to have a beer or two!!
Nigel
- Sat Jan 21 17:46:42 2006

 Morning all! Lox: I've been to your blog and left words of wisdom (ha! Don't you believe it!!)
Nigel
- Sat Jan 21 11:49:46 2006

 Ciao everyone... I need some advice from you all see my last post on the blog.. Thanks for helping! :)
Lox
- Sat Jan 21 02:00:11 2006

 Have a good weekend everyone.
Mad Mumsie
- Fri Jan 20 16:46:35 2006

 Good points dsp!! Very true! As for my move from MacOSX I can reveal to any who wonder (sorry about this bit Graf!!) ... that OSX is "different" in a lot of respects but certainly not actually "better". People like wearing "badges", don't they? "Mine's better than yours" etc. I love the hardware scope of Wintel. I mean look at what Apple are doing now! I lost all respect for them... Sorry...
Nigel
- Fri Jan 20 12:57:03 2006

 As for their ability to compete with MS on the desktop, I don't think they are quite there yet. The fact that you, Nigel, have moved away from MacOS is very telling! People always go on about StarOffice, but that is only a fit competitor for Office 97, and people expect more.
dsp
- Fri Jan 20 12:48:52 2006

 I see linux and their ilk as providing a much needed poke at the industry which would otherwise have silly prices. I think that one of their main achievements is lowering the cost of doing business online. If you look at many recent startups, they are built on open source which keeps their costs down and allows they to scale very effectively.
dsp
- Fri Jan 20 12:46:38 2006

 Controvertial bit: I can't see open source going anywhere useful. Unless you're a massive company with spare cash, how does anyone meet a deadline producing Os components? By good will, nothing more. Plus there will forever be people/companies claiming they wrote such-and-such code first and sueing the pants off you. However I hate software patents. All of use use similar prog algorthyms - no one should own one unless truly unique ... :)))
Nigel
- Fri Jan 20 12:29:34 2006

 Welll, as I said, I think the OS will become invisible- so "Clunky apps" will not be an issue. You can currently buy a box with no GUI at all, give it a power-supply and plug the other end into your home-ethernet. It appears on your network as a simple server, with a big, shared disc-drive. Where is the OS? Whas OS does it run? Who cares?
Jimmy
- Fri Jan 20 12:26:34 2006

 lol, Johnny need to add threads !
Kev
- Fri Jan 20 12:25:05 2006

 Sorry Kev: didn't mean to exclude you - our messages crossed...
Nigel
- Fri Jan 20 12:23:32 2006

 Hi dsp: Do you think that argument holds true for Linux then? I always feel the standard Linux xwindow applications are heavy, clunky, slow and pretty boring - third party sofware exists, but is muc hthe same. Or is the fact the OS is open source effectively taking it out of the "competitive" arena?
Nigelq
- Fri Jan 20 12:21:30 2006

 The problem is will johnny punter spend more money on this stuff - perhaps, in the UK at least, Micro$oft and a Satellite or cable operator need to get together - then things will really kick off. Imagine an Xbox360 with a LNB input so you can watch SKY in HDTV in your LivingRoom and being connected to Broadband so you can VOIP group chat with family/friends and have a fast backchannel to Sky for useful interactive content!!!
Kev
- Fri Jan 20 12:21:28 2006

 cont... So its Value Added Stuff where the money will be - i.e Downloading music, films, games, interactive content, VOIP. I don't think the OS is really the issue its the Business Frameworks that sit around the whole thing - Micro$oft have this in bundles and have lots of cash to set up the bits they don't have.
Kev
- Fri Jan 20 12:20:39 2006

 For products to suceed they need to make money. Developing a custom OS costs alot, so free (linux) or already invented( Xp, Vista for XBox360) are better... however most of these systems cost more to make that they sell them for. cont...
Kev
- Fri Jan 20 12:20:09 2006

 Sorry, this message was too big.
Kev
- Fri Jan 20 12:19:32 2006

 On the desktop, we are witnessing the commoditization of the OS (which is a good thing). We've already had it with the hardware. You can already see Microsoft shift its licensing policies to react. Cold standby servers are now free (they used to require licenses) and they have a Web Server license which a fraction of the price of their standard server edition OS.
dsp
- Fri Jan 20 12:18:32 2006

 Sorry, this message was too big.
Kev
- Fri Jan 20 12:18:06 2006

 For Palm, the battle is lost. The key success of an OS is down to the applications that run on it. It is not cost effective for application developers to target such a small user base. Microsoft will definately dominate the hand held OS market, its a land grab that I think they've won.
dsp
- Fri Jan 20 12:16:22 2006

 Incidentally Kev, talking about hardware using an OS OS, as an added argument, look at Palm. Their OS is basically included in the cost of the hardware but they are now talking about producing Windows Mobile devices, which means they're outsourcing the OS. They must feel the cost of developing an OS to go with specific hardware is too "restrictive".
Nigel
- Fri Jan 20 11:30:07 2006

 It'll be interesting to see how game-playing pans out. At the moment the boxes are mostly getting back up to PC size. And can play DVDs etc etc... (And I'll add iPods are too small to watch movies on (with my eyesight)) I like Windows Live because it works better than Apple DotMac, uses the same concept of XML widgets/gadgets. Outlook Live I'm not so sure about yet...
Nigel
- Fri Jan 20 11:21:39 2006

 Open source won't work - Unless theres money to made from the hardware - look at the Nokia 770 Web Internet Tablet - it runs maemo linux - selling like hot cakes, but who know if that style of system will catch on.
Kev
- Fri Jan 20 11:05:51 2006

 I guess from that, then, the market will diverge... People who want a flashy TV and hifi that can also control the central-heating and turn on the lights; and others who use computers for productivity at home (as opposed to horrible networks in the workplace)??? In my view (changed a bit recently - ah-hem!) Apple are a media company, MS an OS provider. Simplistic maybe. Linux is good for embedding but poor for end-users... so far... :)))
Nigel
- Fri Jan 20 11:05:28 2006

 ...and I bet you a squillion quid that companies such as Toshiba Panasonic and Sony have lots of clever people in an R&D offices somewhere in Japan making embedded OSes for little home entertainment boxes. Sony of course have PS3, but I think this will bomb as a home enterainment system because Granny and Gran Turismo 7 don't really mix!
Kev
- Fri Jan 20 11:04:19 2006

 Nigel: It is better, still walking "badly" (i.e. the leg does a wrong movement according to my physio), but slowly recovering...
Jimmy: I agree open source will win inthe long run as the younger generations will be more "computer friendly" it will be easier for open source to sink in...
Lox
- Fri Jan 20 11:02:54 2006

 The thing about the M$ world-domination plan, is that it's bound to fail. Basically, they're pedalling an operating system, but the OS itself is going to be irrelevant in the place they're trying to target- the lounge. It's possible that computers will end-up in TVs, but the computer will be invisible, and its OS even more so. What's the purpose of a pretty desktop-style GUI, if all the user sees is the on/off switch and a channel-hopping remote? If computers do ever take-over the home, then they'll be embedded, and Linux will probably win on the grounds that it's more reliable and also free. Media player? Who're you kidding?
Jimmy
- Fri Jan 20 10:30:36 2006

 Hi Lox! Well, going by the state of most parliaments these days, a media-player might not be such a bad idea!! How's your knee these days? Feeling any better?
Nigel
- Fri Jan 20 10:05:53 2006

 Nigel: APparently John is working on the "Conquer the World" project, where basically M$ destroys all parliaments and replaces them with media players.... Inrtriguing..
Lox
- Fri Jan 20 09:55:31 2006

 Morning...! So then... It's official... I *am* an old fogey!!! Right then, back to geekiness... Anyone tried the new Microsoft Windows Live Beta? Pretty good, isn't it? (Yeah, I know, having just moved *back* from Mac I'm likely to be lampooned... But I don't mind, my shoulders are broad!!). John: Any insider gossip about it you'd actually be allowed to let slip?
Nigel
- Fri Jan 20 08:51:34 2006

 Kev, consider it as a well deserved break...! Mine started about... well... 31 years ago ! :-)
Sheri
- Fri Jan 20 06:59:23 2006

 I am 30 by the way! :P
Lox
- Fri Jan 20 00:56:40 2006

 In fact I am sure that Travis, Sheri and Lox would all join me in this sentiment!
John
- Thu Jan 19 23:44:47 2006

 Kev, I for one have no qualms about a decent percentage of the UK taxes I currently pay going to support good folk like yourself.
John
- Thu Jan 19 23:40:52 2006

 Ha! Good man!!
Nigel
- Thu Jan 19 16:30:04 2006

 nigel; only been 3 months and i went for a fitting this morning.
kev
- Thu Jan 19 16:03:30 2006

 Kev: Is it really six months since you left Softel? Wow! Have you been for a fitting for your new elasticated-leg jogging trousers and baseball cap? :)))
Nigel
- Thu Jan 19 15:57:38 2006

 Today I officially became Dole Scum. I am now leeching off the hard working taxpayer, giving nothing back to society except ... err nothing! Oh well, must go down to the corner shop to buy five lottery tickets, some fags and a 2 litre bottle of Diamond White.
Kev
- Thu Jan 19 15:30:45 2006

 A good grammar book, you say? Look no further than Strunk & White's Elements of Style. It's in its 4th edition, is only 100 pages, is basically pocket-sized, and is amazingly useful.
Travis
- Thu Jan 19 15:22:54 2006

 ...er ... please remember I am not, nor ever have been, a web designer. Tom and Jimmy were very generous in their comments!
Nigel
- Thu Jan 19 14:40:29 2006

 Hi dsp: well it's "by" me but about someone else, though there is a page about me!! www.desmondbagley.co.uk :))
Nigel
- Thu Jan 19 14:36:49 2006

 Nigel: I didn't know you had a website, what's the URL?
dsp
- Thu Jan 19 14:10:04 2006

 True! I like to have that edge of "mystery" And, of course, I like to joke that I'm in my prime!! (You'll have to forgive my frivolity, but this morning's meeting was a bit of a downer. I also stood up and said my piece... Always a bad move... )
Nigel
- Thu Jan 19 14:01:12 2006

 Hmmm. 41,43,47 are all prime.
Jimmy
- Thu Jan 19 13:34:23 2006

 Mind you Jimmy, you might just remember from the visit to my web-site, about 18-months ago...! Or, realistically, maybe not!! Just been in a meeting discussing my team's "future" i.e. not having one as the call-centre is closing and moving many miles away :( I could perhaps commute to Telford... but there are limits!! :((
Nigel
- Thu Jan 19 11:45:21 2006

 Jimmy - it's a prime number begining with "4" :))
Nigel
- Thu Jan 19 11:39:47 2006

 ps I am 33 in March. Never mind :)
Kev
- Thu Jan 19 11:32:27 2006

 Lox: in a true mafioso stylee, why not threaten to set their swimming pool on fire if they don't let you in? Its a flawless plan! ps. I'm 27.
dsp
- Thu Jan 19 11:31:44 2006

 (Also- KN isn't really my cup of tea)
Jimmy
- Thu Jan 19 11:25:23 2006

 Nigel- you haven't confessed the actual *number* yet, have you?
Jimmy
- Thu Jan 19 11:24:57 2006

 Kev: Welll actually the swimming pools are quite full by the looks of it... To be honest a 1 year entry fee upfront is a blatant rip-off, at least they could offer a 1 shot entry fee.. As for swimming pools usage habits the side story is actually true, but only in presence of a german or japanese national in the premises. :P
Lox
- Thu Jan 19 11:20:47 2006

 Sheri: Yes, I like that.
Mad Mumsie
- Thu Jan 19 11:12:55 2006

 MM. Shall we say you reached an 'honourable' age?
Sheri
- Thu Jan 19 11:06:52 2006

 My age? Ooooooooooerrrrrrrrrrrrr. Can't even use the old one about as old as my hair and nearly as old as my teeth, as I was bald as a small baby. Let's just say that our wonderful government have been paying me a pension for a little while!
Mad Mumsie
- Thu Jan 19 10:44:44 2006

 Kev: at least you recognise when you've made a mistake (to and too).
Mad Mumsie
- Thu Jan 19 10:41:48 2006

 Yes, do that...! ;-)
Sheri
- Thu Jan 19 10:39:33 2006

 gaggghh i will shutup now!!
kev
- Thu Jan 19 10:29:32 2006

 doh, you see happened again in ladt post, ; instead of ' and to instead of too.
kev
- Thu Jan 19 10:28:53 2006

 sheri - i don;t own a dictionary or grammer book. i am just to lazy and rely totally on technology - i hope the power holds out!
kev
- Thu Jan 19 10:27:53 2006

 does everyone only swim at one end of a swimming pool in italy, then they all change to the other end halfway through the day?
kev
- Thu Jan 19 10:26:42 2006

 How about a good grammar book and a dictionary?
Sheri
- Thu Jan 19 10:26:34 2006

 pda=personal digital assistant, i meant the predictive text made me type bad english. "a bad workman blames his tools" - i know! ;)
kev
- Thu Jan 19 10:25:05 2006

 What's pda?
Sheri
- Thu Jan 19 10:16:00 2006

 Is one half of an Italian swimming pool unused?
John
- Thu Jan 19 10:13:43 2006

 sorry about english - pda is not helping much today!
kev
- Thu Jan 19 10:08:48 2006

 lox:i was sort of joking about the swimming, you mentioned going several lengths for kn. - but it sounds unfair about having to pay so much up front for swimming pool access is criminal ! i would have thought swimming good for exercising your knee shame you can't do any for free or small nominal price.
kev
- Thu Jan 19 10:07:44 2006

 Kev: In theory I can swim but the practice says that 2 weeks away from leaving Florenec all the swimming pools that I called asked me at least 400 pounds worth of "seasonal tickets" to enter the pool in the "free swim" period. I'll have to wait until I move back up north. :(
Lox
- Thu Jan 19 09:28:49 2006

 Travis: Thanks for the receipe!! Right up my alley-way! Gonna print that one and keep it until next summer...!! As for age... Oh, I'm so ooollldddd!!! You might have guessed previously when I mention my love of BASIC, DOS and assembly programming... C (without any +'s or #'s). A good reason to stick to a "Classics" education. A tech qual. becomes redundant quickly unless you constantly update it. :(
Nigel
- Thu Jan 19 08:56:35 2006

 Good morning everyone. Buongiorno a tutti.
Sheri
- Thu Jan 19 08:23:22 2006

 John, I thought you were a bit older as well (probably because of the PhD), but that makes sense. I think Rob's about 28, no? By the by, what time is it in your neck of the woods. It's almost 10 pm here. I'm translating Aristophanes' Frogs, but I'm about to watch a film to unwind for the evening.
Travis
- Thu Jan 19 03:49:24 2006

 More importantly though, what am I going to have for my lunch today?
John
- Thu Jan 19 02:47:06 2006

 Travis - I'm 28, although daft as it sounds I'm not entirely sure I remember correctly. I had you pegged as older than 26 for some reason!
John
- Thu Jan 19 02:46:22 2006

 Jimmy: Patrick Moore...?
John
- Thu Jan 19 02:45:13 2006

 If I may be so bold, I'd like to see how old other people are as well (ladies excluded, of course; that wouldn't be right). I'm 26.
Travis
- Thu Jan 19 02:25:31 2006

 What you were all awaiting: http://www.boston.com/ae/food/articles/2006/01/18/guinness_ice_cream/?p1=MEWell_Pos1
Travis
- Thu Jan 19 01:15:23 2006

 lox: can you still go swimming with your bad knee at the moment then ? ;)
kev
- Wed Jan 18 20:48:12 2006

 I completely agree with Sheri, she is just drop dead gorgeous... And yed I would go several lenghts to have some "free time" with her :P
Lox
- Wed Jan 18 20:39:40 2006

 Nigel- you twisted Keira's nipples?! Sheri- 32. John- Patrick Moore.
Jimmy
- Wed Jan 18 17:39:42 2006

 Ha! That's exactly what I did Jimmy! (The firewall here didn't let me see any rude ones though - doh!) Never heard of her, nor her nipples. I think I must qualify as an "Old-Fogey" too then... Oh well.. it had to happen I suppose...
Nigel
- Wed Jan 18 13:10:47 2006

 Ah! What wouldn't I do to twist Keira's nipples....
Sheri the obscene frog
- Wed Jan 18 12:50:09 2006

 Is it rude to ask your age, Jimmy?
Sheri
- Wed Jan 18 12:42:21 2006

 PS- what's wrong with being an old fogey? I certainly think I qualify.
Jimmy
- Wed Jan 18 11:41:53 2006

 I don't know who Keira Knightley is ... so I put her name straight into Google Images. The rude ones are very close to the top of the list, aren't they?!
Jimmy
- Wed Jan 18 11:41:12 2006

 I think I meant 'wearing' rather than 'where' then!!
Kev
- Wed Jan 18 11:26:42 2006

 I am not sure how Keira Knightly would solve Jimmys problem, perhaps she could distract the other drivers by where a spider suit, with butterfly wings ?
Kev
- Wed Jan 18 11:26:10 2006

 Does anyone have the telephone number of the Royal Society for the prevention of cruelty to animals (and insects)!
Mad Mumsie
- Wed Jan 18 11:25:31 2006

 Ah but Kev - the "butter-side UP" proposition is only valid in the northern hemisphere. I believe in the antipodes it's always butter-side DOWN. Fair enough if the racing takes place in the UK, I suppose. The baby spiders idea is a corker! And as the tensile strength of house-spider webbing is so great in relation to it's weight, perhaps it could be used to tether dandelion seeds to the bodywork, otherwise impossible using modern gluing techniques? The furry seeds would catch more dust...
Nigel
- Wed Jan 18 10:48:37 2006

 Keira Knightley is just gorgeous!!!! And -fuck!- she's twenty one! Makes me feel like an old fogey...
Sheri
- Wed Jan 18 10:36:58 2006

 on the capsizing problem, butterflies in a jar are only really usable once since they wil fly away. instead all boats should have a piece of buttered bread(margarine will work too) in a glass case. br3ak glass, bread falls out, buttered side is up voila!
kev
- Wed Jan 18 10:34:17 2006

 i agree nigel, moth dust would be a pain if it got into the air intake system. I am not particularly technical in this area, but i think th e answer is in baby spiders. loosely attach baby spiders to bodywork, as they spin fine strands upwards to parachute away(extra lift) the strands left behind will catch the moth dust. problem solved.
kev
- Wed Jan 18 10:30:46 2006

 Butterflies always fly up? This is new to me. Perhaps they could be employed another way ... knowing which way is up is often a problem for people in capsized boats, so maybe a jar-full of butterflies should be provided along with the life-jackets. And there's another one: cats always land on their feet. I don't know if this can be utilised in motorsport, but it can be used to make a very effective smart-bomb for the army: simply detach the feet from the cat, and glue them to the target. Next, strap a bomb to the cat, and drop it from a plane somewhere over the target. The cat will land on its feet- BOOM!
Jimmy
- Wed Jan 18 10:30:36 2006

 I don't think training butterflies to fly acrobatically would be a problem. Afterall they are only stupid insects. A carefully placed daffodil could be used as a lure. Depending on configuration they would fly in any direction. As for moth-dust, I've been working on the formula: D (dust) * AD (air density caused by venturii effects) = F * C (coefficient of altitude and number of moths)... Early days with this one. Can anyone offer a soultion?
Nigel
- Wed Jan 18 10:29:54 2006

 Ah, now we're talking! Moths! Trouble is all that "dust" - could get sucked into the carbs causing disturbance in the fuel/air mix. Has anyone tested the volatility of moth dust?
Nigel
- Wed Jan 18 10:20:45 2006

 jimmy: to get over that grip problem caused by the butterflies on the bodywork, you should attach ants(by their backs using super glue) to the tyres - that should provide lots of grip Since ants can stick to vertical walls) - also nigel-butterflies on the underside of the is a stupid idea because butterflies always fly Up
kev
- Wed Jan 18 10:02:21 2006

 True enough, wheel-hop can be a problem ... but dampers take care of that (hopefully). But I like your very good point that attaching butterfiles to the underside of the car might cause them to produce downforce. Whether or not they could be persuaded to keep flapping in a 200mph wind is questionable, though. Also, they might cause more drag then they're worth. Perhaps the use of moths might be better ... they seem more likely to last the race-distance!
Jimmy
- Wed Jan 18 09:52:04 2006

 Ahhh... But then you could be into "unsprung weight" whereby if the weight/mass of the wheel/tyre unit is high, unwanted bounce can occur reducing the cohesion of the tyre/surface interface. Whereas, using a butterfly attached to bodywork might cause downward thrust (if said insect's wings were at the correct AOA) increasing grip.... By the way, I have no idea what I'm talking about - I haven't had enough caffeine yet!! :))
Nigel
- Wed Jan 18 08:56:13 2006

 Good morning everyone! I think we've been making great progress with the mathematics... let's keep up the good work. Kev- butterflies are (I'm sorry to say) a dreadful idea. If you stick them to the car, they produce lift when they flap their wings. However, this doesn't decrease the *mass* of the car. F being equal to M times A means that you still need the same amount of force to get the car to accelerate (either ahead or around a corner). Also, lift is a *bad* thing ... because it reduces the vertical load on the tyres. The tyre forces are frictional, and hence proportional to the vertyical load (remember mu?) ... hence why we try to produce downforce instead of lift.
Jimmy
- Wed Jan 18 08:38:58 2006

 John. This might interest you. http://www.bbc.co.uk/cgi-perl/whatson/prog_parse.cgi?FILENAME=20060118/20060118_1300_18112_30354_45&tmp=bbc7/whatson/programme.tmpl
Sheri
- Wed Jan 18 07:57:29 2006

 sorry john, seems like i've lowered the tone of the board by talking about mutilation!
kev
- Tue Jan 17 23:56:04 2006

 sorry to bang on, but is anybody else watching ch4, they are doing live autopsy's. they just brought some dead matey in using a digger all wrapped in a foam block! and now they are cutting him up with a power saw. cool!
kev
- Tue Jan 17 23:53:57 2006

 talking of msdos- i remember spending 120 pounds on a 2x cdrom with an atapi card and my first pc a 486 dx266 with 32Mb and a extraordinarily massive 210mb hd. in '93 this machine could have taken over the world - only i was too lazy to take advantage ! - Hmmm i need a new fast pc to play with :)
kev
- Tue Jan 17 23:50:24 2006

 Well gentlemen, to summarise our "improvements" to the field of mathematics, it sounds like we're restricting it to positive real integers only, and I also see a building of consensus towards doing away with division. What we've got there is an abacus! Fine by me, I never saw the point in division anyway. The classic problem of how to split the cake between X people can be handled much better with subtraction and a pecking order. I.e. the most important person takes away how much he wants, followed by the next most important, and so on, until the least important person gets whatever is left over. In fact lets ditch multiplication too while we're at it, that's just a fancy pants version of addition for people who are too lazy to do more than one plus.
John
- Tue Jan 17 23:49:01 2006

 the days of small codebase is long gone, i am afraid, however .net assemblies(executables) are also quite small - of course you have to have downloaded the 20mb framework! good job theres only one to get - whoops - here comes .net2 ;) lol
kev
- Tue Jan 17 23:43:39 2006

 Evening all! Well, I've just been installing more Windows software on the new PC (this could get boring, couldn't it?!?). Managed to find a little freeware disk-cataloguer - a Windows app at only 58k (yes "k"!!) Hard to believe. It's a wee-bit "limited" but does what I want... Why reinvent the wheel?! In the old MS-DOS days, I remember finding a 3D CAD programme which compiled to smaller than the then MS mouse driver!! Oh what fun... :))
Nigel
- Tue Jan 17 22:48:06 2006

 Then, Sheri, you might want to change the sentence to conclude, "...to which I was alluding." I know it's a matter of preference at some level, but it certainly sounds terrible in the mouths of the unlearned when I hear prepositions tacked on to the ends of words.
Travis
- Tue Jan 17 20:14:59 2006

 Alluding 'to'! (Felt compelled to correct it, being a bit of a stickler for spelling)
Sheri
- Tue Jan 17 17:56:14 2006

 But yes, we could say it sounds like an Ethnic African roots type drama... :)
Sheri
- Tue Jan 17 17:31:15 2006

 Nigel. Ask Lox! Being like me granted with a Latin temperament, he is surely in a position to tell you what I was alluding too...
Sheri
- Tue Jan 17 17:29:57 2006

 They are particularly useful for very strong encryption.
dsp
- Tue Jan 17 17:06:34 2006

 I have invented "even-more complex numbers".
Here are the rules:
EMCNs are not divisible by themselves,
Prefer to be next to the number 3, and,
Cannot be used between 6 and 7 PM.
dsp
- Tue Jan 17 17:05:17 2006

 Sheri: Is that a DVD? Not heard of it before. Sounds like an Ethnic African roots type drama... :)
Nigel
- Tue Jan 17 16:52:23 2006

 I think we should make all numbers "imaginary numbers". Get a problem you can't solve? Just use an "imaginary number" Physicists have been doing it for years and I'm all for it!
Nigel
- Tue Jan 17 16:21:43 2006

 Yeah jimmy! hahaha! Had a chuckling geeky moment there. Can we also force the rest of Europe to make a kilometre the same as a mile. Would make life a lot easier.
Rob Lang
- Tue Jan 17 16:06:47 2006

 jimmy, have you harnessing butterflies ? Sort of stick their legs to the bodywork?
Kev
- Tue Jan 17 16:01:54 2006

 Yeah- and let's make a real, positive root of -1, while we're at it! That would *really* cheese-off all those mathematicians that have wasted years worrying about its (now unneccessary) complex roots.
Jimmy
- Tue Jan 17 15:51:25 2006

 Sending the Monster (Sheri Jr) to his grandparents. Tonight, kabawanga with Mrs Sheri...! Cannot wait!!!
Sheri
- Tue Jan 17 15:39:02 2006

 While we're at it, can we round down the square root of 2. It would make control theory much prettier.
Rob Lang
- Tue Jan 17 15:20:55 2006

 John- I've run a quick simulation, and I reckon that reducing G to 9.0 would be worth about 1.6 seconds per lap- which would be an astronomical advantage! The difficulty comes when trying to run our car at 9.0, whilst ensuring everybody else stays around the 9.8 value. Any ideas?
Jimmy
- Tue Jan 17 14:43:50 2006

 I was looking at the "cookbook" and it seems that the main page has be "deleted" so that there is no more link to the recipies... Tom something's wrong? Anybody has a clue on what might have happened?
Lox
- Tue Jan 17 14:21:24 2006

 Oh come on, don't be so picky Jimmy. I mean, would you miss that extra 0.80655, really, would you? What has it ever done for you?
John
- Tue Jan 17 14:07:35 2006

 From 9.80655(-ish) ?! That's not rounding, that's just ... well ... it's a bit like casting it to an int, isn't it?
Jimmy
- Tue Jan 17 11:46:44 2006

 Morning all! Lox: It's only 11++ here. Travel back in time to the UK!! :))
Nigel
- Tue Jan 17 11:21:05 2006

 Morning... (even if it's 12:00 AM)... :P
Lox
- Tue Jan 17 11:01:14 2006

 Will 9 do? I'm much more of a rounding down sort of person.
John
- Tue Jan 17 09:42:33 2006

 John- thanks for the update. I think it might make my job easier too, having a round value of pi. Do you think you could get G fixed at exactly 10 as well? Ta!
Jimmy
- Tue Jan 17 09:29:28 2006

 Jimmy, no, that's by design. We found it a bit difficult to implement, so opted instead to petition the ICA to change the rules of chess. We also managed to get Pi rounded off to 3 while we were at it, which made the maths a whole lot easier!
John
- Mon Jan 16 23:31:02 2006

 Rob: Thanks for the info, I was going to walk that path but it's nice to see that you think in the same way! :)
Sheri: Will send it soon to everyone!
Lox
- Mon Jan 16 16:38:32 2006

 John, Travis, Dsp: I sent the script to Lox. Thanks again for being willing to read it.
Sheri
- Mon Jan 16 15:58:02 2006

 John- In Mr. T chess, if you get a pawn to the far side of the board, it doesn't get converted into a piece of your choice. Bad show, sir!
Jimmy
- Mon Jan 16 14:53:50 2006

 Lox, for a gaming machine, I'd go with a single core (less expensive) and put the money into a really good graphics card. In the end, the Graphics card takes a lot of the processing away from the CPU and does it onboard. All the CPU then has to do is a bit of AI and keeping everything running together. You don't need dual core for that. Some future bits of software will make good use of the dual core (rendering does, although a Nigel rightly note, RAM is more useful there) but at the moment the speed up won't effect much else. I'd buy a motherboard that can handle both (like the AMD Socket 939 type boards) and uprgade in the future.
Rob Lang
- Mon Jan 16 11:51:52 2006

 What a grey day. Still off out for lunch with my brother in a minute.
Mad Mumsie
- Mon Jan 16 11:51:14 2006

 I'd go dual core but I need a cool and quiet system. If I were to update the processor in the future, I'd go for the AMD Dual core. My whole puter will be 700.
Rob Lang
- Mon Jan 16 11:34:48 2006

 Hi Guys! Thanks Rob - your project sounds pretty good too! Yes, I also like the idea of a quality case to put it all in. Lox: I'd follow Rob's lead if I were you. His spec is much better for 3D gaming and I guess the 2GB RAM Rob's gone for is for all that splendid rendering he does!! (Rob?) As for dual-core, yes, you're quite right. Parallel processing is how super-computers work, so it's a step in the right direction! :))
Nigel
- Mon Jan 16 11:33:20 2006

 Morning all! Nigel, great spec there. I am in the process of looking at upgrading mine to: 2.2 AMD 64, Geforce 7800GT and 2GB of RAM. In a coolermaster case. All the other usual trimmings etc.
Rob Lang
- Mon Jan 16 10:32:08 2006

 Nigel: Well I was planning to use the computer to play games as well, but I haven't quite undrstood what the dual core means.. Is it 2 processing cores in 1 cpu?
Lox
- Mon Jan 16 10:26:37 2006

 Morning all! Hi Lox: Well I went for single-core Intel Celeron because I *really* appreciate cool-running. Don't need dual core and 3D running is fine on the system as is. However I do only use 1024x768 display anyway :))
Nigel
- Mon Jan 16 08:51:36 2006

 Nigel: Dual Core or single core (AMD)? I have to do some research anyways but any opinion is welcome! :)
Lox
- Mon Jan 16 00:20:56 2006

 Erick, welcome! Any chance you might consider moving a bit further South?
John
- Sun Jan 15 23:43:38 2006

 Evening all! Well, continuing in my "nerdy" vein... dsp: Ay, quite right! Something totally for me, this PC. The other (Sony) is being used by all and sundry, so this new one is Nigel's Toy! Must say, these new Intel chips and the ASUS BIOS make for a quiet, cool system. Better than most I've had experience of. Lox: I believe AMD are faster, buck for buck, but Intel run cooler.
Nigel
- Sun Jan 15 22:23:33 2006

 Sheri: Lolita as in Nabokov's Lolita which was subsequently made into two films...the first by Kubrick. I've never seen the Kubrick version, though he is probably my favorite director. Strange.
Travis
- Sun Jan 15 20:53:30 2006

 Travis. Lolita as in Kubrick's Lolita ?
Sheri
- Sun Jan 15 19:33:36 2006

 Thanks Dsp. I'll send the script to Lox in about 2 days. Still need to work on a few rectifications.
Sheri
- Sun Jan 15 19:32:29 2006

 I'm taking reading suggestions. I have a short(ish) list. Working on Baudolino now and I have Name of the Rose and Lolita in the wings. I'm looking for books that will really blow me away. I'm hard to impress.
Travis
- Sun Jan 15 17:41:22 2006

 Sheri: Send the script along and I'll forward to everyone I can..:)
Eric: Welcome to La Maison! I hope that you stick along with us, Mexico is a great contry I definiately need to visit that place sooner or later!
Lox
- Sun Jan 15 17:06:26 2006

 Sheri: I would be happy to read your script so long as it is nothing to do with spanking Englishmen. Lox - feel free to forward to me :-)
dsp
- Sun Jan 15 16:57:44 2006

 Nigel: the new pc sounds great! Often I enjoy intense nerdy self-indulgences! Good for you!
dsp
- Sun Jan 15 16:56:11 2006

 Nice message, thank you Erick! I visited Mexico a couple of years ago. We stayed on the Yucatan Penninsula. You have a beautiful country and lots to be proud of! All the people I met were wonderful! I loved it!
dsp
- Sun Jan 15 16:54:36 2006

 I don't mind about spankings...
Sheri
- Sun Jan 15 10:18:18 2006

 I greatly prefer guest posts like Erick's as opposed to those dealing with talcum powder, incest porn, and spanking. I hope I'm not alone.
Travis
- Sun Jan 15 06:01:34 2006

 Lox: Let me see if I still have your email...or you may have mine from ICAR?
Travis
- Sun Jan 15 04:00:17 2006

 Hi Erick! Yes this site certainly is a good one if you like virtual tourism! They're also a very friendly bunch :) Well I've been "burning-in" the new PC (while topping up my personal tanks with Guinness!) and despite reloading vast amounts of software and updating it, the new PC has barely broken into a sweat! CPU temp at mo is 32-degrees C, motherboard 30. Pretty quiet too. Oh I _am_ enjoying myself again!!
Nigel
- Sun Jan 15 00:03:02 2006

 Hi Maison this is Erick Silverman from Mexico city i just watched all the pictures you have in your site, i noticed you've traveled almust from all around the world, ufff that's wonderfull, i did something like that in my last summer, i spend 6 months to visit all the United States and some cities in Canada, beautiful experience, and some new friends... anyway congratulations for all the STUFF you have in your web, bye, bye.
Erick Silverman
- Sat Jan 14 21:49:28 2006

 Well I'm back on-line with the new "Beast" - Up and running!! We have an Intel 2.93ghz LGA775 Celeron, 1GB matched DDR RAM, and an ATI 9550-256MB AGP card for graphics... Case is Lian-Li. And of course Windows XP !! PCI wireless card anda DVD writer, but not much else at the moment. Time for that Guinness!! :))
Nigel
- Sat Jan 14 21:25:19 2006

 Thanks Lox. I'm glad you still want to read it.
Sheri
- Sat Jan 14 19:18:06 2006

 Sheri: Marvellous send it along! :) I can pass it to John, Dsp, Tom, Rob but I haven'tt got the addesses of the others...
Lox
- Sat Jan 14 19:11:02 2006

 JOHN, TRAVIS. I'm currently rereading the script. I'm still modifying a few passages. It should be ready in two or three days time. May I ask you to pass on your respective email addresses through Lox? LOX. It's the same script you read a few months ago. But it has been almost entirely rewritten and properly finished. The draft I sent you was awfully bad!!!!
Sheri
- Sat Jan 14 19:07:45 2006

 Sheri: Send it along and I'll check it out, I am really curious!
Lox
- Sat Jan 14 16:49:06 2006

 Lox: My concentration generally is Aristotle. Right now, however, we've just begun reading Aristophanes' Frogs and we're reading Cicero. We also have a 10th century scroll of Plato's Philebos to decipher. It's the first time we're reading handwriting so it's a bit tricky. Nigel: I'm not 100% sure what you mean. Obviously, some Greeks didn't believe in the Olympian gods, notably Plato and Aristotle. It's tough to tell to what extent the polloi did really.
Travis
- Sat Jan 14 16:05:39 2006

 Sheri: I'll look at it. Maybe US English is sufficiently different that I won't understand it all, but I think I can judge the story content.
Travis
- Sat Jan 14 16:03:08 2006

 I will be happy to have a look Sheri!
John
- Sat Jan 14 15:03:30 2006

 GUYS. This mail is for all the regulars. I have written a script which I intend to submit to the BBC Writersroom. 1) My English being far from perfect, I need you guys to check it. 2) I need an impartial assessment of the story, and perhaps your suggestions. Would you mind having a look at it?
Sheri
- Sat Jan 14 13:30:56 2006

 Nigel: Might I ask you what did you settle for? I am going to buy a new monster for myself, but I haven't started any usual research on the several pieces that I'll have to get... For starters AMD or Intel?
Lox
- Sat Jan 14 09:55:33 2006

 Travis: I think that if you read an author through a translated text it's 100% insured that there are going to be some "interpretations", that's why I try to read all my books in the language that they were thought in, so that I don't have to mediate through someonelse's mind. As for Latin and Greek, most of the texts that I remember were wuite straightforward (not much space for interpretations), but the nice ones (Ovidius, Virgilio, Caesar, Cicero for example) are really hard sometimes. What sort of texts are you concentrating at the moment?
Lox
- Sat Jan 14 09:53:26 2006

 Ok, I've got a headache now and need a cup of tea! The new PC build starts today... Yay! :))
Nigel
- Sat Jan 14 08:56:21 2006

 Oooerrr! Morning!! I'm out of my depth here... :) Still, I'm going to have a go anyways... So then, Travis, do you have to ponder the bi-cameral mind prevelant in ancient humans which is suggested is the actual biological reason the notion of Gods talking to humans became an accepted "fact" From the viewpoint used then, there was no reason do dispute that the Gods of Olympus existed. Being subjective is a hard reasoning platform! :)
Nigel
- Sat Jan 14 08:55:29 2006

 I'm reading Goebbles' diary. That guy was really a crank who suffered from hallucinations!!! I'm being objective whan I say that. Judging from his memoirs, Churchill was much more practical, down-to-earth.
Sheri
- Sat Jan 14 08:11:25 2006

 I can't wait to move in a larger flat (or house) with a proper study room. Can't work properly with my son's cartoons in the background. Ah! I long for a world without mind-numbing television!
Sheri
- Sat Jan 14 07:00:25 2006

 One more thing, Kev. There are some terms that are so difficult for us to render that we really need to place it in the larger corpus of the writer in order for us to translate it. Actually, that's how we have Greek word meanings...by comparing it with other instances of the word. Sometimes, we have a "hapax legomenon" which only appears once in all the Greek we have...so we don't know what it means.
Travis
- Sat Jan 14 06:08:57 2006

 Kev: I mean, to some extent, that's true of us speaking English back and forth. There really is no guarantee that my mental concept (not conception) "cat" means the same thing as yours. That objection aside, many translators allow their previous interpretations of others to color their interpretation of a new work. It's inevitable. The idea is to read the things that, for instance, Aristotle had read. So we can see how his ideas were shaped and developed.
Travis
- Sat Jan 14 03:22:05 2006

 Thanks for the info, John. I understand that it's a pretty well-structured language. It seems very much like Latin and Greek in that respect. It would be far more useful than the other languages on offer...at least in terms of philosophical texts available in those languages.
Travis
- Sat Jan 14 03:20:30 2006

 Travis: this may be another dumb question, but can you(or anyone) really grasp what the original author was intending in their original texts, since is would be just your(modern scholars) interpretation(based on how you learnt the language, from certain books, so, following this thought, are their effectively different 'takes' on philosophical ideas based on how they are translated since no-one speaks ancient greek etc anymore?
kev
- Sat Jan 14 00:52:54 2006

 Most people in the UK learn at least a bit of German in school, but generally forget it all. It is a very well structured language in my opinion, which some people say makes it easy to learn. Obviously some similarities with English too. For example - es ist sehr gut - it is very good - you can really see a link in every one of those words.
John
- Sat Jan 14 00:49:29 2006

 Travis, well as Lox will tell you, Italian is just French with a few extra vowels on the end!
John
- Sat Jan 14 00:36:49 2006

 Lox: I'll let you know what I think as I progress through Baudolino. I also have The Name of the Rose to read when I'm finished. Then I'm going to read Lolita probably. Unless someone has a better suggestion.
Travis
- Sat Jan 14 00:07:23 2006

 Kev: It depends on your interests. I only know Greek and Latin (for old languages). As I want to be an ancient philosophy expert, it's worth it. It's a LOT more interesting reading a good author in his own language. There's just so much more you can do with Latin and Greek. English seems quite restrictive to me after reading a lot of the others...
Travis
- Sat Jan 14 00:06:20 2006

 Travis: Pendolum is great while Baudolino is not so good in my opinion... Still he's a great writes (Eco).
Lox
- Fri Jan 13 21:07:37 2006

 travis, would it worth learning an "old" language like ancient greek/mesapotamien/hebrew/arabic or something, so you could read the original texts ? or am i being a dummy and should just stfu ;) lol
kev
- Fri Jan 13 19:33:55 2006

 John: Japanese isn't on the list unfortunately. I'll have to brush up on my Spanish (which is pretty good) or learn German from scratch. Yikes. You're familiar with German, I'm pretty certain. Would it be more difficult to learn German or Italian? German would be more useful for philosophy.
Travis
- Fri Jan 13 19:11:26 2006

 Perhaps- I expect I'll be back to "Normal" by Monday...
Jimmy
- Fri Jan 13 17:50:44 2006

 .. although I am sure Levi would probably like people to not bother washing them and just throw them away and buy new jeans.
Kev
- Fri Jan 13 17:46:18 2006

 All I can say is Washing Machines and Electronics do not mix!
Kev
- Fri Jan 13 17:45:36 2006

 dsp: How daft are Levi? What a dumb idea. Will they entertain insurance claims when someone sits down and either breaks their iPod... or just breaks their, er, other equipment?!? Jimmy: Go man, go!!!!! PS is this what we might term an "Eddie Izzard" moment? :)))
Nigel
- Fri Jan 13 16:44:30 2006

 yes- but will it suit my lipstick?
Jimmy
- Fri Jan 13 16:35:20 2006

 On the subject of wearable computers, Levi have just announces iPod compatible jeans. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4601690.stm
dsp
- Fri Jan 13 16:25:53 2006

 Cheers Jimmy! Bedtime for me now...
John
- Fri Jan 13 16:20:38 2006

 Travis, don't I recall you learning some Japanese? Would that and French cover it?
John
- Fri Jan 13 16:16:22 2006

 (PS- you should see me in my high heels)
Jimmy
- Fri Jan 13 16:15:41 2006

 Well- happy drinking, Johnny-boy. Toodle-pip!
Jimmy
- Fri Jan 13 16:15:21 2006

 Lox: I think it was you with whom I was discussing my reading previously. I finally finished Foucault's Pendulum. Great read. Very sad. I'm now reading Baudolino. First chapter was very funny. Second less so.
Travis
- Fri Jan 13 15:52:42 2006

 Sheri: I'm going to have to greatly improve my French, most likely, for my PhD. For some insane reason, the joint philosophy-classics PhD I want requires Latin, Greek, and two more languages! Rob: You've got mail at icar.
Travis
- Fri Jan 13 15:51:07 2006

 Ah, I pity you all, not having the opportunity to be trousered already! The world seems a much nicer place from this side of my beer goggles!
John
- Fri Jan 13 15:30:18 2006

 God bless you Jimmy, I am on a very slow and dull train back home and your post genuinely made me laugh out loud. I got some very funny looks from my fellow passengers but I don't care!
John
- Fri Jan 13 15:23:41 2006

 And one Leffe for me, one! Mmmmmmm
Sheri
- Fri Jan 13 14:07:02 2006

 Fish net tights as well I hope!
Mad Mumsie
- Fri Jan 13 13:52:59 2006

 Wearable computers? Excellent! When will they be available in my standard attire? (No cardigan this time- today I'm in a black basque with suspenders).
Jimmy
- Fri Jan 13 12:10:43 2006

 The thought makes me realise how sensible I was to change back!! (Shudder!!) :))
Nigel
- Fri Jan 13 11:07:17 2006

 I desagree under a fashion point of view, a nice Mac is what you wear nowadays. It's getting a lot more popular here in Italy too, I wanna buy a DAKS MAC as a matter of fact... Onto the silicon bits, I am sure that sooner or later Macs will be designed by famous stylists like D&G, Gucci and so on... :P Can you imagine the D&G Mac with gold and black all over it? :)
Lox
- Fri Jan 13 11:03:14 2006

 Hi Graf: Well I used to "dabble" with AIX and SCO Unix but wasn't allowed to be too adventurous within the work environment. True, Macs seemed an ideal vehicle to delve... and I did... but as I also used to programme assembler for Intel CPUs - and Mac are heading over that way now - I decided there was no real advantage... Then of course, there was the constant bickering... Demands to be loyal to PPC I, I, I couldn't help being unfaithful... It's over!
Nigel
- Fri Jan 13 10:55:27 2006

 Sheri: I can tell you were hurt too... So much glossy technology, so little substance... ;) Lox: Good Morning!
Nigel
- Fri Jan 13 10:49:58 2006

 Well - Macs are ideal for me as a Unix head who got tired of having to constantly fiddle around in Linux to get anything working, but each to their own.
Graf
- Fri Jan 13 10:49:36 2006

 Sheri I thought you were talking about raincoats ;)
Kev
- Fri Jan 13 10:47:30 2006

 Mind you, I'm not talking about the Scots (could be misinterpreted) !
Sheri
- Fri Jan 13 10:44:39 2006

 Les Mac, c'est de la merde !!!!!!!
Sheri
- Fri Jan 13 10:42:47 2006

 Good morning anyways! :)
Lox
- Fri Jan 13 10:40:41 2006

 Ah! Macs... Even my friend Matteo who work in graphic design changed back to normal PC...
Lox
- Fri Jan 13 10:40:29 2006

 dsp: How are you? Hmmm.. I thought I was for a while... But.. what's the phrase? "I fell out of love..." It was a brief, passionate affair. But I was hurt too often... I'm a delicate soul... ;)
Nigel
- Fri Jan 13 10:00:04 2006

 Hiya everybody! Nigel: What's all this I hear about flogging all your macs. I was certain you were a die hard convert.
dsp
- Fri Jan 13 09:31:11 2006

 John: Yes, I must admit.. in a strange way it's a relief. Suddenly I know what's going on again... :)) Kev: Have no fear... I still have a few favourite Linux Distros hanging around ;)
Nigel
- Fri Jan 13 08:53:07 2006

 Funny you should say that Kev - a bloke at work gave me a boxed Acorn Electron a year or so back... Nicely made piece of kit... Sold it... rats! Well my nice new PC components all arrived yesterday so the weekend is now mapped out... Extra Guinness in too so I can officiate at the "topping-out" ceremony. :)) Oh, and Morning All!! :)
Nigel
- Fri Jan 13 08:50:12 2006

 Bonjour Messieurs. Comment allez-vous? Avez-vous bien dormi? (lesson 1, part 1 : Listen and repeat)
Sheri
- Fri Jan 13 07:41:25 2006

 nigel; ignore John, he's gone over to the dark-side - go for linux. Go on you know you want to. Actually sctratch that, Acorn Electrons are the future!
kev
- Fri Jan 13 00:12:29 2006

 Yes Nigel, that's it, come back to what you know. Good lad!
John
- Fri Jan 13 00:07:02 2006

 (Slightly inebriated) Macs 10/10 style - but I'm an old DOSer so cut me and I probably bleed M$. Adaptability, customisation and ease of use - PCs 10/10 !! :) Sheri: What will Steve think of us both? Kev: Wooo! I want one... !! Is it a gadget? Gimmee!!! :))
Nigel
- Thu Jan 12 23:20:49 2006

 Sheri: Wooooo don't get in there.... the argument could go on forever on the board, Dsp is a mac fanatic.. :)
Lox
- Thu Jan 12 21:12:10 2006

 you know Nigel, i hear that Atari sts are the new thing, i reckon you should invest large amounts of time and cash in networked Atari sytems. you could get a 2600, lynx....?
kev
- Thu Jan 12 20:53:43 2006

 NIGEL: That 's exactly what I did 4 weeks ago. I had enough of my Mac. It is utter crap. I really don't understand those who claim the contrary.
Sheri
- Thu Jan 12 20:07:15 2006

 Wel, as I understoof none of that... You might all be vaguely interested to know... I've changed back from Apple Mac to Windows XP again !! The rest of the family showed no Mac inclinations and 90% of my vast software cllection was rendered useless... I'm a realist and admit to being "duped". Sold all the Mac stuff on Ebay and am building myself a spanky new PC!! We still have this old Sony PC anyways... Think I need Guinness..... :))
Nigel
- Thu Jan 12 19:27:59 2006

 These two epigrams are from Martial. The first one says: "You are reciting (reading aloud) my work, Fidentine, but you recite it so badly that it looks like yours". The second epigram says:"Baccara the Rethic is showing his penis to a doctor, [who turns out to be] his rival in love. Baccara is going to be emasculated."
Sheri
- Thu Jan 12 18:07:48 2006

 I HATE LATIN!!! 5 years spent tryin to make sense out of it, and all the good stuff were the last sememster in high school.. :(
Lox
- Thu Jan 12 17:01:07 2006

 I don't suppose Google has an autotranslater for that ...
Jimmy
- Thu Jan 12 16:15:15 2006

 Curandum penem commisit Baccara Raetus rivali medico. Baccara Gallus erit.
Sheri
- Thu Jan 12 15:56:42 2006

 Quem recitas meus est, o Fidentine, libellus. Sed male cum recitas, incipit esse tuus.
Sheri
- Thu Jan 12 15:53:18 2006

 John: As for spelling of titles, its really depends. In Greek, it's Iliados and Odusseia. I usually see it Iliad and Odyssey in English. I've gotten accustomed to seeing certain spellings though, like Hektor instead of Hector. Interestingly, it's Achilleus and Aias instead of Achilles and Ajax. Very interesting...
Travis
- Thu Jan 12 14:51:59 2006

 Rob: It was actually for pretty many books. Most of them are crap paper backs that still cost about $25. I did get a large Greek Syntax and a Latin Grammar at about $45 each. The thing is, I can use several of the books for a long time...so I suppose it's not terrible.
Travis
- Thu Jan 12 14:50:18 2006

 Nigel, when the better half starts talking classics at me, I fall asleep. She's relentless, something must go in!
Rob Lang
- Thu Jan 12 13:39:52 2006

 Ha! I liked Sid James when comes out of a room having "dallied" with Cleopatra... "Pooer, oh pooer, oh, pooer"! :)
Nigel
- Thu Jan 12 12:41:17 2006

 Julius Caesar on an Aldis lamp???
Jimmy
- Thu Jan 12 12:31:53 2006

 So Rob, I have to ask: How do you learn a lot about latin while sleeping? :) I think any latin I know comes mainly from the film "Carry On Cleo" !!
Nigel
- Thu Jan 12 11:35:16 2006

 ROB. Ovid's Metamorphoses? Boring! Too long! Try Martial's epigrams. THAT is good stuff! Trust me!
Sheri
- Thu Jan 12 11:21:05 2006

 John, sleeping with someone (yes, Kate, not some brazen bit on the side) who did a lot of classics, got an A in Latin and is learning ancient Greek in her spare time, you pick up a lot. I've read the Illiad, the Odysee, some Vitruvius and I'm just starting on Ovid's Metamorphoses. It's good having the Mrs about that knows about what was going on at the time. Well impressed with anyone that can learn Latin and stick with it. T-Boy, that $450, was that on just 3 or 4 books? I've seen some of the ancient literature books get really overpriced.
Rob Lang
- Thu Jan 12 10:45:45 2006

 Sorry, this message was too big.
Rob Lang
- Thu Jan 12 10:45:38 2006

 Lox: it's because they are dirty people... ;-)
Sheri
- Thu Jan 12 10:43:32 2006

 Morning! Oh I say, what a high-brow discussion! I remember changing schools (and curriculii/ums) which meant I did 6 months of latin, 6 months geography... And that was it. Never touched on either again.
Nigel
- Thu Jan 12 10:27:12 2006

 John, Travis: Alexander and Troy have got as much Geece as I have... Practically none! And I won't start talking about the fact that mithology in Troy is all messed up... :P But I agreee that they were all tragedies (as in movies that is...)
Lox
- Thu Jan 12 10:16:09 2006

 Sheri: Interesting, the invention of Monsieur Bidet is popular in France and Italy, but the other countries seem not to like it too much...
Lox
- Thu Jan 12 10:14:32 2006

 That was quick! Feel much much better! By the way, who likes using bidet? I love it. Such a fresh sensation...
Sheri
- Thu Jan 12 09:34:36 2006

 Going to have a crap. I thought you might like to know it. 'Later.
Sheri
- Thu Jan 12 09:22:17 2006

 Travis, you and I are like the night watchmen of the board aren't we? Whilst the rest of them are all selfishly asleep, here we are keeping up the high conversational standards that the message board maintains by discussing greek tragedy! I liked it when dsp said a while back "the sun never sets on the message board" - it is in fact true.
John
- Thu Jan 12 06:16:33 2006

 I haven't seen Alexander, but did see Troy a while back - isn't that also a greek tragedy - "You take me out of my province there ", as Lord Holdhurst said to Mr Holmes. As you may know already Rob has read Homer's Ilyad (however you spell that) he is therefore infinitely more knowledgeable than me!
John
- Thu Jan 12 06:14:25 2006

 John: You're spot on about Greek tragedy. Another Greek tragedy is the recent film "Alexander" (also known as: complete crap movie despite a lot of good actors). I would love to dress as a Centurion. "What have the Romans ever done for us?"
Travis
- Thu Jan 12 05:44:01 2006

 So there you go Travis, when you begin to tire of teaching, there's some handy tips for how you can brighten up your lessons a bit - dress up like a centurion, quote Python, and pretend to be a robot.
John
- Thu Jan 12 04:35:25 2006

 My friend Leon used to teach English here in Japan a few years back. One day he got bored of the standard lesson plan, and told his students he was no longer Leon-sensei, but was in fact a new Honda Robot, who they had to give instructions to. The goal they had to achieve was to get him to make a cup of tea, but they had to explicitly tell him to do each thing, and he would do exactly what they said. It was good for picking up common language errors like "put on the kettle", with hilarious consequences...
John
- Thu Jan 12 04:33:34 2006

 Travis: when teaching Latin, do you adopt the centurion outfit worn by John Cleese in Life of Brian, and do the whole "People called Romanes, they go the house?!?!?!", etc?
John
- Thu Jan 12 04:28:50 2006

 ....and I'm presuming you made a typo there Travis, and meant to say "Late-in prize competition" - an award given to the person who is most tardy in their arrival.
John
- Thu Jan 12 04:25:51 2006

 On a completely unrelated topic, vegetarians are of course none existent in Japan, so I always struggle to find something to eat in the bento section of the supermarket next door. As an alternative, today for my lunch I attempted to derive a sandwich from first principles (bread, cheese, salad bought individually) and met with limited success.
John
- Thu Jan 12 04:24:12 2006

 Wow Travis - I doubt I could write any more than a sentence on any one of those subjects! Is Greek Tragedy about holidays to Corfu that went horribly wrong?
John
- Thu Jan 12 04:13:29 2006

 I should note that I'm not dead. I did, however, fall into a reclusive fit just before school started (today) in an effort to suck the marrow from the bones that were my holiday break. I had fun. Then I spent $340 on books today. I had less fun. My classes are: Greek tragedy, Latin prose composition, and Aims & Means of Classical Scholarship. I'm teaching Latin.
Travis
- Thu Jan 12 00:47:02 2006

 Sheri, can I suggest acid?
John
- Wed Jan 11 23:58:13 2006

 Well I am really late for work! Too bloody cold here to get out of bed in the morning!
John
- Wed Jan 11 23:53:52 2006

 good plan sheri, walk into the room and make an example out of the nice quiet kid - perhaps break a few fingers - that way they all know that if your prepared to do that to the well behaved ones then woe betide them if they Misbehave! lol
kev
- Wed Jan 11 19:18:10 2006

 It-was-a-nightmare! Had to hang a kid by his thumbs to silence the others...
Sheri
- Wed Jan 11 17:28:05 2006

 Sheri: Nice method, I will try it with my assisntants as soon as I am back to work... :)
Lox
- Wed Jan 11 16:35:18 2006

 Sheri, that's not romantic mist, it was horrible choking smog - apparently!
Mad Mumsie
- Wed Jan 11 12:00:16 2006

 Leaving now for an English class which I'll give to 8 years old kids. My teaching methods are very effective: if a kid doens't get the exercise, I grab his head by the hair and smash it on the black board...
Sheri
- Wed Jan 11 11:35:25 2006

 Actually, I'm experiencing something like that too. Alison got me the DVDs of "The Singing Detective" for Christmas, which I've been watching over the last week or so. Much of it is set in the 30s-40s ... London is always dark and murky, with these detective characters hanging around looking dodgy. Very atmospheric. Very strange series.
Jimmy
- Wed Jan 11 11:32:13 2006

 Nothing "Odd" about Sherlock and Jeremy. For me he was the best! I have a couple of DVDs but couldn't afford the whole set!! Which Watson do you prefer?
Nigel
- Wed Jan 11 11:25:52 2006

 JOHN. You forgot to mention London's mist in your enumeration. Know what? I think I'm traversing the same phase. Except that, for me, it's more like the late thirties, early forties. Churchill, Eden, Wavel, Lord Beaverbrook, etc... LOX. I believe we produce Fois gras from ducks in Belgian. But it is not as developped as it is in the south-west of France
Sheri
- Wed Jan 11 11:02:13 2006

 Sheri - I have slightly oddly bought the Complete Sherlock Holmes - the DVD set of the TV series with Jeremy Brett as Holmes. It is one of my phases... I just like the atmosphere of it all, gaslight, Victorian ladies and gentlemen with good manners, no computers, horses and carriages, an altogether simpler time when smoking and drinking were not considered bad for you. Marvellous.
John
- Wed Jan 11 10:51:40 2006

 Jimmy: I thought you were going to say that you and all your mates dressed up as robots and spacemen except for one silly sod who insisted that in the year 2000 everyone would be wearing t-shirts and jeans ;)
Kev
- Wed Jan 11 10:51:01 2006

 Sheri: AHA! I got you SIRE! I had a feeling that it might have been you. As for Belgian things, I usually get chocolates and liver pate from Belgium. Is Belgium famous for Fois gras as well?
Lox
- Wed Jan 11 10:45:43 2006

 Sorry, I meant 'John'. Johan is one of the main characters in the script I'm writting.
Sheri
- Wed Jan 11 10:17:52 2006

 John, Kev- no beard or sandals yet. In fact, my cardigan phase seems to have past, and I've reverted to jeans & T-shirt ... pretty much as John predicted in his school-days. However, I feel compelled to mention a specific incident from my educational years : we had a non-uniform day at school, so everybody turned up in their normal clothes. Except one poor kid, who'd got the wrong idea, and though it was a fancy-dress day. He was dressed as a cowboy. Hat, boots, dangly-leather-trim on his trousers. Nobody talked to him- he just stood there looking miserable.
Jimmy
- Wed Jan 11 10:17:29 2006

 BELGIAN CHOCOLATES Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Mad Mumsie
- Wed Jan 11 10:17:08 2006

 What did you order, Johan ?
Sheri
- Wed Jan 11 10:14:04 2006

 The DVDs I ordered the other day from Amazon UK just arrived - actually I think they got here yesterday, but I wasn't in, and the box was too big to fit through the silly little slot. I guess that wasn't bad in the end - just over a week to get from the UK to Japan.
John
- Wed Jan 11 10:03:42 2006

 Good bargain, cose with the kingdom you would inherit debts...
Sheri
- Wed Jan 11 09:42:25 2006

 Ah, the good old greasy flemish frite!!!! MY KINGDOM FOR A CONE OF FLEMISH FRIES!!!
Sheri
- Wed Jan 11 09:41:27 2006

 Belgian beer with some frites and some mildly suspicious dipping sauce. Mmmmm!
John
- Wed Jan 11 09:29:51 2006

 I saw the word Belgian there and couldn't read any further, my mind was all filled up with thoughts of lovely, lovely beer. Mmmmm...
John
- Wed Jan 11 09:24:12 2006

 You don't frighten me, Belgian, Pig Dog!
Rob Lang
- Wed Jan 11 09:11:16 2006

 Er... Good morning all! Well, er... Ummm... Coffee..... :|
Nigel
- Wed Jan 11 08:38:07 2006

 SHERI ZE MEAN BELGIAN FROG HAS STRUCK AGAIN!!!! AH AH AH AH (demoniac laugh)!
Sheri a.k.a. Ze Machavellian Frog
- Wed Jan 11 06:22:17 2006

 John: No prob I don't mind as long as is not that Troll that used to pester this board... :)
Lox
- Wed Jan 11 06:00:18 2006

 Lox, nothing absolutely conclusive in the IP log, so I guess it is most likely a typo from one of the regulars (not me though!).
John
- Wed Jan 11 04:44:48 2006

 You will be interested to know that I have NOT written the comment below... It must have been someonelse... I never use that type of emoticons, they are longer to write and I quite hate them... AHA! Someone is trying to copy me... who might he/her be? Dsp/John/Rob any chance to check the IP for some investigations?
Lox
- Wed Jan 11 00:31:43 2006

 When I was at high school around 1989, we had one of those non uniform days, the theme being how people will dress in the year 2000. My classmates were not that clever, and came in all sorts of robot costumes and spacemen outfits. I on the other hand asserted that, by and large, people would still be wearing jeans and T-shirts. I believe I was in fact right, then.
John
- Tue Jan 10 23:53:55 2006

 Lox's variant of that classic Pythonian cussing is certainly new to me at least, but I for one prefer it!
John
- Tue Jan 10 23:32:43 2006

 ok.not sure if thats a typo or a reference to a past event! ;)
kev
- Tue Jan 10 19:32:34 2006

 I fart in your genital direction :-p
Lox
- Tue Jan 10 18:01:18 2006

 unfortunately rob, i am afraid John won't burn particularly well due to him being a veggie. although knowing John he will do his best to put on a good show!
kev
- Tue Jan 10 17:25:59 2006

 Anoraks should be torched. If John's still wearing his, then so be it.
Rob Lang
- Tue Jan 10 14:07:18 2006

 Even an ANORAK? I remember John having a throng of anoraks in his wardrobe...
Lox
- Tue Jan 10 14:03:28 2006

 Jimmy, do have an urge to go out and buy a pipe and slippers? Or are you feeling drawn to a nice pair of sandles and recently have given up shaving ?
Kev
- Tue Jan 10 14:02:29 2006

 lol Jimmy! I agree with Nigel. As an Italian, Lox can get away with wearing anything he likes. Spandex even.
Rob Lang
- Tue Jan 10 13:40:31 2006

 Ohh! Maybe it mean's I've developed a craving for public humiliation. Let's hope not!
Jimmy
- Tue Jan 10 12:23:37 2006

 Very much so, Nigel. Oh, the shame!
Jimmy
- Tue Jan 10 12:22:45 2006

 Ah, but Lox - remember you are Italian and are able to carry-off wearing corduroy with style and panache... We are but Brits who manage to make corduroy (and brown cardigans!) seem so... so... so... yeuch!
Nigel
- Tue Jan 10 11:21:46 2006

 Rob, Kev, Nigel: I love corduroys... I have a lot of corduroy stuff in my wardrobe! It also matters HOW you wear it, if you are proud of it, nobody is gonna say anything to ya'! :)
Lox
- Tue Jan 10 11:16:58 2006

 John- there was no specific purpose. I just looked down one day and found myself in a brown cardigan! I was very scared by the whole episode, and looked to the good members of this site for support at this difficult time.
Jimmy
- Tue Jan 10 11:15:29 2006

 Nigel, I disagree in the strongest possible terms! If you're going to do cords, then DO IT. The whole outfit. In brown. Trousers, shirt, jacket, tie, socks, shoes, pants, vest, hat, glasses, ear muffs, gloves and waistcoat. Don't stint.
Rob Lang
- Tue Jan 10 10:45:07 2006

 Kev: There's nothing wrong with a spot of corduroy - in small doses and appropriately accessorised... gold medalion, Ben Sherman button-down collar... :) Yes, I guess unlike the others the producers were trying to make him a bit "timeless". No one would bat and eyelid if he walked past you today... Wonder if it'll start a craze...
Nigel
- Tue Jan 10 10:08:20 2006

 Rob, Lox: Now you both astonish me! How dare you using such profane words as 'good old wank' on this immaculate message board. How gross! You should say 'solitary pleasure' or 'onanism'. What matters is not what you say, but 'how' you say it!
Sheri
- Tue Jan 10 08:14:15 2006

 Jimmy, I am a little unclear as to the precise intention behind your original cardigan oriented comment. Please elaborate.
John
- Tue Jan 10 05:09:23 2006

 actually i thought the leather jacket, flares and big collar shirts were totally cool. not sure if thats good or bad. perhaps if a fashion sales person were viewing this site, they might have an opinion? of course it might be because i am just getting old. ps.I DO NOT OWN ANY CORDROY, not since i was seven anyways!
kev
- Mon Jan 9 23:20:29 2006

 Jimmy: You were perhaps, getting in the mood for the new BBC series "Life on Mars"!!?? (Actually I thought it was so good, I'm off to by a pair of flares this weekend!!)
Nigel
- Mon Jan 9 23:02:37 2006

 yeah.. sounds like a great idea, perhaps Rob could pick John up from Heathrow afterwards! :)
kev
- Mon Jan 9 16:47:16 2006

 John: You can try the good old wank next time. I am sure that It will be amusing! :)
Lox
- Mon Jan 9 16:24:23 2006

 DSP. I will be in Blackpool on Weds night....
tom
- Mon Jan 9 15:18:33 2006

 Errrrrrrrrr.... OK. Well I'm back in my flat in Tokyo now, so the issue of Shinkansen entertainment is now a mute point... but thanks all the same!
John
- Mon Jan 9 14:43:29 2006

 John: should have added: Dare you.
Rob Lang
- Mon Jan 9 14:21:21 2006

 That's shocking, Jimmy. Simply shocking. John: Get up in the carriage, stand in the middle and have a good old wank. See what happens.
Rob Lang
- Mon Jan 9 14:21:00 2006

 I seem to be wearing a brown, corduroy, zip-up cardigan. I think something bad has happened to my brain (and indeed my wardrobe). Somebody help me!
Jimmy
- Mon Jan 9 14:18:19 2006

 I am on the shinkansen again, on the way back to Tokyo. The novelty of mobile internet has clearly started to wear off as I am a little bored. Can't even admire the scenery as it is dark here.
John
- Mon Jan 9 10:21:24 2006

 Sheri you are a bad boy!
John
- Mon Jan 9 09:24:50 2006

 Nigel: Christelle's grandmother's birthday. She is 83 and, unfortunatly, in good health. Will have to wait for the inheritance...
Sheri
- Mon Jan 9 06:25:49 2006

 Kev, As luck would have it, the complete file was there waiting for me when I woke up. Hoorah! As you noticed, PVAstrumento seemed to die after a while, but I got some of it converted into a PS, and I'm fairly sure with some fiddling I can get the rest... Fabulous!
John
- Mon Jan 9 00:54:39 2006

 Hmmm.... thanks Rob!
John
- Mon Jan 9 00:52:54 2006
Rob Lang
- Sun Jan 8 22:58:21 2006

 Sheri: Ah! I thought that maybe... :) Well actually I have never seen a bottel of that "liquid heaven" but I know is hideously expensive... I settle for lower Sauternes, I love that wine! (and yes d'Yquiem is the right spelling I didn't have a clue on how to write it.. .:)
Lox
- Sun Jan 8 22:43:09 2006

 sheri; milk is really good for stomach ache, its alkali, of course i am ony suggesting a small glass,not pints of the stuff!..i think i would be sick too then! ergh milky-sick :(
kev
- Sun Jan 8 20:39:39 2006

 sheri; milk is really good for stomach ache, its alkali, of course i am ony suggesting a small glass,not pints of the stuff!..i think i would be sick too then! ergh milky-sick :(
kev
- Sun Jan 8 20:30:34 2006

 Sheri: Yep, you got me there! I'd have stomach-ache too!! Were you celebrating, or it this standard fare for a Sunday? I had egg and chips for tea!! Splendid! (Plus a little Guinness!) :))
Nigel
- Sun Jan 8 20:23:20 2006

 KEV. You really want me to throw up? Milk, yuk!
Sheri
- Sun Jan 8 20:06:47 2006

 NIGEL: how would you feel when you mix foie gras, smoked salmon, roast pigeons (not bad actually) with a gratin dauphinois, an assortment of smelly French cheese, Twelfth Night cake, the whole with Champagne, sweet Jurançon, red Saint Joseph and an honourable pinot gris ? LOX: Chateau d'Yquem is a bit out of my league...
Sheri
- Sun Jan 8 19:59:46 2006

 Kev: Strange... Warm milk does it for me...
Sheri: Did you have a lot of Fois gras? i love it! With Sauternes (maybe a Chateou de Y'Quiem) it's the end of the world!
Lox
- Sun Jan 8 19:14:19 2006

 cold milk is always good for stomach ache. well it works for me!
kev
- Sun Jan 8 17:49:29 2006

 Hi Sheri. You'll have to be more specific. Ate too much what? Drank too much what? We need details (and any scandalous gossip related to both!)
Nigel
- Sun Jan 8 17:45:34 2006

 Ate too much. Drank too much. Have a stomach-ache.
Sheri
- Sun Jan 8 16:07:11 2006

 Does this mean it's cold in Japan, John? http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/4592056.stm
Nigel
- Sun Jan 8 16:03:32 2006

 my last remark was about bbc license fees of course rather than a random statement.
kev
- Sun Jan 8 15:03:38 2006

 i got sixty quid back - i think you can post claim - if you have a proof like a final gas bill - 3 month chunks only though!
kev
- Sun Jan 8 15:01:36 2006

 It is odd, I've been downloading for about an hour, and have about a quarter of the file. It doesn't take a mathemical genius to have a wild stab in the dark at how long the remainder is likely to take, and yet for some reason I am being informed there are 7 hours 30 minutes remaining (at the start it decided it would be about 7 hours 50 minutes, so apparently in that hour I have only made 20 minutes of progress.... hmmmm...).
John
- Sun Jan 8 14:54:59 2006

 Anyway, I am off to bed now, I am keeping my fingers crossed that I will awake to a perfectly downloaded file!
John
- Sun Jan 8 14:51:14 2006

 Hmmm I don't know Kev, I overpaid my license fee for a while after I left England, surely that makes it all OK...?
John
- Sun Jan 8 14:50:17 2006

 so how many international laws do you think we are breaking now?
kev
- Sun Jan 8 14:37:52 2006

 thats right john, youre watching part 2 it was shown in 2 parts over a couplle of nights. the bit you are getting now is from reading---> pangbourne(swan)---->oxford
kev
- Sun Jan 8 14:36:38 2006

 The quality is really good too... I don't want to speak too soon and curse the whole thing, but assuming the downloading does complete without the connection crapping out or the PC shutting down, then I think we're in with a decent chance of a successful operation!
John
- Sun Jan 8 14:34:01 2006

 Aha Kev! We have partial success - although the full file still has several hours of downloading to go, I have just been able to watch a snippet of what I've received so far - even the frame rate and A/V sync seemed to be pretty good for that bit! It seems to not start right at the start of the program - does that sound right to you? The first bit I saw has Griff and the Irish sounding bloke in bed together (!) and then they're rowing somewhere just past Sonning - "look at the size of that man's rod"...
John
- Sun Jan 8 14:31:37 2006

 good i have started part1, the one yor d/ling is part 2. hopefully you'll be able to make sense of the data.
kev
- Sun Jan 8 14:10:24 2006

 Actually it seems FTP is the only option - HTTP just seems to crap out after 10 minutes or so... FTP seems to be doing OK so far, but I am not hugely confident about the connection staying good for the 8 hours required to complete the download....!
John
- Sun Jan 8 13:50:50 2006

 I wonder - is an HTTP download likely to be any quicker than an FTP one....?
John
- Sun Jan 8 13:05:36 2006

 Fabulous Kev - have just checked for the first time in a few hours, and I can see a complete file now! Have started the download now, I guess that will take a while too - it is guessing almost 8 hours...
John
- Sun Jan 8 13:03:20 2006

 Hmmm, the thought crossed my mind... The other family probably don't have kids either ... :)
Nigel
- Sun Jan 8 12:14:06 2006

 Nigel: Your cat probably has another familiy that it lives with when you are mean to it. They probably give her steak and let her chase mice in the warm living room ;)
Kev
- Sun Jan 8 11:02:39 2006

 6 mins to go John ;)
Kev
- Sun Jan 8 11:01:17 2006

 Yawn!! A nice lie-in this morning! Mind you, it is bloomin' cold out there, with a sprinkling of snow... And our cat finally returned after one of those disappearances for over a day... Where do they go?
Nigel
- Sun Jan 8 10:46:35 2006

 Well the uploaded is still chugging away with some determination - at last check it was at 800 and something megs... Maybe by the time the UK wakes up it might have finished...?
John
- Sun Jan 8 02:57:19 2006

 I got a 3.5 inch USB caddy last April before I left England, which basically allowed me to bring the contents of my old desktop to Japan, without the inconvenience of lugging the actual PC about. I was very pleased with it.
John
- Sun Jan 8 00:42:53 2006

 Ah I see what you mean. Only problem is 80GB is never enough. I always fancied having a terabyte of storage ;)
Kev
- Sat Jan 7 22:20:05 2006

 Hmmm. I've not fully read the spec on those LinkSys NAS, but I was thinking along the lines of the two 80GB HDDs in a sort of USB RAID !! One drive mirroring the other. Not sure if this is feasible in the firmware. Certainly a slow way to do it!! I think I know what you mean about the 2.5-inch USB caddies... That "Ebuyer Blast" has some amazing bargains some weeks! :)
Nigel
- Sat Jan 7 21:07:03 2006

 .. i've considered a nas, but then you really need tape backup, or a nas raid! now theres an easy way to blow alot of cash! - unless you don;t care about the data, but since its a sort of server you may well do.
kev
- Sat Jan 7 20:22:10 2006

 nigel: actually i was looking at 2.5" hd caddy with a usb2 interface, you just plug in any 2.5" disk and away you go! i saw one from ebuyer for about 8 quid.
kev
- Sat Jan 7 20:19:14 2006

 Well you know my fondness for gadgets, Kev? I've always fancied a NAS (network attached storage) box. The LinkSys one is about £56 with two USB ports for drives. I could just see a place for it, attached to my router, with a couple of 80gb drives (rather cheap at the mo), humming away, available wherever I can get Internet access..... :) Biggest USB stick I have is 256MB...
Nigel
- Sat Jan 7 19:15:52 2006

 Silly files are so large its hard to work with them. Ftping is taking ages and even copying them about a wireless network is a no-no. Having use a 1gb Memory stick and split the files. Even USB 1 is painfully slow.
Kev
- Sat Jan 7 16:32:54 2006

 Nigel, no I don't think so, but perhaps the "PVA" file coming from the Pace PVR doesn't have the right markers in it and the convertor prog is screwing the PTS timings up or something ;) Snow.. Again ?? Brrrrrrr...
Kev
- Sat Jan 7 16:31:05 2006

 Wow! Being a noob at the subject, might your 30fps be NTSC, Kev? Would that account for your overspeed? Just a thought. Snowing here... ;)
Nigel
- Sat Jan 7 16:27:29 2006

 Thanks again Kev for all your time spent on this - I really appreciate it! Good night for now...
John
- Sat Jan 7 16:11:10 2006

 ok then Nighty-Night
Kev
- Sat Jan 7 15:59:21 2006

 The more I fiddle with it, the more I think this weird temp file thing I downloaded does not properly represent the actual file contents... It is bedtime for me here in Japan now so maybe it is best if I just go to sleep, and with any luck by the time I wake up tomorrow the upload may have completed!
John
- Sat Jan 7 15:57:38 2006

 Having said that, if it has WinDVD, then surely it must have an MPEG2 codec installed...?!?
John
- Sat Jan 7 15:46:59 2006

 hehe
Kev
- Sat Jan 7 15:46:47 2006

 Maybe this PC has no MPEG2 decoder? I just get whinging error messages in Japanese, which I don't fully understand...!
John
- Sat Jan 7 15:46:05 2006

 PVAStrumento made an Mpeg2 file from it that plays in media player, but it ran too fast like 30fps instead of 25.
Kev
- Sat Jan 7 15:42:51 2006

 So Kev, have you been able to play this file back on your PC then? If so, what did you use...?
John
- Sat Jan 7 15:40:55 2006

 Hmm, have had a quick fiddle with PVA strumento but it is not giving me much love yet. Perhaps this sort of thing is a not really a goer until I have the full file...? I wouldn't have though this would be the case if it was any kind of MPEG stream (they're designed to be incomplete, of course) but maybe FTP has spagged it all up somehow....? I was downloading a sort of temp file which I just assumed to have the same contents as theactual file you are uploading...
John
- Sat Jan 7 15:37:58 2006

 John you could tryan app called PVAstrumento http://www.afterdawn.com/software/video_software/video_tools/pvastrumento.cfm Although I think it choked on the full file when I passed it through, your litte bit might work!
Kev
- Sat Jan 7 15:28:32 2006

 I used to record files with the Hauppauge DVB-T card and accompanying software, and then I was able to play them back with Intervideo WinDVD. Have just tried playing back the first 100 meg of that file with WinDVD and it died horribly. I was reasonably sure PVA was just a very simple video/audio PES interleave file format, but maybe it is not as straightforward as that...?
John
- Sat Jan 7 15:27:34 2006

 Doh
Kev
- Sat Jan 7 15:23:25 2006

 Hmmm... so I may not be able to view it until Monday when I get back to Tokyo then - I don't have my laptop here with me, and unsurprisingly Chie's parents PC doesn't have Visual C extra installed!
John
- Sat Jan 7 15:21:23 2006

 You should be able to use it straight off I think ? Maybe StuffTV thingy will be able to look at it if you tell it the right Pids for the Video ?
Kev
- Sat Jan 7 15:20:06 2006

 no Media player doesn't like it.
Kev
- Sat Jan 7 15:19:14 2006

 I think the PVA is the hauppage data file format but I think its basically an Elementary Stream with the Audio and Video muxed in together.
Kev
- Sat Jan 7 15:18:47 2006

 Were you able to play it back in anything plebbish like Media Player...?
John
- Sat Jan 7 15:17:41 2006

 Apparently only 3 minutes remaining (for the first 100 meg or so)...!
John
- Sat Jan 7 15:16:56 2006

 Not sure if you will need to weave your magic over the file since its sort of standard/non Standard straight off the Pace PVR. When I tried to use a conversion tool to demux it is seemed to run too fast so I am not sure if there is something wrong with some of the tables.
Kev
- Sat Jan 7 15:16:43 2006

 So Kev, do you think it will work if I've just downloaded the first 100meg or so? Was it a PVA file in the end then? Is that TS/PS like, or does it have some kind of index block at the end of the file which ruins your chances of watching it unless you have the whole lot...?
John
- Sat Jan 7 15:15:40 2006

 Nah its just on during the day anyway so its ok
Kev
- Sat Jan 7 15:14:48 2006

 the file is full PAL 720 x 576 16:9 MPEG1 Layer2 Stereo at 256Kbps. Mucho Biggo - and only Part2 the Reading -> Pangbourne--->> bit. I will put part one up after since its 1.8Gb!
Kev
- Sat Jan 7 15:13:52 2006

 Ah I spoke too soon! 256kb eh Kev? I am not totally capable of doing the maths there, but I guess that probably does work out at 20 hours for 1.5 gigs... Are you sure it is Ok to have a PC on for 20 hours? I owe you a significant chunk of your electricity bill I think!
John
- Sat Jan 7 15:13:17 2006

 .. So atm you prpbably on have the intro credits lol!!
Kev
- Sat Jan 7 15:10:51 2006

 I am taking the complete absence of replies to mean that you're all out ignoring the fact that it's January, and sitting by the riverbank in deckchairs drinking Pimms and lemonade.
John
- Sat Jan 7 15:10:20 2006

 John The total file is about 1.5Gb 20 hours to go.!!!!! I only have 256KBps upload on my ADSL and I am throttling that a bit.
Kev
- Sat Jan 7 15:09:47 2006

 Hmmm, well it seems to have got more than half way in less than half the time predicted, so maybe not quite as bad as the originally touted 40 minutes...?
John
- Sat Jan 7 15:01:51 2006

 Blegh - Apparently 40 minutes just to download the 100 meg so far, and Chie's Dad has a pretty fat pipe (he works for a telecoms company here in Japan so it's pretty much all you can eat as far as he's concerned). I think the maison's server is running on some kind of clockwork machine!
John
- Sat Jan 7 14:45:06 2006

 Ah - I think I can see the upload now Kev (I am back in front of a "proper" internet connection) - it is at about 100ish Megabytes...?
John
- Sat Jan 7 14:38:02 2006

 Great Kev! Have been out today but returning to the family's flat now. Hopefully can do ftp soon!
John
- Sat Jan 7 14:20:51 2006

 Rob: When I've uploaded these files and SB has weaved his magic on them I am sure you can d/l part2 ;)
Kev
- Sat Jan 7 11:58:06 2006

 Didn't get to see the second aprt of 3 men in a boat. The first part was GENIUS, though. Really enjoyed it.
Rob Lang
- Sat Jan 7 11:54:06 2006

 Morning All. Got your email John - upload has commenced ! However I think it would be quicker to jump on a plane and hand deliver it ;) ( Not as cheap though!)
Kev
- Sat Jan 7 11:16:15 2006

 Morning all , have a nice weekend!!! John, say hello to Chie's family and Chie (of course)!!
Lox
- Sat Jan 7 10:01:21 2006

 Morning! In work - again! I'm going to have to kick this habit :(
Nigel
- Sat Jan 7 08:47:43 2006

 Morning everyone. Have a nice weekend.
Sheri
- Sat Jan 7 08:40:57 2006

 I guess you're all still asleep!
John
- Sat Jan 7 08:05:43 2006

 Have managed to use my webmail from my phone, so hopefully you should have that mail now Kev. Sorry for the delay, blame the time difference!
John
- Sat Jan 7 01:49:41 2006

 Sorry for not sending the ftp info yet kev, didn't get a chance to do proper internet last night as I was busy with Chie's family!
John
- Sat Jan 7 00:37:44 2006

 yep, i recorded both bits which i'll try and find time to watch. managed to extract the clips from my pvr, so just waiting for john to let me know have i can make them accessible from japan.
kev
- Fri Jan 6 16:50:34 2006

 I seem to remember that Griff added some of the water they were cooked in to the sauce, and he shouldn't have. That's why they got discarded.
Mad Mumsie
- Fri Jan 6 16:36:11 2006

 I notice they didn't actually/really eat the crayfish from the Thames... I think a spot of bowel-loosening fear seeped in there!! Did you watch/record part one as well, Kev? Not as good as part two and maybe too far from Pangbourne!! :)) I suppose the highlight was Dave Gilmore's floating recording studio...
Nigel
- Fri Jan 6 16:31:13 2006

 I can assure you all that according to Cyberdad, the Thames is a wonderful place to go boating. He has spent many happy hours pottering up and down in Grubby Rose. And on one memorable occasion he was joined by John and Rob from Reading to Pangbourne, where they sampled the delights of The Swan (was it), then they caught the train back to Reading and Cyberdad continued "up river"
Mad Mumsie
- Fri Jan 6 15:43:14 2006

 i wa sort half heartly joking - but it didn;]'t really look that interesting except for the pangbouney bit :)
kev
- Fri Jan 6 15:26:37 2006

 Yes, I thought the programme was poor (except for Griff !) but at least it had some good scenery in a part of the world I've never seen before. Shame they swore so much... I particularly liked the boats in the rafters of The Swan, the laughing vicar and Griff's inability to stay out of the Thames!
Nigel
- Fri Jan 6 14:54:11 2006

 right, just had a quick flick through the 3 men in a boat. its absolutely rubbish and completely fictitious - Rory Mcgrath got served straight away in the Swan at Pangbourne - in real life he would have had to have waited at least 20 minutes before anyone even noticed him!
kev
- Fri Jan 6 14:29:56 2006

 OK John. Its also Friday afternoon and its 25degrees in here, and not terribly busy so, double YAWN!
Mad Mumsie
- Fri Jan 6 14:20:01 2006

 Almost in Hiroshima, so probably last msg for now...
John
- Fri Jan 6 13:48:33 2006

 MM - sorry for all the technical talk! It is all in a good cause though!
John
- Fri Jan 6 13:43:09 2006

 Yes please kev, if you can ftp it that would be great! Do you have the details? If not please email me at my maison address and I will reply later with the necessary info.
John
- Fri Jan 6 13:30:37 2006

 YAWN
Mad Mumsie
- Fri Jan 6 13:15:04 2006

 Ah! That's better, guys!! Proper tech-talk... plus beer! Perfect!! :))
Nigel
- Fri Jan 6 13:10:24 2006

 couple of gigs probably ~4- can I upload to the maisons ftp server ?
Kev
- Fri Jan 6 13:02:28 2006

 Fabulous Kev! Yes I'm pretty sure I can handle PVA, or a program stream or two PES/ES streams. Any idea what sort of file sizes we're talking about?
John
- Fri Jan 6 13:01:49 2006

 So do I john! So do I John. Ok using TwinRIP and lots of scary PVS and cables balanced on the PC. I have gotten a PVA fiole, I am then demuxing with PVAStrumento and finally will make a usable file with TMPGEnc Hurrah!
Kev
- Fri Jan 6 12:53:02 2006

 I believe in the Magic of Beer Kev!
John
- Fri Jan 6 12:50:52 2006

 I believe in the Magic of Beer Kev!
John
- Fri Jan 6 12:47:48 2006

 John are you aware of the PVA file format ? I currently have all my PVRs and PC in bits and am ripping the 3meninaboat prog. seems I can get ES and PES streams too. so I get mp2 and m2v files as well as raw pes for the audio and video ? Does any of this make sense ?
Kev
- Fri Jan 6 12:44:22 2006

 Actually, just found out via wikipedia that our max speed is more like 180mph. Incidentally both wikipedia and google seem to work pretty well from this mobile. What with the maison rendering fairly well too that's pretty much the entire web as far as I'm concerned!
John
- Fri Jan 6 12:31:20 2006

 .. and I know you are thinking to yourself "How can keeping on drinking make it all get better"... well by the Magic of Beer - is my answer!
Kev
- Fri Jan 6 12:27:21 2006

 You should just keep on drinking John until it gets better.
Kev
- Fri Jan 6 12:26:12 2006

 I am starting to have trouble with the keypad and keep accidentally closing the web browser - and thus losing what I have typed. I believe beer may be partly to blame!
John
- Fri Jan 6 12:05:53 2006

 Priceless Nigel!
John
- Fri Jan 6 11:59:45 2006

 John: so is the alcohol "Shinkan not Stirred" ?? :)) Ho-ho, you can tell it's Friday, can't you?
Nigel
- Fri Jan 6 11:41:36 2006

 Hmmm... no analogue technology in my flat at all I'm afraid! In fact at the moment don't even have a TV, let alone a VHS player! There might be one at work, will check next week, but then there might be a PAL/NTSC issue? This is a problem I need to solve anyway as my Mum sent me a PAL VHS tape for Christmas!
John
- Fri Jan 6 11:29:08 2006

 Aaahh... am catching up on the board from the luxury of the shinkansen, gliding along at 150mph and enjoying a can of Asahi Aqua Blue. So many familiar pub names - I've been to just about every one featured there, it sounds like. Old Father Thames is a veritable gold mine of cracking pubs!
John
- Fri Jan 6 11:14:34 2006

 Ahhhh.... Slight flaw in my plan, then!
Nigel
- Fri Jan 6 10:56:12 2006

 nigel. i can do the vhs thing- although i can see a problem in that T.J ("technology" john) won't have a vhs player!
kev
- Fri Jan 6 10:53:37 2006

 Hey, Kev/Jimmy, here's a strange idea..... Feed the video out through those little phono plugs (or even Antenna Out) and copy to either DVD or.... VHS!!! I'm pretty sure the Beeb allow personal videoing for future watching (the VHS market was 50% based on it, surely!) As for Abingdon... Was that the one with the laughing vicar and the "family tree"? Great!
Nigel
- Fri Jan 6 10:47:04 2006

 lox: do you think they make house calls to tokyo to capture the dastardly "Wireless Man"?
kev
- Fri Jan 6 10:02:44 2006

 jimmy- the problem is the pvr is a sealed unt (pace twin) i've taken it to bits before(of course) - but to extract the data will involve canabalizing serveral machines - might give it a go later :)
kev
- Fri Jan 6 10:00:10 2006

 Kev: If the Italian secret service is monitoring this board I wouldn't be that scared, they'd probably send you a letter before busting into your place! :)
Lox
- Fri Jan 6 09:57:24 2006

 They also went past the Angel at Henley, my home-town of Abingdon (though sadly publess), a very nice pinic spot at Wallingofrd (being used for a rowing contest) and The Barley Mow at Clifton Hampden (good food there).
Jimmy
- Fri Jan 6 09:26:34 2006

 I watched it too- and I must admit it was the pub-selection that I liked most. I was pleased to see The Bull at Sonning (not quite my old local, but a bit of a favourite), of course The Swan, then there on to The Head of The River at Oxford. Kev- why don't you just burn the programme onto a DVD and (dare I say it) post it to John? Another thought I had while watching it was that they seemed to be rowing upstream. Now, I'd be perfectly happy to go rowing on the Thames, but *really* I'd prefer a downstream direction- at least that way you still make progress when you all stop rowing to drink beer! Anybody up for this? They hire-out boats at the aformentioned Oxford pub.
Jimmy
- Fri Jan 6 09:23:16 2006

 ...though, let me say only after having cleared any copyright issues with the producers, naturally...
Nigel
- Fri Jan 6 09:07:32 2006

 Morning! Oh come on guys! With your backgrounds (Kev/John) surely you can set up some proxy server and stream the video around the world!? :))
Nigel
- Fri Jan 6 09:06:24 2006

 Oh ok Kev, not to worry then!
John
- Fri Jan 6 00:20:43 2006

 have addressed to chie so you don't get deported :) unfortunately the pvr thing is hard to get at electronically, it involves taking the hd out and apparently the data is mpeg2 with some odd s and ends that need converting.
kev
- Fri Jan 6 00:16:44 2006

 Hmmm... I wonder if I could import turf? Maybe customs problems?
John
- Fri Jan 6 00:10:57 2006

 Any means by which an electronic copy of that program might find its way to Japan? I would absolutely love to see it!
John
- Fri Jan 6 00:06:52 2006

 ....seeds are no good, they need to have germinated in England.
kev
- Fri Jan 6 00:05:01 2006

 john, maybe if you got someone in blighty to post you some grass ( in earth of course ) then you could grow your own bit of England in Japan!! You would need English soil though else I think it would'nt be right.
kev
- Fri Jan 6 00:04:10 2006

 Sigh... Pangbourne... You pay a price for all this wizzo technology, and that is living in a country which is ugly as sin. Today I would happily give my phone and everything else away in exchange for an hour or two in England's green and pleasant land... And did those feet...
John
- Thu Jan 5 23:59:55 2006

 lox: at least you can chat to "wireless" john- he'll be getting on his train soon.
kev
- Thu Jan 5 23:48:10 2006

 lox: are the italian secret service monitoring this thread right now? you might get a visit in the night and you won't be able to run away! i presume your knee is still aching you being still awake, i remeber a couple of sleepless weeks i had when i hurt my knee. not Nice at all.
kev
- Thu Jan 5 23:46:46 2006

 Rob - Kev: No you can't change, and yes it is a robbery. Think that Winfi has been OUTLAWED by the italian governament for some strange reasons. Apparently wireless communications between buildings or the like are not possible unless you get permission from our SECRET SERVICE!!! Nuff said...
Lox
- Thu Jan 5 23:41:17 2006

 Well I won't spoil it for you then, Kev! Though it has to be said I think two of them did drink rather a lot during the voyage (I make this comment to add that note of excitement!!!) Mr Jones was certainly the best (zaniest) of the three..:)
Nigel
- Thu Jan 5 23:39:21 2006

 hi nigel, yes i was aware and recorded it on my pvr. will check out tomorrow. jh will be gutted he missed it! i think he quite fancied hiring a boat and making part of the trip himself. although come to think of it, it would have probably ended in a drunken boat-crash-drowning incident!
kev
- Thu Jan 5 23:26:48 2006

 Evening! Anyone watched the BBC2 "Three Men In a Boat" reconstruction with the three comedians rowing up the Thames? I thought of all you ex-Softel employees out there (Kev, John, Jimmy...) when they stopped at the Swan at Pangbourne! Very picturesque part of the country.
Nigel
- Thu Jan 5 23:12:36 2006

 I'll be hogging the token tomorrow then. MUST get the report out by CoB or I'm stuffed!
tom
- Thu Jan 5 19:39:24 2006

 Yay! I've had the success token all afternoon! It's amazing how much progress you can make, if you can only get your hands on the elusive little blighter.
Jimmy
- Thu Jan 5 17:38:58 2006

 lox: do they allow you change provider half way though the year if you change your mind. ;)
kev
- Thu Jan 5 16:47:29 2006

 Lox, pay one year up front? That's robbery! I think Italy is in more need of free WiFi than most.
Rob Lang
- Thu Jan 5 15:32:37 2006

 True Graf. My phone and iPod can both charge off USB, but I haven't (yet!) bought a USB/PSU... That's almost my point though - yet another PSU to get!! In the long run though, it's a good idea!
Nigel
- Thu Jan 5 14:23:28 2006

 Graf: Wait for WUsb. It's the wireless protocol, hopefully it will be easier to manage than Bluetooth, I can't wait for it! :) No more cables with the usb devices... ahhhhhh
As for Rob, he's right when WiFi picks up a little I hope that all these shitty cartels (phone/internet) will crumble to the ground. In Italy the situation is so bad that it's still impossible to find an economical adsl! And you have to pay 1 year up front for the service !!!
Lox
- Thu Jan 5 14:11:25 2006

 A lot of devices seem to be moving towards charging over USB - certainly my Phone and iPod charge this way (though not my camera, i suppose). It seems like it would be a good standard, and if you wanted to charge from the wall you could use a power to usb adapter. I suppose you still end up with a load of different usb cables though, so it's not an 100% solution
Graf
- Thu Jan 5 14:05:04 2006

 I feel like crying!
Oswald
- Thu Jan 5 13:57:34 2006

 What the Dickens are they up to??? :))
Nigel
- Thu Jan 5 13:56:56 2006

 Either than or they are perfectly sane and its just of the rest of us whose dogs aren't all barking!
Kev
- Thu Jan 5 13:46:52 2006

 Are we, have a loon on the board! Welcome. Leave the sanity by the door.
Rob Lang
- Thu Jan 5 13:31:04 2006

 I've seen an alien ... quick- somebody get Mulder!
Lady Dedlock
- Thu Jan 5 13:26:27 2006

 Argh! I'm shot! I'm shot!
Tulkinghorn
- Thu Jan 5 13:25:28 2006

 Shake me up, Judy!
Smallweed
- Thu Jan 5 13:24:35 2006

 Nigel, completely agree with you on batteries and PSU. Bane of my life. John, you're right about the costs being the big block. My contract is 25 and I don't get nearly as much cool stuff as you! According to The Economist, these telephone networks are going to eat shit and die when WiFi takes over. Then they'll be no more cartel over the phones/internet. Let's hope Google FreeInternet Britain like they did San Fransisco!
Rob Lang
- Thu Jan 5 11:59:33 2006

 Sheri: I always find teaching english a good way to "keep in touch" with the language itself. Ok I read mostly English books, I write in English for la maison, I use it at work, so I do a LOT of training, but I always fear that it's never enough...
Lox
- Thu Jan 5 11:56:54 2006

 Sheri: I hope you will include all those lovely new words that have been allowed in to the Oxford English Dictionary when teaching! "Podcast" and "Chav" etc! (However most of us native English speakers probably don't know what all the new words mean! :))
Nigel
- Thu Jan 5 10:36:46 2006

 Someone asked me to teach English to a group of adults for the few months to come. I accepted. But I'm not sure I'm good enough. And I have one week to perfect my outrageous French accent...
Sheri
- Thu Jan 5 09:46:36 2006

 tart.
Jimmy
- Thu Jan 5 09:42:35 2006

 Well I am on the train on the way back from work now...
John
- Thu Jan 5 09:08:55 2006

 Yes, the only thing I noticed while viewing the Maison on my Palm PDA is that the menu GIF is extremely small, so it's hard to find the "Add" icon. Otherwise it works perfectly!
Nigel
- Thu Jan 5 08:47:12 2006

 Well it's not really the technology that has advanced so much - mobile internet access has been possible for years now - it's just the fact that for the first time this sort of thing seems sensibly priced. I wouldn't use the internet on my mobile if I thought I was paying by the minute (or by the megabyte), but as soon as there is a sensible flat rate option then it suddenly becomes attractive. Plus also the little web browser running on my phone is surprisingly usable - obviously there will always be limitations given the screen size etc, but it has a bloody good go at rendering the maison.
John
- Thu Jan 5 07:13:43 2006

 Aaaaaaa Ye olde Japonnaise Gizmo talk!! I love Japan also because of that! It's marvellous to see all the new technologica things every time I go there, it's gizmo-heaven! I am totally envious of John of course, I haven't bought a techy thinghy in ages!!
Lox
- Thu Jan 5 01:10:47 2006

 Mmmmmmm all-you-can-eat... #drool#
kev
- Wed Jan 4 23:52:32 2006

 I am on my way into work on the train. The great thing about my phone is the price. The basic line rental is under 15 quid, with unlimited emails and free calls on same network. Then an extra tenner for all you can eat internet!
John
- Wed Jan 4 23:34:32 2006

 ... Or in my case, you might say I can't actually construct a sentence properly!!
Nigel
- Wed Jan 4 23:21:46 2006

 It's the nature of the beast now, Kev!! Hey talking of expensive mobiles, I just managed to hack my Razr V3 to take videos (UK ones only view video, not make them) For two days I had a dead phone - I mean totally! - but being a "tech" sort I persevered and it's now back up to full spec with added video-cam!! You might actually say (as per the AOL advert, this might be viewed as the evil side of the Internet!!! :)) )
Nigel
- Wed Jan 4 23:19:15 2006

 i've just noticed maison has turned into a 24hr board yay.
kev
- Wed Jan 4 22:36:55 2006

 a quick shufty round the web indicates there's quite a few makes, some have batteries in them that charge and you run off this(with the right cable ) unfortunately i think i might be too scared to use it on my 200 pound mobile or ipod !
kev
- Wed Jan 4 22:35:29 2006

 Yes, I think I have... Maplins, or somewhere like... That's a pretty good idea Kev!... Though I wonder how they cope indoors or when we're overcast? I've got one of those plastic storage boxes with a lid, in the garage, and it's chocka with power-bricks, adaptors, chargers... Then there's the "Oh, I'd better not throw it away, you never know when I might need it..." mentality - which is me to a tee, but a facet I dislike! :)
Nigel
- Wed Jan 4 22:19:51 2006

 have you seen those solar rechargers for batteries. not sure if they are any good.
kev
- Wed Jan 4 21:17:19 2006

 I love gadgets, but hate all the power supplies, chargers and batteries... If only they'd decide on one type per power rating (eg all mobile phones use the same) it would be so handy. I bought a cheapo digital video camera (Crimbo pressy to self!) and made sure it could run on alkalines so that if stuck without a power socket I could still se it!!
Nigel
- Wed Jan 4 19:50:41 2006

 yeah I was just thinking to myself was this actually "no gadget" John that we all used to know or is this a new "technology" John. Perhaps the John has caught a Japanese gadget virus!!!
Kev
- Wed Jan 4 16:16:24 2006

 John, I am trying REALLY HARD not to be jealous about your technological status. I think I'm going to have to saw up some furniture!!!
Rob Lang
- Wed Jan 4 15:35:04 2006

 John; Are you using your funky wireless anywhere thing for your phone too ? Also does the phone have its own IP, how do you setup a lan on your wi-fi, can you even and can the phone join in ? Are you given a range of IPs and are they static or are you on one big NAT table with everyone else. Do you have netscan.exe from http://www.softperfect.com/ for your PC ? - lots of Qs and I am sure Sheri just fell asleep reading them!!!
Kev
- Wed Jan 4 15:01:15 2006

 Nowhere fancy I'm afraid, just at home. Could have used the laptop, but that would have been so 2005!
John
- Wed Jan 4 14:34:56 2006

 John, where were you when you sent the message? I hope you were somewhere interesting - like on the bog. If you were sitting at your desk when you could have been using a computer, then SHAME ON YOU.
Rob Lang
- Wed Jan 4 14:02:29 2006

 Lox, I probably got the email on my home account - I am really bad at checking that one. Will read it tonight!
Rob Lang
- Wed Jan 4 14:01:42 2006

 John, you are such a tart.
Jimmy
- Wed Jan 4 13:28:35 2006

 Posting a message from my new mobile phone!
John
- Wed Jan 4 13:22:54 2006

 Ciao Rob!! I have replied to your mail, did you receive it? It seems that your mailbox considered the email address that I have on the page as SPAM so I used another one, didn't get any errors so far but I am not sure if you received it... :P
Lox
- Wed Jan 4 12:26:11 2006

 Happy New Year! In the process of updating the Blog. A lot to say because the last update was a million years ago. Sorry to hear that the pain is still bad, Lox. It can't last forever. Hopefully. :-)
Rob Lang
- Wed Jan 4 10:50:51 2006

 I like snow all things considered, but I hate the fact that when it snows everything seems to go ballistic and gets paralyzed. Maybe it's just an Italian thing but it's annoying...
Lox
- Wed Jan 4 10:49:19 2006

 I hate snow. It deceitfully covers canine excrements. You never know if you're gonna walk on it and when it melts it gets filthy and brownish. Yerk. I hate snow.
Sheri ze Belgian frog
- Wed Jan 4 07:49:51 2006

 Blimey Lorenzo, I thought it was a bit unusual to get a message from you at this time of day (unless you're on your travels, of course)... The board is usually pretty quiet around this hour!
John
- Wed Jan 4 06:14:24 2006

 Yes It's true, there are good sides of beign here, but most of the times it's the bad feeling of not being able to do what you would like that sinks in. Still it could be worse I could be recovering is stinky Varese, so it's not all bad, I just wish it wasn't so bloody hard sometimes... By the way it's now 5 AM and of course I am NOT sleeping :(
Lox
- Wed Jan 4 03:58:58 2006

 Lox, so I guess what it comes down to is: would you rather be in your beloved Florence surrounded by friends and family (but in pain) or in stinky Varese having to go to a job you hate (but not in pain). Clearly it is far easier for me to see the bright side as it isn't my knee in agony, but you have to admit this cloud has at least the tiniest bit of a silver lining, no...?
John
- Wed Jan 4 02:00:32 2006

 Thanks guys for the nice words! Well the knee was going to be a pai in the arse I knew that from the start... Florence under the snow it's a rarity, very beautiful, but I didn't have a chance to see anything as I am stranded at home most of the time... :( Oh well, as John said I am going to extend the stay for a little longer, maybe 1 more month, I have to speak to the doc tomorrow and get all the paperwork to send to my workplace on Monday when they re-open...
Lox
- Wed Jan 4 00:07:30 2006

 does rain in florence count? http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=snow+florence+&btnG=Search+Video n.b. posting from pda so i am Not sure if the video works!
kev
- Tue Jan 3 21:13:51 2006

 John: Hunt through the BBC stories of a week or so ago. They had a slide show of piccies from around Europe and Florence was in there...
Nigel
- Tue Jan 3 14:30:25 2006

 Hmmm I don't seem to be having much success - any suggestions for links to pictures of snowy Florence...?
John
- Tue Jan 3 14:18:11 2006

 Lox, sorry to hear you're still not all cleared up, but I think your knee is just attention seeking probably - all the fun (?) of Christmas and New Year may have taken your mind off it (as much as is possible) and now it is feeling a bit neglected. I'm sure when you talk to the doctor about it you'll just be told "It's completely normal" - and on the bright side, does this mean you may be able to extend your stay in beautiful Firenze a little longer? I'm off to find pictures of Firenze in the snow - sounds fabulous...
John
- Tue Jan 3 14:10:13 2006

 Hope the knee gets better soon. It does seem to be going on a bit.
Mad Mumsie
- Tue Jan 3 13:34:37 2006

 Happy new Year all. Sorry to hear about the knee Lox ( is the pussball back ? )
Kev
- Tue Jan 3 12:28:23 2006

 Ouch! Lox - take it easy. I saw the BBC news reports of Florence getting snow! Very picturesque! Though not easy to get around in especially with a bad knee :(
Nigel
- Tue Jan 3 11:57:23 2006

 Slight change of subject... The knee is gettying swallen again apparently, that means that I am moving backwards instead of forward... Not nice. As for the rest we have finally managed to get some sun here in Florence after a month spent counting raindrops and snowflakes. Hope it last! :)
Lox
- Tue Jan 3 10:17:43 2006

 (Grump) Who's been sitting at MY desk.... :(((end-Grump) Once I'd cleaned the strange sticky goop from the top I was able to start work... Oh, and Morning, by the way!
Nigel
- Tue Jan 3 09:15:53 2006

 HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE. Back to work, it was hard getting up this morning, particularly as it was still dark, but what the heck, it's nice to be back.
Mad Mumsie
- Tue Jan 3 08:44:20 2006

 Always good to start the new year on a positive note Sheri!
John
- Tue Jan 3 08:05:51 2006

 Morning, lads. Holidays are over ! Back to monotony !
Sheri
- Tue Jan 3 07:49:49 2006

 John- not sure yet. I haven't dared look at the state of my account! Bank staff are a humourless lot, aren't they?
Jimmy
- Mon Jan 2 12:56:15 2006

 Sounds good John! Amazon are pretty good, there's usually a red failure notice when I try to order stuff undeliverable to the UK (using the German or US Amazons for eg) so it doesn't go through. It'll be interesting to hear if your items do make it!! :))
Nigel
- Mon Jan 2 11:19:53 2006

 Morning all! Tom: 15GB of photos is still mightily impressive. Are you into a specific subject, photographically, or do you just keep snapping as you go? I think my entire collection (jpg format) stretches to just three CDs - one each for the children and another "misc" !! (Note to self: new year's resolution - take more photos!!) P.S dsp: Are we likely to get the "bot" back anytime? I 'd certainly use it to post the odd (small) photo now and then... :)
Nigel
- Mon Jan 2 11:18:05 2006

 On a completely unrelated note I have just ordered some DVDs from Amazon UK to be sent to my address here in Japan. I hadn't realised you could do that actually, so am half waiting for them to email me with some kind of failure notice, saying that they couldn't work out which county "Tokyo" was in or something. The other thing that surprised me was the delivery charge - a rather meagre 3 quid or so for what seems to amount to quite a heavy bundle of DVDs. Oh well, it'll either get here or it won't!
John
- Mon Jan 2 11:14:49 2006

 Merry thingies to you too Jimmy! Will you be making your annual call to the bank when you get back into work (tomorrow?). I always used to enjoy those: "Hi, guess what, I've overspent at Christmas and want to extend my overdraft."
John
- Mon Jan 2 11:11:38 2006

 Happy thingybobs, and a merry wossname!
Jimmy
- Mon Jan 2 10:28:47 2006

 The net result is that I've shrunk the 'photos' folder on the server from 21Gb to 15!
tom
- Mon Jan 2 09:56:05 2006

 Tee-hee, Travis!! Yes, for a problem like that Tom, I'd drop into DOS mode - I seem to be able to handle files soo much more simply/comprehensively there... Rename certain files to ntermediary suffixes, modify and return etc... Perl? Too grown-up for me!! :))
Nigel
- Sun Jan 1 23:12:04 2006

 tom: Glad we could be of help. :)
Travis
- Sun Jan 1 22:53:02 2006

 ARRRGH! Sorted. Sk00l b0I error.
tom
- Sun Jan 1 22:04:25 2006

 It's the compare algorythm that I'm foxed with. It's been too long!
tom
- Sun Jan 1 21:28:13 2006

 Anyway, I've got some code to recurse through the dir structure and create an MD5 hash (checksum) of each file. I know that my duplicates will always be in the same folder, so I only have to compare a small number of values. What I want is a print out of the duplicates for manual checking and then deletion.
tom
- Sun Jan 1 21:27:27 2006

 Struggling a little with a perl program... I've got LOADs of duplicate photos in my digital album. Don't ask why, but basically I have several copies of the same image as, say, tom.jpg tom.JPG TOM.jpg and so on. Windows/Unix issues. (cont)
tom
- Sun Jan 1 21:25:33 2006

 Buon Anno Nuovo at all la maison!!! :)
Lox
- Sun Jan 1 14:18:28 2006

 Happy New Year all! Did you see the London fireworks? http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4570980.stm
tom
- Sun Jan 1 12:21:06 2006

 Good morning! And a Jolly Happy New Year to all!!
Nigel
- Sun Jan 1 12:15:59 2006

 BONNE ANNÉE !!!!!!!
Sheri
- Sun Jan 1 09:29:21 2006

 John, hopefully the new world will be better in the US. 2.5 hours to go. Old Speckled Hen...a bit too macho for my likes. On to the Belhaven.
Travis
- Sun Jan 1 03:24:47 2006

 Luckily in English we can just say happt new year regardless of whether it is coming or going... So Travis, let me tell you, from someone who is already well into 2006 (10:45 AM on Jan 1st here) that, unsurprisingly, it isn't that much different... Anyway happy new year!
John
- Sun Jan 1 01:44:47 2006

 Wife and I just went to "the Strip" where one must go in order to purchase alcohol. I picked up a big bottle of Old Speckled Hen and one of the Belhaven series. Wife picked up some wine coolers. Enjoying some fajitas and (US rules) football. Happy New Year, all. I have 4.5 hours to go...
Travis
- Sun Jan 1 01:31:01 2006