Jimmy: OK. I think I understand your logic. Going home now, via a little retail therapy!
Mad Mumsie
Thu Jan 31 16:53:53 2008

MM- not in the least. I wrote "fuck" and "arse", and you wrote that you're a grandmother. I merely suggested that this should make you less offended than the rest of us, not more!
Jimmy
Thu Jan 31 16:45:28 2008

Rob: I know who'd want one of those, especially as its pink!
Mad Mumsie
Thu Jan 31 16:20:12 2008

Pictures speak louder than words Rob? Total CLASS!
Lox
Thu Jan 31 15:48:38 2008


Rob Lang
Thu Jan 31 15:35:49 2008

*** ** * **** ******?
Rob Lang
Thu Jan 31 15:33:26 2008

Oh dear, mouth open, foot in - would I like a glass of water to wash that foot down with. Sorry JM. No you can't leave the Board, there are so few of us to keep the end up! I must admit to the knitting bit, but never managed the art of crochet. Bought a book many years ago, before Kids, my mother said, that's interesting, can I borrow that........................... No time since. One day perhaps.
Mad Mumsie
Thu Jan 31 14:55:27 2008

Oh dear, I am a fully paid up member of the Knitting & Crochet Guild AND I have a rocking chair. And I brought up John. Am I still allowed on this site?
John's Mum
Thu Jan 31 14:35:17 2008

Now I am about to join the busy streets of Bangkok at night.... Wish me luck !!! :D
Lox
Thu Jan 31 12:52:15 2008

MM: (a little tear forms on the corner of Lox's right eye, and slowly finds it's way down to the nose avoiding the mouth and going back under the chin....) YES! Now he must make up for it, or ELSE!!!

John: You can start writing a version of Cheese that works on my computer, thanks! Then I my sorrow might be soothed a little bit further by having insider traders about the company where you actually work, I'll think about the rest later...
Lox
Thu Jan 31 12:51:47 2008

See what you done now John, upset Lox. Shame on you.
Mad Mumsie
Thu Jan 31 12:45:09 2008

John: Which probably means filtering my messages all the time then! :D
Lox
Thu Jan 31 12:44:14 2008

Rob: But they are Americans, and with the exception of Travis, (she puts quickly, not wanting to upset one of our number) probably couldn't even read that lot. And anyway, they voted for not only George Bush but Ronald Reagan as well. Jimmy: are you being unkind. I might be a grandmother and white haired, but I do not sit in a rocking chair, knitting!
Mad Mumsie
Thu Jan 31 12:40:24 2008

Rob- what's you point? MM- you'll know more about these subjects than the rest of us, then!
Jimmy
Thu Jan 31 12:31:09 2008


Rob Lang
Thu Jan 31 12:23:04 2008

********* ************** ***************** ******** **** ***** ***** ******* ************ *********** * *** ***************** * ******* ****** **** *** *** ****** ** **** ***
Rob Lang
Thu Jan 31 12:21:30 2008

John: Can't remember the last time I waxed lyrical about my grandchildren - all I did was remind Jimmy that at my great age - I'm not used to all the bad language. God that sounds so priggish.
Mad Mumsie
Thu Jan 31 12:19:44 2008

If we had a logon for the board itself (as opposed to just the add message page) then we could implement some kind of filtering so that messages are only displayed to an appropriate audience. Thus, we could swear away to our hearts contents, and just make those messages non visible to those of us who may be offended. Similarly, I'd like my own personalised view of the board to filter out any messages containing excessive baby talk, and all messages from Lox when he's in one of his more whingy moods. :)
John
Thu Jan 31 11:53:34 2008

Language Jimmy, remember I'm a grandmother ;)
Mad Mumsie
Thu Jan 31 11:42:51 2008

[CENSORED] **** **** ****, Jimmy, **** ******** *** *** ****** *** *** ****** ****[/CENSORED]
Rob Lang
Thu Jan 31 11:42:25 2008

The thing is, it's practically impossible to avoid having you site tagged as something nasty, if its main content is poeple having a chat. The blocker-programs inevitably trawl the net looking for rude words. If I'm not allowed to say fuck and arse, then what's the bloody point?
Jimmy
Thu Jan 31 10:09:37 2008

MM: Well he's got a degree after all, his thesis must have been longer than 10 words, otherwise I cannot explain why it took the professors so long to correct it... :D
Lox
Thu Jan 31 09:46:52 2008

Rob: I didn't know you knew all those words ;)
Mad Mumsie
Thu Jan 31 09:43:57 2008

Morning All. I would suggest using anonymous proxies but then you might get into trouble with work or get your bank accounts stolen :)
Kev
Thu Jan 31 09:33:17 2008

Actually a friend of mine gets this site blocked by corporate firewalls as Pornographic, but I wonder where all the pornography comes from, it cannot be the odd swearword or dubious concept...
Lox
Thu Jan 31 09:26:25 2008

[CENSORED] **** ***** **** ***** *** ******** ** ********* **** ******* **** ******** ***** ****.[/CENSORED]
Rob Lang
Thu Jan 31 08:49:42 2008

Jimmy: I use two PCs at work, one goes through the corporate network (blocked) and the other is the one that "the public" can use, so goes nowhere near anything that they might hack into, as if that will stop them. A few months ago there was some jesting on the site of a vaguely pornographic nature, and it was after that, that the site was blocked.
Mad Mumsie
Thu Jan 31 08:48:24 2008

JM: Hmmm am giving it serious consideration, but am enjoying the spending power too much at the moment. Its lovely after many years of too much month left over at the end of the money to be the other way round now. And I do like the people I work with! Me and five blokes ;)
Mad Mumsie
Thu Jan 31 08:45:04 2008

I had to have this site specially re-enabled ... the NetNazi blocked it by default. Apparently it is listed as "Pornographic." I've searched and searched ... but found no smut anywhere :(
Jimmy
Thu Jan 31 08:24:43 2008

Posting from a lounge in Incheon airport (Seoul)... in a few days I will be back home, now Bangkok, I wonder what it'll wait for me there! :D
Lox
Wed Jan 30 23:19:17 2008

Now I ask myself why we never thought about that special clause when we were at radstock... I mean Mr.Hamed had a lot of daughters for sure!
Lox
Wed Jan 30 19:28:57 2008

I now understand why John and Rob are such good friends - they are both irrepressible. Besides which, they both make me laugh. Like Lego, every day the Maison is a new toy. AND it doesn't get stuck up your vacuum cleaner. MM - retire, then you won't have the censorship problems!
John's Mum
Wed Jan 30 17:55:32 2008

Oh well, I shall retreat to a place where I can say what I want. Like Maison in days long gone.
Rob Lang
Wed Jan 30 17:13:16 2008

ROBERT!!! Be careful. I can't access this site on the other PC because of content. I don't want to be barred on this one as well :)
Mad Mumsie
Wed Jan 30 16:24:37 2008

Free weekly blow job?
Rob Lang
Wed Jan 30 15:05:15 2008

Well I think the end of our accommodation woes may be in sight - I spoke to the management company at the current place today, and whilst the rent was never up for negotiation, I did manage some small concessions in the other terms of the contract - just about enough to tip the balance into making me feel comfortable staying.
John
Wed Jan 30 15:04:40 2008

Very boring Nigel - Air Cadet camp!
Mad Mumsie
Wed Jan 30 14:55:06 2008

John: I have sent you a mail regarding Cheese.... :P
Lox
Wed Jan 30 14:33:26 2008

... or, of course, it actually could mean an extreme state of worry - which would be my case with rock-climbing.... :(
Nigel
Wed Jan 30 12:47:41 2008

Afternoon all! :)
Coo! "Browndown" sounds like a CIA covert op... I've seen the Bourne films, I know this stuff!! Ha! :D :D
Nigel
Wed Jan 30 12:46:44 2008

Morning All; Tom - you may be approached (!) by Paul Beardwood about Browndown and your climbing qualification, and the other bloke as well.
Mad Mumsie
Wed Jan 30 09:32:47 2008

Morning All
Kev
Wed Jan 30 08:26:05 2008

Nigel, John: Actually we had a nice sweet Jinro type thing... not sure what's its name... Unfortunately the evening ended up in a "bar" drinking J&B... :( But the ladies were nice there! :D
Lox
Tue Jan 29 14:13:15 2008

Nigel: you were on the right track with your second guess - Jinro is a kind of Korean rice wine. Technically Jinro is a brand, it is also made by other companies I believe, and the generic product is called soju, but I guess it's a bit like Martini - one brand dominates and it tends to be used informally to name all the other variants.
John
Tue Jan 29 13:35:19 2008

Ah.. John... Are you saying "Cheers" in Korean, or mentioning a brand of beer in passing?!!?? :D

Oh and, Afternoon all!! :)
Nigel
Tue Jan 29 13:09:21 2008

Jinro!
John
Tue Jan 29 10:55:28 2008

I am dead tired, but I must go out for dinner with the new partner.. At least we got him "on board" with us so that's a positive thing!
Lox
Tue Jan 29 10:10:45 2008

I am about to start the working day, it's an important meeting as we are here to close a potential contract.. I hope all goes well...
Lox
Mon Jan 28 23:10:53 2008

Ok... That's good. :)
Nigel
Mon Jan 28 21:49:22 2008

Nigel: I'll be fine... I have actually see a LOT of anti-US protests but they are never violent as it probably would happen in Europe...
Lox
Mon Jan 28 20:10:29 2008

Hope Lox is ok - see picture no.2 in this set - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/7213055.stm
Nigel
Mon Jan 28 14:01:48 2008

That "James" if you don't mind! and it's McD-Hons (Hamburgers On Nashville Sauce)
Jimmy Smith Dr
Mon Jan 28 11:44:32 2008

Do you think if you get a McBurger qualification you can go on a skills transfer retraining course to work at Wimpy or Burger King?
Kev
Mon Jan 28 11:43:56 2008

How about being a "Dr Jimmy Smith McD"
Kev
Mon Jan 28 11:39:17 2008

Also after you have your A-Level you can go here Hamburger University
Kev
Mon Jan 28 11:22:50 2008

John, you forgot Chiwowa burgers ( which you will be qualified to make once you get your A-Level from Mcdonalds )
Kev
Mon Jan 28 11:12:20 2008

Lox: crappy? Surely it is the international capital of all things we love about Korea, like Jinro and kimchi? OK, well in my case that list is actually pretty much exhaustive, but I'm sure I could have at least a couple of fun nights out on that basis.
John
Mon Jan 28 10:52:48 2008

Yes I read that McDonalds thing as well - it does rather beg the question what's in it for them? If they're giving out supposedly credible qualifications to their employees, won't that just enable them to get a better job somewhere else? (having said that, it is kind of hard to imagine that other employers would actually take those qualifications seriously)
John
Mon Jan 28 10:50:28 2008

Hi all! :)
Lox: Would you have a nice, hi-tec shopping list with you? Anything exciting?
Nigel
Mon Jan 28 10:49:19 2008

Seoul my dear, actually quite a crappy city if you ask me, but hei!, I will fly to Bangkok soon enough I guess...
Lox
Mon Jan 28 09:48:58 2008

hehe, i like the ticket.
Also isn't it great that you will soon be a able to leave school with an A-Level in Mcdonalds. Do you thing they will learn how to say "do you want fries with that"[4 credits] in 200 different languages as well as how to "pay your extortionate mortgage with a second mcjob studies[2credits]"
Kev
Mon Jan 28 08:29:36 2008

So, I suppose Lox must be in Seoul or Bangkok now then?
John
Mon Jan 28 08:28:56 2008

I'm glad to hear that some people are protesting about the terrible service and overpricing on our trains.
John
Mon Jan 28 08:25:52 2008

Morning All
Kev
Mon Jan 28 08:25:35 2008

Morning all.
John
Mon Jan 28 08:12:54 2008

Afternoon!! :) Safe journey Lox!
Nigel
Sun Jan 27 12:05:08 2008

Bon voyage Lorenzo! Look forward to hearing more tales of your exotic travels! :)
John
Sun Jan 27 11:19:25 2008

About to leave again for Asia, I cannot hide the usual uneasy feeling typical of such occasions, let's hope it all goes well!
Lox
Sun Jan 27 09:12:57 2008

John: If high spirits means that I have been continuously drunk since yesterday night then it's correct... Let's say it was a good parenthesis in a very crappy week :D I hope I can continue on that road though!
Lox
Sat Jan 26 17:57:26 2008

Well another afternoon as lazy as can be! The rest of my famiy have been (and are still in fact) watching Harry Potter on the TV, while I've been encoding stuff for my PSP... and generally messing on the computer... :)
Nigel
Sat Jan 26 17:44:42 2008

What a pleasure it is to find you in high spirits Lox!
John
Sat Jan 26 12:28:47 2008

Morning! Had a marvellous dinner yesterday with Chiara and tomorrow I will leave for Seoul and Bangkok... A different weekend!
Lox
Sat Jan 26 09:06:55 2008

Morning! Ah, the weekend! :)
Nigel
Sat Jan 26 08:19:59 2008

Hi guys. Hmmm, I wonder if the client software on laptop or PSP is somehow tied to a particular LocationFree box, meaning the stream should be secure and only viewable by some form of association control...?
Nigel
Fri Jan 25 14:32:30 2008

Just dont tell Aunty Beeb :). I think the Slingbox does something similar.
Kev
Fri Jan 25 10:58:27 2008

Nice message there Nige, I like the internet beaming tv about. Tip top idea!
Rob Lang
Fri Jan 25 10:23:22 2008

Morning! :)
Nigel
Fri Jan 25 10:21:03 2008

Morning All
Kev
Fri Jan 25 08:31:06 2008

Tis indeed a splendid idea Nigel. Would be great to set something like that up at Chie's parents house, so she can watch Japanese telly here in the UK.
John
Thu Jan 24 22:20:45 2008

To cheer you all up I've specifically NOT been looking at shares... However I have discovered this gadget and the more I read about it the more I like this idea -

http://uk.playstation.com/psp/hardware/accessories/detail/item51374/LocationFree%E2%84%A2-Base-Station/

So as far as I can tell, you can use your laptop or PSP as a home/local TV "viewer" anywhere you have a wireless access point. So, for example, you could be living in Japan, as John was, and desperately need to watch a program about Three Men In A Boat on the Thames. Kev wouldn't need to bravely dismantle is HD recorder to get at the files to email around the world and be demuxed. Just feed the composite into the LocationFree and it's streamed around the Internet to wherever!! It apparently even gives access to a home/local/Your Sainted Aunt Nelly's HD recorder, remotely. Marvellous !!

I'm sure I've missed some glaringly obvious fly in the ointment here...
Nigel
Thu Jan 24 21:50:23 2008

Stock market is a joyride, that's why after years of studies I have decided to stop investing heavily on risky stocks and gave myself to the old bond market that it's quite boring but is a bit safer... But that's probably because pensions are not going to be given to anyone when I will be old, so I need to start saving up I guess...
Lox
Thu Jan 24 18:35:32 2008

Here's my stock-market-and-shares story: I went through a pile of old junk-mail the other day. One contained a share-dividend. As a cheque. Pity it was now more than 6 months old :( Now you might think that the moral of the story is "Always read your junk mail" ... but I actually don't think it has a moral at all.
Jimmy
Thu Jan 24 12:53:40 2008

John: Do you find that the atmosphere in the office is strongly related to the company's share performance?
dsp
Thu Jan 24 12:10:59 2008

So, money is your problem, then. SHED it! Give it all to me and it will cease to be a problem.
Rob Lang
Thu Jan 24 12:08:59 2008

Stockmarkets go up, Stockmarkets go down. Its the Monoline Insurers you need to watch out for !
Kev
Thu Jan 24 11:20:33 2008

Yes Kev, although more than being annoyed I now feel overwhelmed with a sense of gloom about the world. Chiefly this is a combination of (A) being ill (B) the accommodation (specifically, rent increase) issue and (C) the fact that the stock market downturn has occurred within about a week of the first time in my life I've ever had shares worth any kind of significant value (they vested one year after I started).
John
Thu Jan 24 11:00:34 2008

I assume you are still annoyed John. :(
Kev
Thu Jan 24 10:11:12 2008

Morning. However I don't feel particularly compelled to prepend "good" to that.
John
Thu Jan 24 10:08:22 2008

Morning all.
Kev
Thu Jan 24 08:49:02 2008

Yes!
Mad Mumsie
Wed Jan 23 16:10:41 2008

Is it ticking?
Rob Lang
Wed Jan 23 16:05:42 2008

And, the last of your Christmas pressies has just arrived!
Mad Mumsie
Wed Jan 23 14:37:21 2008

Blah blah blah. I was giving John support by joining in and getting riled and asking Johnny to put a quote up that is sort of fitting.
Rob Lang
Wed Jan 23 14:03:36 2008

Rob:I think that MM has got a point there...
Lox
Wed Jan 23 12:51:35 2008

EXCUSE ME LANG - just remember who else lives in London, nuke London, and "bang" goes your inheritance.
Mad Mumsie
Wed Jan 23 12:15:02 2008

Listen. You listen to me. You see that city over there? THAT'S where I'm supposed to be. Not down here with the dogs, and the garbage, and the fucking last month's newspapers blowing *back* and *forth*. I've had it with them, I've had it with you, I've had it with ALL THIS - *I want ROOM SERVICE*! I want the club sandwich, I want the cold Mexican beer, I want a $10,000-a-night hooker! I want my shirts laundered... like they do... at the Imperial Hotel... in Tokyo.
Johnny Mnemonic
Wed Jan 23 12:08:35 2008

John, soddit. Nuke London, it's making you ill. Escape to the country, grow long hair and a beard, throw away this digital life, it's a sickness. Just be you and the Mrs and concentrate on doing that right. Sod rent. Sod London. Sod coding.
Rob Lang
Wed Jan 23 12:06:53 2008

DLTBGYD
Kev
Wed Jan 23 11:31:09 2008

JM: wise words indeed.
Mad Mumsie
Wed Jan 23 11:16:05 2008

John - don't go making any decisions in a bad mood on top of a cold.
John's Mum
Wed Jan 23 10:30:15 2008

Tom: Well done
John: Prawns wrapped in biodegradable supermarket bag behind the skirting boards.
Kev
Wed Jan 23 08:56:10 2008

John: BUGGER. I've just had a check with the CAB web-site, and the fact that your contract is coming to an end will probably put you in the poo. You may have to negotiate :(
Jimmy
Wed Jan 23 08:39:49 2008

Congratulations, Tom! John- it's been quite a while since I rented, but I think you have a great deal of legal protection from this sort of thing. If you already live in the flat, then I'm pretty sure the landlord can't simply demand an unreasonable sum. The agreement you signed is irrelevant- no matter what it says, it cannot be enforced if it disadvantages you when compared with the "standard" short-term tennancy agreement. I've never looked into the price-hike clauses in it, but I'm pretty sure they can't demand silly-money. Go to see Citizens' Advice (or a solicitor if you can find one that you trust). Chances are you have a very stong bargaining position, and can *probably* refuse to pay anything above inflation.
Jimmy
Wed Jan 23 08:28:04 2008

Congratulations Tom and all the Rowan clan. Glad to hear all went well.
Mad Mumsie
Wed Jan 23 08:17:15 2008

Tom: CONGRATS to you all guys!
John: It's a tough decision, but in the end I'd consider moving to a different place, 20% sounds like an awful lot to swallow in one go... There is an interesting house at 2, Radstock Road in Reading if you want I can put a good word with the landlord, I know him personally...
Lox
Wed Jan 23 07:02:27 2008

I'm starting to have thoughts of just jacking it all in. The prospect of being able to negotiate down the rent increase to something sensible sound like next to nothing, and I can't bear either the thought of being ripped off to that extent - a load more money for the same tiny flat - or equally the thought of having to deal with London's lowlife scum that call themselves estate agents in order to find somewhere else to live which will almost certainly result in some grotty little hovel in a very-likely-to-be-burgled-in backwater with an arduous commute on an overcrowded and unreliable tube every day.
John
Wed Jan 23 00:32:22 2008

Hiya Nigel!! All is well thank you! Our little bundle is now 6 months, nearly 7 months old would you believe?!!??! How the hell are you?
dsp
Wed Jan 23 00:09:12 2008

Congratulations Tom! To be honest I don't think I even knew a new one was on the way...! Can I suggest calling your new offspring "landlords are utter bastards"? I think it has a certain ring to it.
John
Wed Jan 23 00:09:01 2008

Yo, dsp!! Hope things are OK now with you and your own bundle of joy.... :)
Nigel
Tue Jan 22 23:05:50 2008

Congratulations Tom!! Splendid news!! Best wishes to all! :)

John: Oh Poo! That's not nice at all, but typical of big-city landlords. I agree with your comments about the hard-earned rise, and to be honest think I (personally) would rather move to a cheaper, but perhaps further away, location so I could at least benefit from my efforts. A 20% hike is appalling! :(
Nigel
Tue Jan 22 23:04:54 2008

John - tell them to shove their over-priced flat right between their buttocks.
dsp
Tue Jan 22 23:04:00 2008

John - that depends on where you've put your savings.
dsp
Tue Jan 22 23:02:59 2008

Tom - congratulations!!
dsp
Tue Jan 22 23:02:27 2008

Greetings all! New baby Rowan was born yesterday (21st Jan) at 1042, weighing 7lb 8oz. Mum and baby doing well. He's not quite got a name yet... but we're trying them out. We'll keep you posted. (Interestingly, and honestly, 'Bradley' was discussed and has been discounted...)
tom
Tue Jan 22 23:00:04 2008

...but hey, shouldn't all this talk of recession put people like me who are not home owners at the moment and have no debt in a really good position?
John
Tue Jan 22 22:39:30 2008

I've had a bit of a crap day too - the tenancy on our flat is coming to an end in just under a month, today I phoned up to talk about renewing, and they told me they're putting the rent up by a frightening amount (more than 20%) - and I already felt like I was paying too much. The real kick in the teeth is that I got a pay rise at the end of last year which would be entirely swallowed by this rent increase, if we actually chose to accept it. I worked really hard last year to earn that pay rise, and now I'd basically just be handing it all over to some morons who run a real estate company and have done nothing whatsoever to deserve it. Obviously I have half a mind to tell them to just go screw themselves, but finding somewhere to live and moving is always such a huge upheaval, especially given that we now only have a month to do something about it.
John
Tue Jan 22 22:36:32 2008

So frustrating, Lox, that you can't tell us anything about it... :(
Nigel
Tue Jan 22 20:08:34 2008

Today I think it was the crappiest day at the new job. I am rewriting CVs already, cannot hide the distinctive feeling of being a total utter failure.
Lox
Tue Jan 22 18:14:58 2008

Ah, the sound of Microsoft Application eating resources. CHOMP CHOMP CHOMP. Is 2Gig of memory not enough? Really? Well I better close down Word, after all it's taken up 400 MEG FOR GOD'S SAKE.
Rob Lang
Tue Jan 22 12:03:58 2008

That'll teach you for dicing with Johnny foreigner.
Rob Lang
Tue Jan 22 11:11:11 2008

Got back to London late last night. I picked up a cold on my travels it seems, and so am not feeling all that great about being back at work this morning.
John
Tue Jan 22 11:07:08 2008

morning all
Kev
Tue Jan 22 08:58:51 2008

Rob is having a great Monday I see...
Lox
Mon Jan 21 18:47:54 2008

Oh, AJAX, eh? FILTH. JAVASCRIPT! FILTH! Bring on the delightful compiled code library.
Rob Lang
Mon Jan 21 15:07:12 2008

ps. Just got back from Beijing on Friday last week. Luckily I had changed my flight from the Thursday one....
Simon
Mon Jan 21 14:37:47 2008

postback: Pretty sure satan had a hand there...
Simon
Mon Jan 21 14:37:11 2008

I get to write Winforms. Hurrah! Ball cocks to state management. Bugger off postback! COME ON THEN! YOU WANT EVENT QUEUE? HELL YEAH! You're a Web App, Sebastien... (etc)
Rob Lang
Mon Jan 21 13:45:21 2008

And now to add to the general air of despondency, its raining.
Mad Mumsie
Mon Jan 21 13:31:32 2008

Urgh. Monday. Morning all.
Mad Mumsie
Mon Jan 21 11:18:36 2008

... and of course, eveyone else!! :D
Nigel
Mon Jan 21 10:49:46 2008

Morning trans-continental Maisoneers! :)
Nigel
Mon Jan 21 09:32:45 2008

Morning All
Kev
Mon Jan 21 08:26:27 2008

Guys where is TIM!?!? I mean even sheri pops in more often than DSP now.... Does anyone has any news?
Lox
Sun Jan 20 13:28:38 2008

John: Probably Turkey (as it's now part of Europe)... :P Ever considered an holiday on the Orient Express?
Lox
Sun Jan 20 13:14:43 2008

Hello again chaps. We're now on a train from Belgium to Germany - Aachen to be precise. Travelling around Europe by train is turning out to be surprisingly fun - it's a shame I'm due back in work on Tuesday or I'd have half a mind to just carry on, and see where I ended up.
John
Sun Jan 20 11:41:31 2008

So Brussels has been alright actually. Went on a tour of the opera house, had a wander round the Grand Market square etc, and have had some good food and Belgian beers. I don't think I'd want to spend a whole week here, but for one day it has been quite fun. Tomorrow onto Aachen!
John
Sat Jan 19 22:29:10 2008

John: Bravo! :D
Lox
Sat Jan 19 10:25:42 2008

Hello from the Eurostar! Currently travelling through Belgium. Will be in Brussels in about 20 minutes. I bet this is the most expensive message I've ever posted!
John
Sat Jan 19 09:38:38 2008

Morning all
Lox
Sat Jan 19 09:19:04 2008

Morning all.
John
Sat Jan 19 06:10:08 2008

Lox: the files you probably want are under: /lox/sbm/html/
John
Fri Jan 18 20:42:23 2008

John: Iwas planning to add Google analytics to my bit of the page, but since we changed to your system I am having a bit of difficulties finding the pages that are used to make every entry and the mainpage... I need to add a bit of code at the bottom apparently... Can you help me out?
Lox
Fri Jan 18 18:48:25 2008

FRIDAY EVENING!!! YESSSSSSSS finally I can rest at the weekend!....
Lox
Fri Jan 18 18:32:08 2008

Of course, when I say "early" I mean just after 5 as opposed to 7 or 8.
John
Fri Jan 18 15:39:21 2008

I have also had an extremely productive few days at work in the latter half of this week. I think I may reward myself by leaving early!
John
Fri Jan 18 15:34:37 2008

Watch what you say about IT support personnel - they are the bestest people in the land!
Mad Mumsie
Fri Jan 18 15:05:13 2008

I had to beat an IT support peon to death to show the manager how serious I was about getting a support to stand my monitor on.
Rob Lang
Fri Jan 18 13:38:33 2008

I'm in an oddly jubilant mood, for no real reason. I decided recently I ought to get a spare power supply for my work laptop, as I often carry it to and from the office, and a significant part of the weight is just the power supply - so it would make sense to leave one power supply at work, and one at home. So I went to our IT support desk now and asked how I could go about getting a spare one. I was expecting, based on experience of previous companies, that I'd have to fill in forms, give a justification for why I need it, get it approved by my manager and then assuming that was all OK I'd then have to wait a week or two until it actually arrived. What actually happened is that they just handed one over there and then, no questions asked. It's only a little thing, and it's absolute common sense really, but I still can't help but think how great that is.
John
Fri Jan 18 13:11:25 2008

No problem Rob! It was probably a bit too close to the date pull it together anyway, given that me and Chie will be away this weekend.
John
Fri Jan 18 13:02:48 2008

Sorry mate, I am flying that w/e and have a horrid bloody staff meeting on the evening. :(
Rob Lang
Fri Jan 18 12:52:57 2008

Rob - any chance you're free next Friday or Saturday (25th/26th)? I've half a mind to try doing another Burns night.
John
Fri Jan 18 12:16:31 2008

Afternoon all. (I'm scintillating today aren't I?)
John
Fri Jan 18 12:15:36 2008

Morning All
Kev
Fri Jan 18 09:07:57 2008

Morning John, morning all.
Mad Mumsie
Fri Jan 18 08:43:45 2008

Morning all.
John
Fri Jan 18 08:39:18 2008

Sadly, stone, cold sober, Kev!! :( No good excuses..
Yes I think you're right about SP3. The only really new stuff being the two things I mentioned. Still I suppose it shows some willingness to keep XP alive...
Nigel
Thu Jan 17 22:50:55 2008

Understandable ( due to guinness?? ) :) :) :) I would have thought SP3 would just be a roll-up of the recent updates.
Kev
Thu Jan 17 22:12:09 2008

Blimey - spelling gone to pot there!! Sorry, but I guess it's still understandable..
Nigel
Thu Jan 17 21:16:45 2008

Incidently, did anyone else notice there's a beta available for Windows XP SP3 ? Interesting, but nothing too sunning in the upgrade - NAP and some changes to Nework encrytion... I think!
Nigel
Thu Jan 17 21:15:57 2008

John: I sent you a mail!
Lox
Thu Jan 17 19:43:15 2008

John: Actually I might come up to London sooner than you expect! :D I'll let you guys know if I have time we MUST meet (also Rob and all the other people that happen to be in the big smoke)
Lox
Thu Jan 17 12:51:22 2008

Good morning... Just! :)
Nigel
Thu Jan 17 11:41:43 2008

Morning All
Kev
Thu Jan 17 09:02:01 2008

Sounds great, John! At work we are all currently going through the scrabble to get the leave we want... So far it's not going my way! :(
Nigel
Wed Jan 16 23:44:16 2008

Have just booked a pair of flights for Japan. Me and Chie are going to spend the latter half of March there - really looking forward to it. Lorenzo - don't suppose there's any chance you might wind up there on a business trip around that time (given all the bad luck we had with those things lining up badly when I was actually living there, I feel like we're offered some good karma now I'm not!).
John
Wed Jan 16 22:34:12 2008

Good evening!! Well another quiet day on the Maison! I have only just now logged-on, for the first time from home today. Where has the day gone?!?!?!
Nigel
Wed Jan 16 22:18:05 2008

See the noise has got to me "our" window
Mad Mumsie
Wed Jan 16 14:03:08 2008

THE WEATHER REPORT: At the moment it is blue sky and the sun is shining. That is the only good thing about today. Apart from the fact there is a building site next door, with lorries that seem to delight in reversing up and down the 300 foot roadway - bleep bleep bleep - but under out window today the man painting parking bays is there, removing previous lines, painting new ones - wrongly - taking those out and painting more. The noise has been out of this world.
Mad Mumsie
Wed Jan 16 14:02:28 2008

Afternoon
Kev
Wed Jan 16 13:18:45 2008

Afternoon chaps.
John
Wed Jan 16 12:55:35 2008

Morning!! :)
Nigel
Wed Jan 16 08:51:19 2008

Morning All
Kev
Wed Jan 16 08:21:09 2008

Did he have a bag of crisps with his pints, or a bowl of sunflower seeds? ;-)
Bryan
Tue Jan 15 19:21:49 2008

Yep: telling the hamster to stick to the wheels in his cage is probably a bad idea.
tom
Tue Jan 15 14:13:24 2008

Yes I suppose that was the overriding factor that stopped me trying to be funny - it seemed like he was actually having quite a nice relaxing time, having a few quiet pints like "normal" people do.
John
Tue Jan 15 12:59:09 2008

Best thing to do is leave them alone.
Rob Lang
Tue Jan 15 12:09:23 2008

Last night I was drinking in a pub just round the corner from my office, and who should I spot, on the table next to ours? It was Top Gear presenter and car crash survivor extraordinair Mr Richard Hammond. I was desperately trying to think of something witty to say to him, along the lines of "glad you're not dead", or "we all wished it was Clarkson in that car", but alas nothing seemed to quite meet the mark. Apparently the Daily Torygraph has offices near that pub, and they were trying to persuade him to write a column for them - by buying him a few pints.
John
Tue Jan 15 12:02:35 2008

Problems again Tom? I must say the high sided vehicle in front of me was swaying a bit!
Mad Mumsie
Tue Jan 15 09:41:45 2008

A sprinkling of rain, a little breeze and the country comes to a standstill.
tom
Tue Jan 15 09:21:42 2008

Morning! :)
Nigel
Tue Jan 15 09:00:52 2008

morning all
Kev
Tue Jan 15 08:37:18 2008

There was a rather cynical review of Jeeves and Wooster the first time it appeared on tv. The reviewer thought it would have been more intriguing if the parts had been reversed. What doesn't come over on the tv is that Jeeves eats a lot of fish for the brain cells (like a spinach-promoting Popeye cartoon!).
John's Mum
Mon Jan 14 16:49:41 2008

Ah! Thankyou MM!! Explained. I didn't like to ask at the time...
Nigel
Mon Jan 14 16:17:37 2008

Nigel; its all a question of degree. You see if you are growing it long, every now and then you have to have a bit cut off so even it up and get rid of all those nasty split ends. I don't have that problem, mine is about 2" all overl - and as Rob is keen on telling everyone - its curly!
Mad Mumsie
Mon Jan 14 15:55:11 2008

Glad to hear it MM!! take it easy!! :)
Actually it must be very confusing being a lady... This is a conversation I had earlier with a colleague. "Hi Jenny, your hair looks nice. Had it cut? (I'm smooth, I know!)" - "Oh thanks for noticing, Nigel. Yes, I did. I'm growing it long so I didn't have much off" ... I just wonder if the befuddlement was apparent on my face...
Nigel
Mon Jan 14 15:09:54 2008

Hello everyone, I'm back at work. Not completely better, but well enough to sit at a desk and take abuse from the Boss!! Seriously, I think he was glad to see me. I'm not sure I shall make it to 5pm but we'll see.
Mad Mumsie
Mon Jan 14 14:02:18 2008

Morning all!! :)
Just been reading a computer review which had been translated at source for English speakers. They used the word "Haptic" which I thought a little odd. I suspect we would probably use the word "ergonomics" instead... maybe... Or perhaps they just knew exactly what they wanted to touch on... ! :)
Nigel
Mon Jan 14 10:35:57 2008

I didn't! Just arrived... M4!
tom
Mon Jan 14 09:38:48 2008

Morning all - and look, I actually made it into the office before 9 for a change!
John
Mon Jan 14 08:59:40 2008

... sorry... carelessly worded... What I mean is, having read the books, it's my opinion Fry and Laurie did a great job of staying true to the originals! Glad you liked them, John!! :)
Nigel
Sun Jan 13 22:37:00 2008

I am indeed John, and have the whole lot on DVD to boot! Those two just fit the parts perfectly - and I have read the books !! :)
Nigel
Sun Jan 13 22:33:36 2008

Nigel: do I recall you're a fan of Jeeves and Wooster? Or am I confusing you with someone else? I've watched a couple of episodes this week on ITV3 - I'm sure I must have seen it before but never really paid much attention to it - it is really good isn't it!
John
Sun Jan 13 22:18:19 2008

Had truffle risotto for dinner tonight - was even better than the truffle pasta dish yesterday.... mmmmm!
John
Sun Jan 13 22:13:24 2008

I am completely tired... worked all day because a client decided to come on SUNDAY to see us... 'nuff said..
Lox
Sun Jan 13 18:01:02 2008

Ha!! Thanks for the link, Kev!! Marvellous!! I have to hand it to the builder, he's created great airflow!! :D
And in nerd-like fashion I have to identify the motherboard as very old - just look at the CPU cache memory slot along-side the CPU!! I used to have similar and thought I was so cool when I'd sourced a suitable cache memory board for it!!
Thanks again, made me smile wwiiddee!!! :D
Nigel
Sun Jan 13 16:22:55 2008

Nigel, I think you should have a go at knocking one of these up in your garage with all your left-over computer bits. link
Kev
Sun Jan 13 15:25:20 2008

Oh, sorry to hear Chie's not so well, John. My sympathies - we've had snuffles and moaning kids for a couple of weeks here, but luckily I've stayed clear!!
Isobel has a girls party this afternoon, so is getting all excited about that. Tim's doing some homework on Mummy's laptop about Indian animals, and I'm just doing a spot of surfing prior to ... prior to not much really. I think I'm succeeding in having a lazy Sunday so far as it's raining! :)
Nigel
Sun Jan 13 12:13:45 2008

Hello Nigel! Any plans for today? Chie picked up a nasty cold just in time to ruin her weekend, so has been pretty much bed-ridden since Friday night. Looking on the bright side though it means I won't be dragged out to do any shopping this weekend!
John
Sun Jan 13 12:05:20 2008

... or given the clock reading, maybe "Afternoon!" :D
Nigel
Sun Jan 13 12:04:46 2008

Morning (just!) Maisoneers!! :)
Nigel
Sun Jan 13 12:01:21 2008

Actually I think fresh pasta isn't necessarily better than the dried stuff - especially in this country. There's a little Italian delicatessen near where we live, ran by a funny little old Italian man who barely speaks any English. I bought some pasta (dried) on his recommendation.
John
Sat Jan 12 20:37:42 2008

John: Though I am no expert, I know for a fact that the connoseurs of truffles, try out how good they are with fried eggs, slicing the truffle on top of the egg. Of course make sure you have something to get some truffle flakes, they are great. May I recommend some fresh pasta, as well? Do not go for the dry version better invest a little bit more for the real stuff.
Lox
Sat Jan 12 18:16:41 2008

I don't know how much it weighs exactly - I went by size. It's not huge - after all it's only going to be me and Chie eating it, and I want to be able to finish it off in one meal (or at most two) as they seem to lose their flavour pretty quickly if they hang around too long. Oh and yes I was going to go for serving it with pasta and butter - hadn't previously entertain the idea of a fried egg though, but that does sound oddly intriguing.
John
Sat Jan 12 18:06:11 2008

John: How may grams? I mean not to poke into your money or anything, but a decent truffle cannot be less than 50 grams, making it 150 pounds... remember to have it on pasta with butter and with fried eggs (it's the way it's meant to be eaten apparently)...
Lox
Sat Jan 12 17:57:46 2008

Well, Borough Market was a disappointment (full of tourists eating organic free range ostrich burgers - and all that annoying crap), so instead I went to Fortnum and Mason, where there was none of that so called farmer's market twaddle, just good old fashioned extravagance. I am now the proud owner of one fresh Perigord truffle, a bargain at £3000 a kilo.
John
Sat Jan 12 17:39:12 2008

Good news about the job. Am knitting you a beret to celebrate ....
John's Mum
Sat Jan 12 16:27:16 2008

Right, I'm off out for the day too. Going to get my hair cut at the usual Japanese place and am also going to go truffle hunting (in shops / markets that is - as fun as it sounds I don't intend to hire a pig and go routing around the bases of oak trees).
John
Sat Jan 12 12:13:40 2008

Morning all!!
Nigel
Sat Jan 12 10:52:52 2008

Going to the centre of Florence for a bit of shopping and a lunch with an ex colleague at Mitsubishi... Catch you later guys!
Lox
Sat Jan 12 09:55:28 2008

Ha ha ha Rob's "blah blah blah" messages from the other day are hilarious when Colin reads them out.
John
Sat Jan 12 09:48:51 2008

Hmmm I seem to have got myself a brief reprieve by re-activating and re-deacitivating those nabcasts. Perhaps it got confused because Colin was off when I deleted them last time...?
John
Sat Jan 12 09:48:12 2008

John: IT'S ALIVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Lox
Sat Jan 12 09:39:30 2008

Colin is playing the Hong Kong Phooey theme tune to me. I originally signed him up to play these "nabcasts" - short podcast type things - once a day. Given that he'd then be turned off for days at a time, and I got a bit overwhelmed by the backlog whenever I booted him back up, I tried to de-subscribe from that service - and they just keep coming!
John
Sat Jan 12 09:36:48 2008

Just remember John, when your in your Aachen hotel don't mention the war.
Kev
Fri Jan 11 22:54:43 2008

Have just booked Chie and I a mini break for next weekend - yes it's yet another anniversary. We're going to Brussels and Aachen - the latter because it apparently has hot springs, and the former for no other reason than it is on the way to the latter.
John
Fri Jan 11 21:05:42 2008

I managed 18.719s. Having beaten the suggested 18, I couldn't be bothered to continue.
Jimmy
Fri Jan 11 14:01:07 2008

Waste hours on this: members.iinet.net.au/~pontipak/redsquare.html
tom
Fri Jan 11 13:03:11 2008

It's raining. Again.
tom
Fri Jan 11 11:45:26 2008

Morning All.
Kev
Fri Jan 11 10:46:32 2008

John, Congrats on your promotion, sir!
Rob Lang
Fri Jan 11 09:00:49 2008

Morning all!! :)
Ouch!! MM. Hope things improve quickly. Take it easy...
Nigel
Fri Jan 11 08:44:07 2008

MM- sorry to hear about that. Hope you're improving!
Jimmy
Fri Jan 11 08:18:32 2008

Clocks??? Have a look at this one. www.walyou.com/blog/2008/01/06/the-math-clock-for-geeks/
John's Mum
Thu Jan 10 17:56:47 2008

Mother, will be phoning tonight.
Rob Lang
Thu Jan 10 17:08:32 2008

Well, am I glad that Cyberdad bought be wifi for Xmas. Had a bit of a fall on Monday and have spent most of this week flat on my back. But have had the laptop on the bed by my side, so have kept reading. Bit better today, but the back is still very sore. Day time tele is appalling!! Makes me remember why I haven't retired yet.
Mad Mumsie
Thu Jan 10 17:07:01 2008

Clocks? Pah! Blah blah blah banging rocks together blah blah blah...
Rob Lang
Thu Jan 10 16:25:05 2008

Cogs! blah blah blah sand timer blah blah blah water clocks blah blah blah...
Rob Lang
Thu Jan 10 16:24:36 2008

Valves! Luxury! blah blah blah cogs blah blah blah analytical engine blah blah blah cranks blah blah blah...
Rob Lang
Thu Jan 10 16:23:53 2008

Blah blah blah valves blah blah blah thermionic blah blah blah scissor switches...
Rob Lang
Thu Jan 10 16:23:21 2008

Pah! 1200 baud? You were spoiled!! We had....
Nigel
Thu Jan 10 13:59:00 2008

1200 baud tapes. Now *those* were the days!
Jimmy
Thu Jan 10 12:50:34 2008

Another Gem, the quote "(may take a long time to load)." next to the images. 14400 baud modems. Those were the days.
Kev
Thu Jan 10 10:45:26 2008

Ha ha yes the Microsoft bit is quite poignant with hindsight!
John
Thu Jan 10 10:38:07 2008

Jimmy: thanks - of all the things I have ever put in the web I think that is the one that has encouraged the most positive feedback. Oh, and I still hate berets.
John
Thu Jan 10 10:32:44 2008

Morning!
I had a look around the olde Maison-e and was particularly struck by just how authentically "studenty" the scenes were... Haven't we all been there? :D
Nigel
Thu Jan 10 09:57:48 2008

I particularly like how "I hate berets" is in bold. Trying to thing of someone who likes berets.... lol sorry John :)
Kev
Thu Jan 10 08:49:12 2008

Actually just reading through a few items there, its seems it may actually be somewhat prophetic. "I hate Microsoft and everything they stand for"
Kev
Thu Jan 10 08:42:47 2008

Perhaps John should update his bad mood page and link it to new maison, I dont't think It has changed all that much ( which will probably annoy him !!! )
Kev
Thu Jan 10 08:41:04 2008

Unfortunately, archive doesn't have Bodge World but it's ok because I do. All of them.
Rob Lang
Thu Jan 10 08:36:03 2008

I'm obviously feeling very pedantic today. Firstly, I loved John's "Bad mood page" from the maison-de-yore. Then the whole "Below Par" thing annoyed me. Then I was further irritated when I found that my desk-phone had died, so I logged the problem with the IT helpdesk. An (automated) e-mail message came back, to tell me that if I needed further help I could call the following extension ...

And it's not even 9 o'clock!
Jimmy
Thu Jan 10 08:35:04 2008

"Below Par" ... what is that about???? It's a golfing metaphor, obviously. One might say "Well, that's about par for the course" to mean that something is pretty average. But one cannot (correctly) say "That's below par" if one intends to suggest that it's sub-standard. Because to be below par in golf is to be better, not worse! Hence my irritation at the BBC news article here. (Assuming I can insert a link).
Jimmy
Thu Jan 10 08:27:10 2008

John- I love your bad-mood-page!
Jimmy
Thu Jan 10 08:20:49 2008

Lox - or should I say leupiris - are you looking for this?
John
Wed Jan 9 22:51:39 2008

Ahhhh good old archive.org - here's a version of the Maison from over a decade ago!
John
Wed Jan 9 22:49:55 2008

Rob: I think the problem is that I do not remember the address of my old site... :(
Lox
Wed Jan 9 18:12:20 2008

Sorry but I do not remember John ever producing a DECENT pun.... :D
Lox
Wed Jan 9 18:11:48 2008

I would suggest leaving one limb, at least, to maintain the noble art of "dunking"!!
Nigel
Wed Jan 9 13:24:40 2008

Yeah, that really is an especially bad pun. Make sure you chop *all* your limbs off ;)
Jimmy
Wed Jan 9 12:21:44 2008

Hmmm, actually reading that back it is appallingly bad. Excuse me while I go and sever all my limbs to prevent that from ever happening again.
John
Wed Jan 9 11:16:11 2008

Although I do have one criticism - you missed a golden pun opportunity: ...the rest of the packet was tasted to destruction.
John
Wed Jan 9 11:15:11 2008

A commendable experiment Jimmy - and when should we expect to see your work published in Science...?
John
Wed Jan 9 11:14:04 2008

Ah! Hobnobs and dunking! Pure bliss!! Though I'm a hard-core black-tea drinker I can appreciate this important experiment and the connotations. :) (Might I add though that chocolate hobnobs should only ever be drunk with coffee!)
Nigel
Wed Jan 9 10:55:50 2008

Experiment: Dunking a standard hobnob into a fruity tea.
This is a dangerous experiment, and not be be attmepted by anyone not expert in this field.
Apparatus
Eye protectors. One mug of hot, fruity tea. In this case, "Blackcurrant, vanilla and ginseng" from Twinings. One standard hobnob biscuit from McVities. Conical flask(1). Clamp-stand(1). Litmus paper(1).
Method
Carefully insert the hobnob into the mug, to a depth of no more than 2 centimetres. Pause for no more than three seconds, then extract the biscuit. Bite-off the soggy part of the biscuit. Chew, swallow.
Results
The soggy biscuit tasted surprisingly nice. So much so, that the rest of the packet was tested to destruction. Very reminiscent of McVities own "Fruity hobnob" biscuits, which haven't been seen in the shops for some years(2).
Conclusion
Despite intial misgivings, it transpires that hobnobs dunked in fruity tea are really rather tasty. Further testing required with different biscuits and different teas.
Notes
(1) Not really
(2) I admit I haven't exactly hunted high and low, though.

Jimmy
Wed Jan 9 10:09:02 2008

I think I still have Bodge world on a 3.5" floppy disk.
Rob Lang
Wed Jan 9 09:22:19 2008

Lox, not that I know of. Would have suggested archive.org.
Rob Lang
Wed Jan 9 09:22:01 2008

Morning all! :)
Nigel
Wed Jan 9 08:42:02 2008

'morning.
Ze Frog
Wed Jan 9 06:45:34 2008

Reading guys: Is there a way to retrieve the old homepages that we used to have at Uni? I have tried archive.org but I failed miserably.. .:(
Lox
Tue Jan 8 22:12:16 2008

Rob/MM: You made me laugh a lot with that conversation! :D
Lox
Tue Jan 8 18:04:38 2008

I blame the parents.
Rob Lang
Tue Jan 8 12:15:22 2008

Rob: You sad person!
Mad Mumsie
Tue Jan 8 12:05:09 2008

Lox, I have it on my iPod and since then have seen it many, many times.
Rob Lang
Tue Jan 8 09:19:13 2008

Morning! :)
Nigel
Tue Jan 8 08:51:21 2008

Morning All
Kev
Tue Jan 8 08:39:12 2008

Return of the Jedi is on tv tonight... I think I will watch it... Even though it's the 36th time...
Lox
Mon Jan 7 20:16:53 2008

JM: EHEHEHEEHheeheh :D
Lox
Mon Jan 7 19:37:38 2008

Thanks Lox, that really made me laugh out loud!
John's Mum
Mon Jan 7 17:25:43 2008

anyone played with streetview in google maps, only available in america, you can visit most cities, in panoramic 3d. Quite amazing.
Kev
Mon Jan 7 16:46:54 2008

anyone played with streetview in google maps, only available in america, you can visit most cities, in panoramic 3d. Quite amazing.
Kev
Mon Jan 7 16:46:54 2008

Morning! The president and founder of the "famous software company" made his last speech to the public yesterday, I think it's because of John resigning from his former position...
Lox
Mon Jan 7 12:48:07 2008

Morning Maisoneers!
Nigel
Mon Jan 7 09:39:36 2008

Welcome to the maison, I'm in Reading, UK. John: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bc6v8IUe_0g
Rob Lang
Mon Jan 7 08:54:03 2008

Rob: I have lived in Kilkis, Northern Greece since 1986 (originally from the UK) - my website at www.bryanhollamby.co.uk tells the hideous story :-)
Bryan
Sun Jan 6 22:18:02 2008

Bryan, where are you based, sir?
Rob Lang
Sun Jan 6 21:45:38 2008

Lox: I can imagine that being at such a height above the ground in a tower block during a quake must have been scary as hell...!! 8-0
Bryan
Sun Jan 6 20:20:19 2008

Bryan: Actually in terms of earthquakes I am a bit of an unwilling expert myself as well, I have had several when I was living/working in Japan and Asia the two most scary were one in Tokyo that woke me up at 6 in the morning while I was on the 26th floor of an Hotel, and one in Taipei that decided to happen when I was in a taxi underneath this highway bridge that started swerving quite severely (but of course it didn't break)... Oh well earthquakes are a pain in the arse, it's good that nothing happened over in Greece...
Lox
Sun Jan 6 18:10:37 2008

Lox: I gather the epicentre was deep (51km) below the surface, so the overall surface damage would indeed have been minor, despite the relatively high degree on the Richter scale. I have experienced a few earthquakes in my time here (since 1986) and they are pretty unsettling, to put it mildly. I remember one back in 1990 here where the water in the tank above the bathroom swished eerily back and forth for minutes after the shaking stopped.
Bryan
Sun Jan 6 17:26:00 2008

Bryan: Arg you are right, I did a bit of Aincent Greek in high school, but yes it all seems the same! I have seen the news about the earthquake, it seems that there were no casualties, but still it sounded pretty scary....
Lox
Sun Jan 6 13:12:05 2008

Nigel: No earthquake tremors felt here, as I live in the north of the country near the border with Macedonia and Bulgaria, whereas the earthquake struck down in the Peloponnese in the south of the country. Thanks for asking, all the same :-) Lox: To be fair, I did actually give the Modern Greek words rather than the Ancient Greek ones, so more of a Modern Greek lecture. In the end, I suppose it is all Greek to a non-Greek speaker :-)
Bryan
Sun Jan 6 13:05:45 2008

John: That's a good idea!!! I'll go for it, then she will not complain anymore! :D (this is of course a mere illusion, as she would probably say that I just have to spend time with her hugging on the bed...which is fine for 5 minutes but I cannot really see myself doing it for a whole afternoon!!)
Lox
Sun Jan 6 12:00:14 2008

... well, funnily enough, I need to stretch my legs and get some coffee... so... no doubt I'll be back later!! ;)))
Nigel
Sun Jan 6 10:29:21 2008

:D :D
Nigel
Sun Jan 6 10:27:38 2008

Lox: I recommend you cultivate some even less girlfriend friendly hobbies - like drumming or motor racing or any hobby which would mean you'd be surrounded by women all the time. When she duly complains about those, you can then say - well, I could just go back to spending time on the computer...
John
Sun Jan 6 10:20:50 2008

Nigel: Chiara is starting to telling me that she doesn't like me spending time on the computer... I was just about to kick her out of home!! But I fear that she'll come down that road again... Why can't they leave us in peace!?
Lox
Sun Jan 6 09:36:07 2008

Oh dear, well I hope things improve today! So far I am the only one out of bed, which means I get time on the computer just to surf around, so I'm quite liking it! :)
Nigel
Sun Jan 6 09:23:28 2008

Nigel: Well actually not much better, of course the illness stroke on Saturday meaning that I cannot go to see my doctor... Also had a very crap night but for that I think that a post on the blog is necessary... :P
Lox
Sun Jan 6 09:09:32 2008

Hi Lox! How's the cold/flu? I hope *that* at least is feeling better.
I just read about the earthquake, Bryan. Hope all is OK with you.
Nigel
Sun Jan 6 08:52:05 2008

Wow I wake up with terrible pains at my back and what do I find? An ancient greek lecture!! :D You've got to love the maison! :D
Lox
Sun Jan 6 08:48:47 2008

Morning all!! :)
Hello Bryan - yes, those characters appeared fine for me! Etymology is a fascinating subject. I remember my Mother had several books on the subject too. There's so much we take for granted.
Nigel
Sun Jan 6 08:46:25 2008

It all comes from the Greek - misos (μίσος if it comes out in Greek characters on your screens) means "hate", gyni (γυνή) is an old form of gynaika (γυναίκα), meaning "woman", andras (άνδρας or άντρας) means "man", and anthropos (άνθρωπος) means person. Combined they produce misogyny, misandry and misanthropy.
Bryan
Sun Jan 6 00:10:55 2008

That's actually a nice "find" John! I must admit I didn't know it - though misanthropy is one I did.
Nigel
Sat Jan 5 23:34:16 2008

I was wondering what the female equivalent of misogyny is, and following a quick rechercher de la web, apparently the word is misandry - I guess it isn't that commonly used as the spell checker in Firefox underlines it as an error.
John
Sat Jan 5 22:32:55 2008

Where is Sheri by the way? He didn't pop his head in in along time... I hope that things are all right with him.
Lox
Sat Jan 5 12:11:50 2008

I hate being sick especially on a Saturday... No fever though (as usual) so on Monday I will go to work regardless of feeling shite... I HATE THIS!!!
Lox
Sat Jan 5 12:05:05 2008

Morning guys!! :)
Sorry to hear about the phlegms, Lox... Joc is a bit like that at the moment, so I guess I'll come down with it sooner or later...
Nigel
Sat Jan 5 11:19:39 2008

Yoshi yoshi Lorenzokun!
John
Sat Jan 5 10:44:01 2008

Morning all.... I am down with sickness and tragedy again (phlegms) basically my life is at an end! :( ALWAYS AT THE WEEKEND! I can't believe my luck... :(
Lox
Sat Jan 5 10:12:18 2008

Evening all :)
J'sM: Well we got a little first thing, then it cleared and this evening it rained like joe-billio! I was wet... Otherrwise work was "colourful" :(
Tom: Yes, that's a marvellous utility. Harder to find now as the developer got jumped on by the big companies.
Nigel
Fri Jan 4 21:29:29 2008

The threatened snow totally missed this part of the East Midlands, but we look like being in for a rather cold weekend. Did all you workers enjoy your short week?
John's Mum
Fri Jan 4 18:18:44 2008

MacTheRipper. Ahem.
tom
Fri Jan 4 16:38:57 2008

I am having a quite self inflicted bad day here at work.... fortunately is Friday I have really had enough this week! :|
Lox
Fri Jan 4 16:17:43 2008

Morning all, at least here, and Happy New Year to anyone I've missed.
Travis
Fri Jan 4 14:47:21 2008

JIMMY - WAKE UP. It's nearly time to go home!
Mad Mumsie
Fri Jan 4 14:11:41 2008

OK, this is good link, click on the Watch TV link. (This is work safe btw, but you need mediaplayer)
Kev
Fri Jan 4 13:54:07 2008

zzzzz
Jimmy
Fri Jan 4 13:19:03 2008

Afternoon! :) :)
The Maison is deserted! We haven't been repossessed, have we? :)
Nigel
Fri Jan 4 12:53:32 2008

Morning all! :)
Happy New Year Travis!
Nigel
Fri Jan 4 09:08:10 2008

Very tame NYE. This is a college town and everything I'd desired to do was closed well in advance of midnight. Ended up eating at Olive Garden, heading home for Gin and Tonic and some beer.
Travis
Thu Jan 3 23:57:04 2008

Ah! Perhaps buying you the media-player was a subtle hint, Jimmy!! ;)
Nigel
Thu Jan 3 20:26:31 2008

Excellent! Now all I need is a computer with a DVD drive ...
Jimmy
Thu Jan 3 14:17:48 2008

As I remember, Kev (long ago now, sniff) Handbrake won't "backup" a DVD; it can create, convert etc, but not the "dark art"...
Nigel
Thu Jan 3 13:55:02 2008

i presume handbrake on mac doesn't need any extra 'help' to 'backup' a dvd, or am I wrong there?
Kev
Thu Jan 3 13:31:02 2008

Kev: Is the "unspeakable" something we don't tal... Ah... Oh...
Nigel
Thu Jan 3 12:44:09 2008

You also need a program like dvd43 which does the necessary but unspeakable.
Kev
Thu Jan 3 12:14:59 2008

...although HandBrake (which I used on the Mac, although I believe there is now a Windows version) does make it fairly easy to make an iPod (and presumably other media player) compatible movie from a DVD - basically just one click.
John
Thu Jan 3 11:53:20 2008

Jimmy: yes it is a bit of a hassle! It makes sense if you don't spend much time at home, but do spend a lot of time travelling, however if the situation is the other way round there really isn't much point. The other option is to have some sort of TV tuner on your PC which you can use to schedule recordings etc. The EyeTV thing I use integrates really well with iTunes + iPod, so it is pretty much effortless to record a TV program and transfer it to the iPod. However, given that I walk to work I don't actually spend much time sitting on a train or anything, so I hardly ever use it for this purpose, and watch almost all the TV shows I record at home, on my nice big (compared to an iPod) flatscreen panel.
John
Thu Jan 3 11:52:17 2008

OK- let me get this straight: If I want to watch a DVD on it, I have to somehow load the DVD video file onto the computer, then transcode it into something the media-player can understand, then download it, and finally wait until I'm (a) travelling (b) bored (c) not driving (d) got plenty of battery left ... and then I can watch it! Is this right? Is it me, or does this seem an overly-complex way to watch a film???????
Jimmy
Thu Jan 3 10:05:37 2008

Didn't they say something about lunch time for snow in London. At the first sign of a snow flake I shall be outta here. I loathe driving in the stuff.
Mad Mumsie
Thu Jan 3 08:57:44 2008

The boingboing podcast is worth watching as is the BBC news one.
Rob Lang
Thu Jan 3 08:54:12 2008

Morning all!! :)
Lox/John: No snow here yet, but the car said -2 ... Brrr...
Jimmy: sounds like fun! Yes, you can do all that stuff. Need (freeware) utilities to rip DVDs, download agents for YouTube videos, and Google Vid let's (or used to when I was looking) you download PSP/iPod compatible vids etc
Nigel
Thu Jan 3 08:40:14 2008

Good morning all! Now I have a good geeky question that I'm sure *somebody* will be able to answer: Alison has bought me a media-player thingy for Christmas. It plays music and video. The question is: where do I get video for it? Can I rip DVDs? Are video podcasts free? If so, are there any actually worth watching? Or is the whole protable-video-thing just a gimmick that's simply gadgetry for gadgetry's sake? I'd apologise for being such a luddite, but I really can't be bothered.
Jimmy
Thu Jan 3 08:36:33 2008

Yes it was supposed to snow here in London too - I was pretty sceptical though, and unsurprisingly there's not a snowflake to be seen.
John
Thu Jan 3 08:12:29 2008

That'll be good morning... Snowing here in Pizzaland, might create problems going back home if it keeps going like that! :(
Lox
Thu Jan 3 07:01:39 2008

Evening all :)
Nigel
Wed Jan 2 20:55:14 2008

John: don't you get issued an iPhone then???
tom
Wed Jan 2 13:12:36 2008

Happy New Year again, back to work... 'nuff said....
Lox
Wed Jan 2 12:50:50 2008

Ahhh... back at work today. Rob: no alas the rather crappy browser in my cheap and cheerful phone isn't good enough to do clever stuff like Google Maps. It would have been bloody useful on this occasion!
John
Wed Jan 2 11:32:47 2008

HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone. Let's hope it's a good one.
Mad Mumsie
Wed Jan 2 09:48:58 2008

Morning all!! :)
So this is work then... Oh good...
Nigel
Wed Jan 2 09:33:11 2008

Ha!! You probably speak English better than most English people, Lox (no exaggeration!) Well, actually I was drinking... Murphy's - I'd run out of Guinness!! :D
Nigel
Tue Jan 1 21:05:06 2008

Nigel: I thought so, after all it's your mother language, while it's only a distant relative to me! :D What for of alcoholic drink did you have then? Beer?
Lox
Tue Jan 1 19:47:24 2008

No, it's OK Lox! I understand the difference between "throng" and "thong"! I was just making mischief!! :) I don't like throngs; but I do quite like thongs - on women!! :D
Nigel
Tue Jan 1 19:05:59 2008

Although the idea of owning a picture of Rob and John wearing thongs is quite amusing.... :D
Lox
Tue Jan 1 18:06:39 2008

Nigel: Nope, it was intentional.... :P read here
Lox
Tue Jan 1 18:04:48 2008

Actually - if you'll forgive me for saying so, Lox - judging by your spelling, it looks like you might just have been drinking - Like me!! :D :D :D
Nigel
Tue Jan 1 17:57:44 2008

... They wore THONGS!!!!???? Lox you never warned me about THAT!!!!! :D
Nigel
Tue Jan 1 17:56:37 2008

Rob/John: We are of course ecpencting the usual throng of pictures... :P
Lox
Tue Jan 1 17:04:15 2008

John, don't you have google maps on your phone? Thanks for coming, it was great to see you.
Rob Lang
Tue Jan 1 15:40:05 2008

John: Too much booze maybe?!?
Nigel: Dinner was great, wil lpost pictures soon! :D
Lox
Tue Jan 1 10:58:10 2008

Is the train crowded with bleary-looking ex-revellers, John? :)
Nigel
Tue Jan 1 10:55:37 2008

Happy New Year again! Chie and I are on a train back to London now after wandering for what seemed like hours to find our way out of the 'burbs. It was like a labyrinth.
John
Tue Jan 1 10:43:13 2008

Hi Lox!! Nothing much - once the kids were in bed Joc and I shared a bottle of wine and generally relaxed until midnight, then watched the London Firework display to welcome in 2008!!

How did the dinner-party go? No disasters in the kitchen, I hope! :)
Nigel
Tue Jan 1 10:37:53 2008

Good morning and happy new year again!! :D What did you do yesterday Nigel?
Lox
Tue Jan 1 10:24:54 2008

Good morning and a Happy New Year to all!! :)
Nigel