Jimmy: Yeah that is true but you have developed it so, as I was saying in the earlier post you could use this system to protect stuff and copyrights... A trip down the patent agent cannot be that hard!
Lox
Mon Apr 30 17:46:08 2007

Well, I've just made the idea public, so I think patentability has just gone out the window.
Jimmy
Mon Apr 30 17:26:32 2007

Insightful Ken.
John
Mon Apr 30 16:22:31 2007

Incidentally this would actually be a really neat mechanism for software licensing. Have you filed a patent yet?
John
Mon Apr 30 16:22:04 2007

I think, that is interesting for all.
KenMarshall
Mon Apr 30 16:21:22 2007

Certainly doesn't sound simple to me Jimmy - I would have no idea where to start doing something like that. (Actually I would have an idea where to start now - I'd ask you how to do it!).
John
Mon Apr 30 16:19:04 2007

Jimmy: That's pretty cool!!! Good job! Are you working in security related projects or is it just a feature that they requested you to implement?
Lox
Mon Apr 30 15:59:30 2007

It stops people decompiling your code. If you put the decryption key on a network server, then only people with access to your server can run the code or decompile it. Beyond that, if they steal the executable it should be very difficult for them to reverse-engineer anything out of it.
Jimmy
Mon Apr 30 15:19:29 2007

.. Injecting a "Jimmy Virus" ??? ..

Windows has detected you have been Jimmy'd and will now BSOD. Sorry for any inconvenience.
Kev
Mon Apr 30 15:17:48 2007

Jimmy: What is the practical use of encrypting some parts of an executable? Copyright check? Spyware?
Lox
Mon Apr 30 14:45:18 2007

Well don't all write at once with your enthusiastic comments. I thought I'd mention it, because I regard learning new things as a very positive action. Suit yourselves.
Jimmy
Mon Apr 30 14:35:11 2007

I'm doing some really sick things with encryption today: I've found and encrytped the code segments in the executable. Then when it runs, I redirect WinMainCRTStartup to my own entry-point, which finds those code blocks and decrpyts them in-place before running the app as normal. Now this may sound pretty simple to some, but it's not somthing I've tried before. It's quite fun, really ...
Jimmy
Mon Apr 30 12:56:39 2007

John: I didn't know about this anecdote... Nice one! I am sure that if you could disappear in front of him on the spot you would have gone for it!
Lox
Sun Apr 29 10:53:35 2007

Still, on the plus side, he can't have been in that PoW camp for any more than half the war. :)
John
Sun Apr 29 10:43:30 2007

Don't remember any champagne. I do remember speaking to Chiara's grandfather who asked me where my family lived. So when I told him Wales he said that he"d been there... and then I said, "Oh I hope you enjoyed it", to which he replied "I was in a prisoner of war camp there". Oh.
John
Sun Apr 29 10:41:53 2007

John: I remember you telling me about Chiara's dog and some friends of her, drinking champagne...
Lox
Sun Apr 29 09:16:06 2007

I really wish I'd taken more pictures on that trip, or written a blog or something. It's very hard to remember it now.
John
Sun Apr 29 08:34:03 2007

Oh I see... I thought I went to Carrara, not Forte Dei Marmi...? Although I wouldn't really have had a clue where I was - it was all just Foreignland to me at the time!
John
Sun Apr 29 08:30:55 2007

John:To forte dei Marmi of course, fish isn't technically veggie isn't it?
Lox
Sun Apr 29 00:45:24 2007

That last message from me was number 4444 (since we started counting anyway...).
John
Sat Apr 28 15:44:57 2007

What, you mean I went to that fish restaurant or to Forte dei Marmi with Chiara? All seems like a dim and distant memory now...!
John
Sat Apr 28 15:16:15 2007

John: Eheheheheheh that's my secret source of income (the other restaurant).. .:P Actually is a very famous fish restaurant in Forte dei Marmi (you'd remember as you've been there with Chiara)
Lox
Sat Apr 28 13:27:54 2007

Yea does sound a bit steep. I also enjoyed the fact that the next one down on the list was called simply "Lorenzo". Although having said that possibly the worst Italian restaurant I ever went to here in London had the cheek to use your fine name for their appallingly shite business.
John
Sat Apr 28 09:08:07 2007

John: YES!! That's great stuff, finally a decent article on BBC. Yes Italian Restaurants abroad are just SHITE, saving few exceptions, and Enoteca Pinchiorri is a place where I have been for work, but I wouldn't dare going there for pleasure as a dinner will probably be around 200 Euro if you do NOT drink, with wine could possibly go up to 300/400 x person. It's one of the most famous restaurants in the world...
Lox
Sat Apr 28 09:03:13 2007

...and have you been to Enoteca Pinchiorri in Firenze?
John
Sat Apr 28 08:23:59 2007

Oh and did you have any part in this Lox?
John
Sat Apr 28 08:19:55 2007

....probably when you decide to quit. :)
John
Sat Apr 28 08:15:01 2007

Morning! Early rise today... still writing the new chapter of the mail that I have to send to my boss again... More woes on this contract, when will it end!?
Lox
Sat Apr 28 08:02:00 2007

Absolutely - as with all Google products they are very upfront about any privacy concerns, all viewers will have agreed to have anonymous feedback of their viewing reported back, and as always there is no evil underlying plan - gathering data like this is all about improving a product. The goal is purely to make advertising a better experience at both ends - if you choose not to watch adverts at all that's fine, but if you are happy to sit through them wouldn't you rather they were entertaining and relevant rather than completely random?
John
Sat Apr 28 00:08:53 2007

Evening all!! :)
To be fair I think, from what I read on those links, Google has a good service to offer the TV companies... However, surely it is within the consumer's rights to be able to refuse to let data be sent without their permission. Much as we have the options today to opt out of M$ feedback etc. Now, if the only stats the TV companies receive through this new service are from those customers who actually wish to participate, then it's not really any more accurate than the previous method. It it?
Nigel
Fri Apr 27 19:43:19 2007

Oh great. More advertising. And targeted, too. Nice one.
Jimmy
Fri Apr 27 17:27:37 2007

John: I would never tell a lie about you or your job, trust me HE IS TRYING TO HIDE all his benefits (like free willing beautiful women) on the top of a salary worth of the Brunei sultan...
Lox
Fri Apr 27 16:07:50 2007

...however I can add that everything Lox says is almost certainly untrue!
John
Fri Apr 27 15:01:36 2007

Jimmy: We made a public announcement about the project recently (see here or maybe here), but I can't say any more about it than that.
John
Fri Apr 27 14:57:03 2007

What does John work on, exactly? Anybody know?
Jimmy
Fri Apr 27 14:19:59 2007

MM: And he got married less than 1 year ago.... What a crying shame... :( Oh well at least he's having fun! :D
Lox
Fri Apr 27 13:54:10 2007

Read "John" not Jihn!! :)
Mad Mumsie
Fri Apr 27 13:47:51 2007

Jihn seems to be conspicuous by his absence. Maybe he's in the room you mention.
Mad Mumsie
Fri Apr 27 13:47:01 2007

Nigel: Yes I agree the t-shirt is great, I am sure that John must have a terrible neck ache due by keep staring at that "average" Google girl co-worker standard... How I envy him... Maybe Google does that "free love" scheme that when you want to get laid with a splendid lass you just go in a special room that it's all nice an beautiful so that you can have your affair... Great Company!
Lox
Fri Apr 27 13:42:39 2007

(Nigel breaks curfew) Jimmy, I wasn't too bothered about the software, I was appreciating how good it must be to work at Google if the lady-staff were allowed to dress like that! :)) (/Nigel breaks curfew)
Nigel
Fri Apr 27 13:16:36 2007

i think.. its a toolbar that maps silently onto the google adsense web search box. you give this toolbar to your mates etc, so whenever they search on google using the bar, you get a payment of a couple of pence, it would be as though they visited your site and put their search in a google adsense search box on your site. The more popel eyou give it too the more money you make.
Kev
Fri Apr 27 13:08:55 2007

I'm not sure what was being advertised. What were they selling, exactly?
Jimmy
Fri Apr 27 12:31:08 2007

Page 6/10 is the relevant one from the link...
Kev
Fri Apr 27 12:03:37 2007

Jimmy check out this page linky link I think that the toolbar that Nigel pointed out, pretends to be the Adsense for Search bar, so the results you get are as though you searched using this adsense control, thereby all google searches that you then subsequently click on get you a couple of pence per click. Of course if you do this then the Mr Google man will notice you are doing alot of adsense searches like this and ban your account ( including all accrues money ) for click-fraud
Kev
Fri Apr 27 12:02:29 2007

No, really- what are you guys talking about?????
Jimmy
Fri Apr 27 10:55:12 2007

Nigel, Lol I didnt think you would condone/try it, but that sort of "toolbar" if it even works, is just a scam really.... they get your money, you probably get your account banned after a couple of hundred suspicious click searches.
Kev
Fri Apr 27 10:39:32 2007

Me neither ... what's all this "Adsense" stuff?
Jimmy
Fri Apr 27 08:43:24 2007

Morning.... I do not know how this adsense stuff works....
Lox
Fri Apr 27 08:37:14 2007

I'm sure that's the case, Kev. I wasn't condoning the idea, just: 1) I had found yet another chancer Ebay ad; and 2) seen a rather nicely fitting Google vest!!! ;))))
Nigel
Fri Apr 27 07:10:26 2007

this is a surefire way of getting your adsense account banned. YOu are not allowed to put adsense in software apps i.e. embed awebpage which points to your weserver and ads. if one person is searching via a proxy of the adsense for search(like this toolbar) they will pick this up pronto. Nice try but not a good idea.
kev
Thu Apr 26 23:52:17 2007

Evening all!! :)
This Ebay item caught my eye... As much the girls in the interesting Google vest as anything about websense!!! :)
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1000s-OF-LEGAL-CLICKS-DAILY-TO-YOUR-GOOGLE-ADSENSE-ADS_W0QQitemZ290106693225QQihZ019QQcategoryZ4291QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Fascinating! ;)
Nigel
Thu Apr 26 22:24:24 2007

Hi John. I'm fine, thanks. Apparently no one connected on skype at the moment. Going to bed.
Sheri
Thu Apr 26 20:49:52 2007

Oh sorry Lox - if you used the other password that's ok then (apologies for being a security nazi...!).
John
Thu Apr 26 19:44:08 2007

John: Yes infact I used the new set of passwords that you gave me for that, I didn't use it any more since we spoke about it, but since nothing was working I gave it a go.... :P
Lox
Thu Apr 26 17:10:52 2007

...anyway security concerns aside, glad to hear you've got it working - looking forward to seeing those pictures!
John
Thu Apr 26 16:49:45 2007

Hmmm I thought we'd decided not to use the ftp-via-the-web thing on the basis it means telling a complete stranger our password?
John
Thu Apr 26 16:48:58 2007

YESSSSS Now it works!
Lox
Thu Apr 26 16:39:58 2007

http upload might work. The Ftp via web connects to the maison allright... It's kind of weird because if the ISP (shiTiscali) blocked for some reason ftp upload it would do it all over the world not just for uk sites!!
Lox
Thu Apr 26 16:31:05 2007

That's really weird Lox... I would suggest getting in touch with your ISP and asking them about it, but I suspect given your history with them you'd probably rather stab yourself in the eye with a rusty fork. Hmmm let me think about it, if the web is working for you we must me able to manage some kind of workaround... I wonder if we might ever be able to get HTTP upload working on the maison?
John
Thu Apr 26 11:23:05 2007

After much stress I found out that ANY ftp based in the UK is unreachable... :(((( What the hell is happeing!? :/
Lox
Thu Apr 26 08:53:59 2007

Maybe worth trying with a different bit of software (e.g. FireFTP) and entering the settings again by hand?
John
Thu Apr 26 08:40:38 2007

Is there a way to test it? I have tried using another ftp address (public one) and it connected fine...
Lox
Thu Apr 26 08:26:47 2007

...and to test just now I FTPed in and uploaded a file and it worked fine. Some problem your end perhaps?
John
Thu Apr 26 08:21:51 2007

Actually Lox it is working - look at the logs and you'll see we're getting hit by hundreds a day which never make it - these are just the few that make it through the net... Personally I quite enjoy being able to manually wipe them out once in a while!
John
Thu Apr 26 08:19:31 2007

and the ftp service is still not working... :(
Lox
Thu Apr 26 08:02:53 2007

Morning everyone!!! John, Dsp the spam routine is not working well anymore I am afraid, this people are getting smart, although the tone of their messages is still as shit as before...
Lox
Thu Apr 26 07:57:16 2007

Hello Sheri, hope all is well!
John
Wed Apr 25 22:18:37 2007

I really can't explain why it's not working... FTP to other sites is working, only maison the stuff doesn't!! :(
Lox
Wed Apr 25 22:03:36 2007

Bedfordshire?!?!? Is anyone that we know living there at all? :D A domani!
Lox
Wed Apr 25 22:02:33 2007

A domani, amico mio.
Sheri
Wed Apr 25 21:48:22 2007

Lox. Just had a pleasant chat with Nigel via Skype. Going to Bedfordshire now. I'll try to get in touch with you tomorrow.
Sheri
Wed Apr 25 21:46:49 2007

We missed you!
Lox
Wed Apr 25 21:42:37 2007

SHERIIIIIIII how are you !?!?!?
Lox
Wed Apr 25 21:42:27 2007

... don't you just think "Exposé" is marvellous?!?!?!?
Nigel
Wed Apr 25 21:19:24 2007

Underpants on my head, btw
Sheri
Wed Apr 25 20:40:41 2007

Nigeeeeeel, Let's chat via skype!
Sheri
Wed Apr 25 20:39:56 2007

Ta ta taaaa
Sheri
Wed Apr 25 20:38:52 2007

I'm Super-Sheri now....!
Sheri
Wed Apr 25 20:38:36 2007

Hi Sheri. Does this mean you wear your underpants on the outside now? ;)
Nigel
Wed Apr 25 20:38:34 2007

With superpowers...
Sheri
Wed Apr 25 20:37:16 2007

Just back from their world
Sheri
Wed Apr 25 20:36:56 2007

I have been abducted by aliens
Sheri
Wed Apr 25 20:36:20 2007

Greetings to you, people of Earth!
Sheri
Wed Apr 25 20:35:32 2007

...which connected ok when I tried just now.
John
Wed Apr 25 19:31:15 2007

Actually I never had much luck with cyberduck - I use FireFTP mainly on the mac.
John
Wed Apr 25 19:30:03 2007

Evening guys!
Lox, I use Cyberduck and it connected fine just a moment ago...
Nigel
Wed Apr 25 19:18:56 2007

Strange.... It seems that through the web applications the ftp works fine, it seems that only cyberduck cannot connect to la maison... what could it be? I have checked the modem but port 21 is not blocked of course..
Lox
Wed Apr 25 18:30:28 2007

John: Liberation from the Nazis during WW2.... I have a question... is the FTP at la maison working? I cannot seem to connect and I have to upload all the pictures of the evil things that I have been up to....
Lox
Wed Apr 25 17:24:02 2007

Lox: what's it celebrating?
John
Wed Apr 25 17:13:12 2007

morning
Kev
Wed Apr 25 10:19:33 2007

Morning! Today it's National Holiday here in Italy!
Lox
Wed Apr 25 09:02:04 2007

Morning Maisoneers! :)
A quick log-in, then a meeting, then no Internet until tonight! :(
Nigel
Wed Apr 25 08:42:10 2007

Morning all!
John
Wed Apr 25 08:19:20 2007

Kev: Yep, it doesn't make me happy though... :(
Lox
Tue Apr 24 23:56:40 2007

Evening guys! :)
Only just turned on my Mac. Busy day: busy evening. Rats!
Nigel
Tue Apr 24 22:37:45 2007

Looks like its been just you and the spammers today Lox ;)
Kev
Tue Apr 24 22:25:25 2007

Slow day at la maison today....
Lox
Tue Apr 24 19:06:55 2007

Well 20 years ago we didn't have mobiles and wi-fi.... It wasn't ALL so bad...
Lox
Tue Apr 24 09:01:51 2007

I go with Jimmy on this... Broken leg due to cable trip... mendable. Fried brain due to microwaves... not so... :)
Nigel
Tue Apr 24 08:57:13 2007

Morning! (A quick entry before curfew!)
Rob: Different wavelengths. However, I do wonder what it would "feel" like, if for a morning ALL transmissions were turned off. Would we notice anything? Light-headedness? Behavioural changes etc etc...
:)
Nigel
Tue Apr 24 08:55:47 2007

Just because wires are bad, it doesn't mean that wireless is good.
Jimmy
Tue Apr 24 08:45:00 2007

Morning! Wireless is good, if bees get lost it's a very sad thing, but on the other side tripping on a cable is probably worst. Having said that, isn't a British group that trying to prove that Wi-Fi is bad for health?
Lox
Tue Apr 24 08:30:11 2007

Mobile phones are crap. The solution: don't use them.
Jimmy
Tue Apr 24 08:28:22 2007

So, Nige, you think that we should all go back to using cables, eh? What about for mobile phones? They're wireless.
Rob Lang
Tue Apr 24 08:10:05 2007

Ah, wi-fi, eh? I think we should go back to cable - it's so much more secure. No interference. Internet coffee-bars could just have sockets at each table/chair. Save wi-fi for campuses and use short-range repeaters so there's not too much outside overspill... All this EM radiation is making our Bees loose their way... :(

I await a "flaming"!

(And of course I have loads of wi-fi gear here, so am just playing the big "D's" advocate! :))
Nigel
Mon Apr 23 20:37:21 2007

Evening!! :)
Nigel
Mon Apr 23 19:36:09 2007

One, not too often considered point, is that to reach all those people, as you say in buildings and high up as 100ft+, is how many network admins with already existing wi-fi networks does this 'new' service piss off by causing signal interference because they are all on the same frequency?
Kev
Mon Apr 23 16:13:23 2007

It's a point of power and reach. If you are going to serve an area with WiFi, you need to make sure the transmitters are powerful to reach all those areas that humans are going to want to be. Some of those areas are inside buildings and some are 100 feet from the ground!
Rob Lang
Mon Apr 23 15:49:05 2007

lol, they just hang them from all the lamposts in Norwich, In London, surely they just stick them on tall buildings which is better?
Kev
Mon Apr 23 15:36:00 2007

Kev, something to do with Norwich only having 5 big buildings...
Rob Lang
Mon Apr 23 14:41:55 2007

I was at an Oracle event recently where they were talking about many modern office building utilising their server rooms as the primary source of heat for the building. They also mentioned running a DC supply. When you add up the number of power bricks in my house alone, it would make lots of sense to have a DC ring-main.
dsp
Mon Apr 23 14:30:15 2007

Hey, looks like Londons square Mile has got free wi-fi at last. Only 6 months after ..... Norwich. lol!!!
Kev
Mon Apr 23 13:25:38 2007

Tom, I don't high current DC systems act very well when you draw current from them. That's one of the reasons that powerlines are AC.
Rob Lang
Mon Apr 23 12:20:53 2007

I read an interesteding article about that recently. When you think about it, PC servers are really inefficient. They each take in AC power and convert to DC (produces heat - which requires AirCon). Why not do this in one place and supply DC at the right voltage to each system?
tom
Mon Apr 23 12:17:45 2007

Any computer needs power to work and needs cooling to stay cool - which needs power. How much power does Google use in all its server rooms? If they truly wish to do no evil, they should publically announce their power consumption and what they're doing to offset it. Otherwise, they're just as bad as any other polluting company.
Rob Lang
Mon Apr 23 11:54:18 2007

Rob: I do hope you didn't succumb to the evil drink on your birthday outing.
Mad Mumsie
Mon Apr 23 10:38:05 2007

I wrote Sunday off but wasn't in as bad a state as Byrn!
Rob Lang
Mon Apr 23 09:36:13 2007

Morning! John it must have been nice to do some exercise after a long time... Actually I can't remember if in Reading you were doing any sport (apart from beer can lifting)...
Lox
Mon Apr 23 08:11:32 2007

I actually did some exercise this afternoon - have just been swimming in the sort of health and fitness club thing attached to the place where we live. I feel quite knackered now.
John
Sun Apr 22 17:26:39 2007

Hi guys!!!
Well the ladders beckonned again - thankfully I'm down safe again, but it was a close call!
I like Google's Earthday logo this year. For a moment I thought they were remembering the Titanic or something. But that was 15th April so a bit late. Nice logo though!
(Oh yes, and I'm "high" on paint-fumes! Not particularly nice...)
Nigel
Sun Apr 22 16:01:43 2007

John: No it's even more evil than that!! Actually I have pictures and a story but it will have to wait Monday to be published... :D As for tortello yes it is veggie, but then you can put a lots of different sauces, yesterday we had meat sauce (non veggie) and mushroom sauce (better there)... This afternoon I might be inclined to cook a chicken and mushroom pie! Yes it's PIE MONTH (ah ah ah), let's see how it comes out!
Lox
Sun Apr 22 12:44:11 2007

On the subject of food, Chie and I had a very nice brunch earlier on - I knocked up a good old tortilla espanola (or spanish omelette), served with a very basic salsa of chopped tomatoes and basil infused olive oil. Simple but quite delivcious.
John
Sun Apr 22 12:37:13 2007

Lox: the Sagra del Tortello sounds very nice indeed - and even the tortello could even be vegetarian perhaps? As for your evil thing, is it putting ketchup on pasta by any chance?
John
Sun Apr 22 12:34:54 2007

Nigel: no hangover to speak of really. As we had to get back to London we didn't keep drinking into the wee hours or anything like that.
John
Sun Apr 22 12:33:03 2007

And I have done something that is totally evil bu t I cannot tell you yet! I will post the picture once the thing is uncovered! :D
Lox
Sun Apr 22 10:05:51 2007

Morning everyone!!! How was the party Rob/John? Nigel are you still alive? I went to a "Sagra" which means "countryside festival", namely a "Sagra del Tortello" (where tortello is pasta filled with potatoes in this case), lovely food, lots of beer/wine, and we almost got into a fight! Splendid!
Lox
Sun Apr 22 09:58:09 2007

Yawn!!!!! Morning!! :)
How's the head John? Mine's annoyingly clear this morning... !
Nigel
Sun Apr 22 09:52:42 2007

Morning all!
John
Sun Apr 22 09:47:03 2007

Travis: and what's all this beware Google about? We should be embracing Google! Google is good! No that I'm biased or anything...
John
Sun Apr 22 00:58:04 2007

Just got back home. Oh well, I suppose 2 hours isn't that bad, all things considered.
John
Sun Apr 22 00:56:30 2007

Bugger, it seems there is some kind of maintenance work going on on the line between london and reading. So we have to get a bus back. Will probably take about four hours. Sigh.
John
Sat Apr 21 23:22:20 2007

Congratulations Nigel! Hope you have a smashing evening. Yes I'm having a few drinks with Rob etc... :)
John
Sat Apr 21 18:43:46 2007

Hi John. Yep, I survived - this time! Bit wobbly though...
Travis, do you mean the buy-out of Double Click? It's all a bit surreal this millions and billions!
John, I take it you're with Rob - or approaching for the party! Hope you have an enjoyable evening! :) We're having a nice Chinese meal (wedding anniversary and all that!) later, which I will enjoy! :)
Nigel
Sat Apr 21 17:54:33 2007

MESSAGE
artkill
Sat Apr 21 17:11:05 2007

Nigel: Beware Google.
Travis
Sat Apr 21 16:32:55 2007

Now you be careful won't you Nigel?
John
Sat Apr 21 15:07:24 2007

Good afternoon! I'm up mi' ladders! :(
Nigel
Sat Apr 21 14:26:11 2007

Morning all.... or, sorry, afternoon.
John
Sat Apr 21 13:41:46 2007

Glad you're enjoying it Nigel! Apparently the first quarter of this year has been a good one profits wise, so the checkout people are probably just sharing it all out.
John
Fri Apr 20 22:47:03 2007

Can't quite get my head around Google's generosity, recently. Remember the 320GB hard disk I bought, and by using Google Checkout I got £10 knocked off? Well I've now bought a PVR/Video capture card and... Yep, had another £10 knocked off.
I can see they might like to give PayPal a run for their money (and good on them for that!) but it must be rather expensive as we all jump on the gravy train...
Nigel
Fri Apr 20 22:03:36 2007

Yea, sorry for not being around much this week, have been a bit busy at work...
John
Fri Apr 20 21:39:16 2007

Rob: Yes that's a good technique, make sure he drinks heavily (although it's pretty mandatory when he's around some alcoholic drink), and have a great one of course!! :D
MM: The usual Sheri... I think he's busy with the University, part time job, Brinsley and writing... Maybe he gave up wine, that would explain why he's not posting anymore!!.... NAAAAAAA Impossible!
Lox
Fri Apr 20 15:34:27 2007

Lox: Sheri does disappear occasionally. He's usually writing, or drinking copious amounts of good red wine, or both! And John is probably having a difficult time making up his mind about which PC to use. Unless all four and the hand held are broken :))
Mad Mumsie
Fri Apr 20 14:38:47 2007

I've locked John in a cupboard in Reading. It's the only way I can make sure he comes to my Birthday drinkies on Saturday.
Rob Lang
Fri Apr 20 14:32:35 2007

ctually together with Nigel, also John and Sheri have disappeared... :(
Lox
Fri Apr 20 14:16:27 2007

The google connection between Googlemail and my icar email has been broken for a week or two please try and send again!
Rob lang
Fri Apr 20 14:13:08 2007

Rob: I've just had an email returned saying your mail box is full. Do you know how to empty it? :))
Mad Mumsie
Fri Apr 20 13:34:36 2007

Morning!! :P
Lox
Fri Apr 20 08:53:12 2007

Hi there Nigel, shame about work though.
Mad Mumsie
Fri Apr 20 08:45:56 2007

Ciao Nigel, good to have you back!!! :D
Lox
Fri Apr 20 00:17:17 2007

Evening all!! :)
Yeah, sorry I've been quiet. Work is reinforcing it's ban on Internet for personal use. Back home I've installed a new hard disk and been reinstalling all the software! As you can tell, the new purchase using the Google Checkout system (and the £10 credit) has clearly worked! Highly recommended!!
Happy Belated Birthday's, Travis/Rob!
Nigel
Fri Apr 20 00:01:32 2007

BRAVO TIM!!!! :D
Lox
Thu Apr 19 23:42:42 2007

G G G God Yeah! Broadband is back on!
dsp
Thu Apr 19 18:42:16 2007

MM: True.... Quite strange, maybe he cannot connect from work again and late at night he's busy.... Mmmmmmm
Lox
Thu Apr 19 13:23:32 2007

A strangeness: we haven't heard from Nigel since Monday, hope you are all right Nig.
Mad Mumsie
Thu Apr 19 13:12:49 2007

There are some bit on YouTube that are funny, but mainly they're just stupid. It's amusing for a few minutes, but after that, just dross :(
Jimmy
Thu Apr 19 09:57:18 2007

Had a super time. Wound up the niece like mad before bed and it took some serious story telling from Al to get her to sleep. Food was fab and traffic-free M4 meant we got home in 35 mins. Fab!
Rob Lang
Thu Apr 19 09:19:08 2007

Jimmy: I like Youtube.... Full of crap maybe, but still likeable... As for the spammers are they getting nastier or is it just me?
Lox
Thu Apr 19 09:07:21 2007

Rob: Did you have a good time last night. The photo was lovely.
Mad Mumsie
Thu Apr 19 09:05:53 2007

I've found loads of cool things on YouTube. I LOVE IT.
Rob Lang
Thu Apr 19 08:59:11 2007

Oddly enough, it seems to be full of carp, too!
Jimmy
Thu Apr 19 08:16:38 2007

YouTube really is full of crap, isn't it?
Jimmy
Thu Apr 19 08:15:33 2007

goodmorning everyone!
Lox
Thu Apr 19 08:15:26 2007

Rob: I'm on facebook.
tom
Wed Apr 18 22:58:02 2007

Rob: after my post regarding the picture I had an email from Big Sis so eureka I can now bombard you with less than interesting pictures :))))
Mad Mumsie
Wed Apr 18 14:58:18 2007

MM: Ahh, mine was on the 17th. Rob: A banjo? Well done. I expect to hear some banjo on your next Rage cover.
Travis
Wed Apr 18 14:45:23 2007

Anyone else on Facebook? http://www.facebook.com/home.php
Rob Lang
Wed Apr 18 14:05:08 2007

Yes, Mum. Spam, Wine and Beans. All the makings of the ideal evening in.
Rob Lang
Wed Apr 18 13:52:16 2007

MM: (A) yes and (B) not very.
John
Wed Apr 18 13:48:09 2007

Rob: Did you get my text with the picture. Just interested to know if it worked.
Mad Mumsie
Wed Apr 18 11:59:18 2007

Rob: Do you get a prezzie for going?
Mad Mumsie
Wed Apr 18 11:43:35 2007

Yep, din dins and prezzie giving.
Rob Lang
Wed Apr 18 11:26:58 2007

Rob: That's nice. Are you going for dinner.
Mad Mumsie
Wed Apr 18 10:26:24 2007

Yes, thanks! Been up to my eyeballs this week. Going to see No 1. Sister tonight.
Rob Lang
Wed Apr 18 10:20:49 2007

Rob: Did you get our card then?
Mad Mumsie
Wed Apr 18 10:07:09 2007

T-Boy, Happy Birthday you big bee hatch! Mine was on the 16th and I was 31. I bought a banjo with my birthday money. Yes, a banjo. As in Deliverance. The first thing I played on it was Know Your Enemy by Rage Against The Machine, that famous Bluegrass band.
Rob Lang
Wed Apr 18 09:59:54 2007

Oh yes, - morning all :)
Mad Mumsie
Wed Apr 18 09:11:41 2007

John: Isn't that a little excessive, and how big is your flat?
Mad Mumsie
Wed Apr 18 09:10:30 2007

Travis: this is where the time zones become difficult. I suspect when you posted that message is was mid morning, where as for us the day was nearly over. By the way, Rob was 31 on Monday. All I can say is that the television programmes must have been particularly naff in Augusts over a number of years.
Mad Mumsie
Wed Apr 18 09:09:19 2007

mourning all #grins#
Kev
Wed Apr 18 08:14:46 2007

moarning...... yawn....
Lox
Wed Apr 18 08:13:44 2007

John. Deliberately browsing the internet on a mobile phone using a tiny screen when you already have other large screens must be a bit like going to the opticians and paying £200 for him to put cateracts in your eyes?
kev
Tue Apr 17 23:32:34 2007

I'm sitting at home where there's a choice of four different computers I could be using and yet I'm sitting here browsing the web using the silly little screen on my mobile. How pointless is that?
John
Tue Apr 17 22:25:13 2007

Happy birthday Travis! What a popular time of year it is for birthdays!
John
Tue Apr 17 21:45:08 2007

MM/Lox: Today is my birthday. I'm 28. I believe Rob's is tomorrow and he's slightly older?
Travis
Tue Apr 17 18:59:54 2007

Travis: Are you by any chance the happy proprietor of a birthday today?
Lox
Tue Apr 17 17:50:40 2007

:)
.
Tue Apr 17 16:26:52 2007

When was yours then Travis. And Happy Belated One.
Mad Mumsie
Tue Apr 17 16:01:12 2007

Bu-bu-but...what about my birfday?
Travis
Tue Apr 17 15:56:50 2007

DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN! OH SHUT UP!! AARGH! sorry.
Jimmy
Tue Apr 17 15:48:04 2007

Bugger.
Jimmy
Tue Apr 17 15:47:38 2007

(Perhaps I should have called myself J. there, in the interests of minimalism).
Jimmy
Tue Apr 17 15:47:20 2007

hbr
Jimmy
Tue Apr 17 15:46:30 2007

HAPPY BIRFDAY ROB!!!!!!!!
Lox
Tue Apr 17 14:05:58 2007

Rob: so as discussed this morning via various electronic media, will be able to wish you a belated happy birthday on Saturday!
John
Tue Apr 17 12:02:11 2007

Good morning all. First of all I would like to say Happy Birthday to Rob for yesterday. Sorry not to have been on line yesterday, but I was "took" and spent most of the day in bed. Still up and running again now and back at work.
Mad Mumsie
Tue Apr 17 09:19:50 2007

Yes indeed Lox, the mobile phone operators here finally saw sense, and realised the only way you were going to get more than 1% of people using the web on their mobiles was to make it fixed rate. Like I've been saying all along! So with my current plan I pay a maximum of £1 per day, or I can choose a different plan where I pay a fixed rate of £7.50 per month.
John
Tue Apr 17 09:13:27 2007

Morning everyone!! John: do you still surf the net through the mobile? Isn't it hideously expensive in England?
Lox
Tue Apr 17 08:30:06 2007

Just got my mobile working for web browsing using my old sim card which means no need to change my number after all. Small things like this make me happy!
John
Tue Apr 17 08:20:37 2007

Anyway Lox, yes that is very cool. Not sure I can yet fully grasp the potential of it, but if nothing else I'm quite amazed they can do all of that inside a regular web browser!
John
Mon Apr 16 23:08:33 2007

Hmm well it seemed to just about work for me in Firefox on the Mac - although apparently it needs Flash, and the plugin installation seemed to fail... but then it seemed to work anyway.
John
Mon Apr 16 23:04:00 2007

Safari...
Nigel
Mon Apr 16 20:51:31 2007

Nigel: are you using Firefox or Safari...?
John
Mon Apr 16 20:41:21 2007

Both are interesting indeed, chaps! In fact I headed over to "desktoptwo" and gave it a spin... Sadly their web-pages don't seem to work on a Mac! Not sure why. The sign-up process wouldn't go anywhere (verify username etc)... So I guess it truly *is* beta... And maybe for Windows only! :(
Nigel
Mon Apr 16 20:38:00 2007

Looks interesting Lox! I too found a new online app today - Remember the Milk. It's not anything revolutionary or anything, basically just a to-do list organiser, but it's quite neatly done and I rather liked it.
John
Mon Apr 16 19:57:51 2007

Ciao everyone, today I stumbled into this piece of software... well not a piece a software really more of a "concept", since also big G is moving into web-based apps, do you think that this will be the way forward? HERE
Lox
Mon Apr 16 19:34:43 2007

Yep, I'm Hank Marvin!
Jimmy
Mon Apr 16 11:58:24 2007

So, you don't eat your lunch at your desk? How can this work. Surely you go hungry ?
Kev
Mon Apr 16 11:21:26 2007

Kev- it is based around leaving your desk, and not doing any work for a week or so. Clearly, it's a concept developed largely outside the computing community.
Jimmy
Mon Apr 16 09:31:48 2007

Morning everyone, what do you guys think of Citizendium?
Lox
Mon Apr 16 08:54:37 2007

Morning All.
Jimmy, what is this 'Hol-i-day' you speak of ?
Kev
Mon Apr 16 08:47:06 2007

Good morning everyone! I'm back from holiday. Hooray.
Jimmy
Mon Apr 16 08:22:22 2007

John: Ah... Then it's a cottage pie... :P
Lox
Mon Apr 16 00:32:10 2007

I think if it's beef it is technically a cottage pie rather than a shepherd's pie isn't it?
John
Sun Apr 15 23:37:20 2007

The pie was a major success, the "a-Lorenzo" part was the fact that I had to use veal and beef mince instead of mutton, and added some mushrooms that are not present uin the original recipe, and some red onions .... :P
Tom: Best of luck tomorrow!!
Lox
Sun Apr 15 22:34:25 2007

So how was the Shepherd's Pie then? ....and what is the "a la Lorenzo" touch?
John
Sun Apr 15 22:26:41 2007

Sounds good, Lox!! :)
Tom: If you're there. New job starting tomorrow? Best of luck!
Nigel
Sun Apr 15 20:45:01 2007

I am currently making a Shepard's Pie "a-la Lorenzo"... :D
Lox
Sun Apr 15 19:50:42 2007

Afternoon!
Nigel
Sun Apr 15 12:17:24 2007

Goodmorning boys and girls!
Lox
Sun Apr 15 09:31:35 2007

... Judging by the email I received from Google confirming my purchase, they have taken "control" of the process from the vendor. My vendor account shows the order cancelled with them. However Google's is live, paid for and passed to vendor etc. Fascinating. So is it more of a service than PayPal for the vendor then?
Nigel
Sat Apr 14 16:30:48 2007

:D No problem!
Nigel
Sat Apr 14 16:21:17 2007

Ah sorry, that was actually Nigel wasn't it? Don't know why I thought that last post was made by Lox... sorry!
John
Sat Apr 14 16:20:20 2007

Glad you like it Lox. :)
John
Sat Apr 14 16:19:07 2007

Incidentally chaps, I've just discovered "Google Checkout" and their very generous offer of £10 off any purchase with a participating vendor with a value of over £30. Sounded so good to me I had to try it. Well so far I've placed an order for a nice new 320GB hard drive - and yep, I had a £10 credit!

So I guess it's a competitor for Paypal then?

All I can say is: *THANKYOU* Google!

Let's see when/how/if the item arrives! :)
Nigel
Sat Apr 14 16:14:32 2007

How does the sun here compare with California, John? I always imagine it being "different" somehow...

Just back from a trip to Shrewsbury. Kids hyper...
Nigel
Sat Apr 14 15:45:06 2007

Lovely day here in London too Nigel. Went out for a while to visit some markets and shops etc, but have now come back home and feel very lazy.
John
Sat Apr 14 14:53:59 2007

Morning all!! :) Lovely day here! Can't be bothered to do anything though!! :|
Nigel
Sat Apr 14 11:43:53 2007

Morning all!!
Lox
Sat Apr 14 09:17:22 2007

Evening all! :)
Nigel
Fri Apr 13 19:22:13 2007

TM,JM,MM: :D
Lox
Fri Apr 13 13:02:52 2007

That's me done for the week. Half day today. Super Have a good weekend everyone.
Mad Mumsie
Fri Apr 13 12:21:18 2007

TM: Yes, trouble is he'd probably enjoy it :)
Mad Mumsie
Fri Apr 13 11:32:42 2007

Lox: You are not too big for a smack you know!
Tim's mum
Fri Apr 13 10:45:20 2007

MM: Actually you are right... SORRY JM, I made a mistake spelling... :P All these "mums" coming in and out of the board are driving me crazy! :P
Lox
Fri Apr 13 10:11:27 2007

Lox (said very quietly) Its JM not TM
Mad Mumsie
Fri Apr 13 10:02:58 2007

TM: Yep, it's not easy to take good pictures of sunsets with a DC, I suspect that he used some sort of tripod, but they are quite good worthy of a screensaver or a desktop background. As for the missing pictures it is a thumbnail problem as a matter of fact, thanks! :P
Lox
Fri Apr 13 09:50:01 2007

Lox: those missing pictures - they do come up when you click in the blank space. His focus on sunsets is gradually getting better, isn't it?
John's Mum
Fri Apr 13 09:44:37 2007

dsp: Etch a sketch?!
Lox
Fri Apr 13 09:30:11 2007

Lox: Make sure you don't get duped into buying an Etch-a-Sketch.
dsp
Fri Apr 13 09:19:23 2007

John: I like the new set of pictures, especially the one of Chie during the sunset, I think it's one of the last that you uploaded. There are three missing from that page it seems that the pictures have not been linked properly... Good trip nonetheless!
Lox
Fri Apr 13 08:26:40 2007

Morning everyone.... Today I am going to check out a potential flat screen TV acquisition, anyone has some advice for me on what to look for?
Lox
Fri Apr 13 08:18:38 2007

*Yawn*
Travis
Fri Apr 13 05:02:00 2007

Thanks Tom! I'll look it out and give it a whirl!
Nigel
Thu Apr 12 20:40:40 2007

LOL at Naughty Nigel's jokes!
Tim's mum
Thu Apr 12 16:16:48 2007

Lox, Nigel: I use AppZapper to remove apps... it does it all for you. You get five free zaps.
tom
Thu Apr 12 16:12:36 2007

Welsh Chav joke: A bus full of Chavs were driving through Wales. As they were approaching Llanfgogogferrinfourasoch they started arguing about the pronunciation of the town's name. They argued back and forth until they stopped at a restaurant for lunch. As they stood at the counter, one Chav asked the blonde employee, "Before we order, can you settle an argument for us? Pronounce where we are... Very Slowly" - The blonde girl leaned over the counter and said, "Burrrrrrrr-gerrrrrrr-Kiiiiing."
EvenNaughtierNigel
Thu Apr 12 15:49:50 2007

Nigel: :D I didn't know the "chav" term, but it fits perfectly some people here too, I should import it into italian... "Chavo"..."Chavone"...Mmmmmm maybe not... :P
Lox
Thu Apr 12 15:33:07 2007

Quiet aga.....................zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Mad Mumsie
Thu Apr 12 15:33:06 2007

Un-PC joke: Why are Chavs like slinkies? They have no real use but it's great to watch one fall down a flight of stairs.
NaughtyNigel
Thu Apr 12 15:19:14 2007

Hiya - working at the office at the moment - and will be until broadband is connected. It is still off. There will be much trumpeting and rejoicing when it gets connected. The plan is to ditch Orange and go with BT ('cos its their exchange)
dsp
Thu Apr 12 14:12:13 2007

Sorry- Mornin' all!
Tim's mum
Thu Apr 12 10:04:52 2007

Are you at home or work, Tim?
Tim's mum
Thu Apr 12 10:02:49 2007

Dsp: Am I correct into assuming that you might have gotten your adsl activated?! :D
Lox
Thu Apr 12 09:43:24 2007

Morning y'all!
dsp
Thu Apr 12 09:06:14 2007

Morning all. Lovely sunny day in London - bit chilly at the moment, but supposed to warm up later.
Mad Mumsie
Thu Apr 12 08:45:12 2007

Morning everyone
Lox
Thu Apr 12 08:11:57 2007

Yea I was going to suggest Flip4Mac. Ultimately of course there are some things which just won't work in Macland...
John
Wed Apr 11 20:52:51 2007

Ok will give it a go! Thanks nigel! :D
Lox
Wed Apr 11 18:05:10 2007

'Night, MM!
OK Lox, go for "Flip4Mac" then, as it is a QT codec etc. (I'd forgotten you use Firefox instead of Safari etc!)
Nigel
Wed Apr 11 17:09:07 2007

Nigel: My problem is that the page requires the firefox WMP pugin to show the contents, so VLC doesn't help (unless there is a plugin that I didn't install)... :(
Lox
Wed Apr 11 16:57:39 2007

Rob: actually I was supporting Man U although I dont like them too much, I hate Roma far more than them,... :D GOOD JOB MANU!!!!
Lox
Wed Apr 11 16:57:00 2007

You're in charge Nigel. "See" you tomorrow. :)
Mad Mumsie
Wed Apr 11 16:47:42 2007

Still, it's nearly time to go home now.
Mad Mumsie
Wed Apr 11 16:21:34 2007

:D
Nigel
Wed Apr 11 16:18:50 2007

Someone has to keep the country running!
Mad Mumsie
Wed Apr 11 15:53:32 2007

Perhaps there's only you and me in work, MM!! :(
Nigel
Wed Apr 11 15:27:56 2007

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Mad Mumsie
Wed Apr 11 14:02:46 2007

Peaceful ;)
Mad Mumsie
Wed Apr 11 13:37:06 2007

Quiet!! ;)
Incidentally Lox, if you want to remove the registration of an app, delete the icon etc then head on undercover to the Library, Preferences folder, winkle-out the prefs file associated with the app and delete it too. (no warranty etc etc... ;) :D
Nigel
Wed Apr 11 12:52:14 2007

Lox: VLC works OK for me - mostly! However I refused to install WMP too. You could use "flip4mac" instead. It *was* independent though it has now been bought by M$ :( It is free in it's basic version and works as a plug-in to Quicktime...
And and "Morning all!"
Nigel
Wed Apr 11 09:09:18 2007

Lox, who were you supporting in the Football last night? Or is this a bad time to ask? :-)
Rob Lang
Wed Apr 11 08:50:12 2007

Mac Guys: I need help... I cannot view any content that is WMP-related, even with VLC installed some sites do not allow me to play the file in a different Media Player... I have tried to download the MacOS WMP version, but since the .bin extension has been registered to VLC (for some strange reason) it doesn't install and I can't find a way to make it work! :( Any suggestions on
1. Get the Web content played without having to install WMP
2. Failing point 1 how to I install the bastard?
Lox
Wed Apr 11 06:43:58 2007

No, in fact I was VNCing to it from my MacBook. It was basically hugely pointless.
John
Tue Apr 10 23:32:30 2007

I know what you mean. Do you have it through a massive TV?
tom
Tue Apr 10 22:14:34 2007

I finally got my Mac Mini back and connected to the interweb again... Of course it doesn't actually do anything that I couldn't do on my MacBook but somehow having it around just makes me feel happier.
John
Tue Apr 10 20:09:36 2007

I've got three days to go now (from 1730) until my new job!
tom
Tue Apr 10 16:54:51 2007

Who the hell is Mad Mumsue? :D
Mad Mumsie
Tue Apr 10 16:00:04 2007

John: Oh and Tim didn't get his ADSL yet...
Lox
Tue Apr 10 15:01:45 2007

Of course, I should have realised! :)
Mad Mumsue
Tue Apr 10 14:55:32 2007

John asked if he had missed anything.
Rob Lang
Tue Apr 10 14:37:53 2007

Rob: where did that train of thought come from?
Mad Mumsie
Tue Apr 10 14:26:42 2007

Jeremy Clarkson is running the Government and John Cleese has become the Archbishop. He's already brained the Pope.
Rob Lang
Tue Apr 10 13:46:44 2007

Nigel: Mmmmmmm I guess that banging the thing on the floor to open it up might damage something... :D mmmm I can see why you say it's tricky..
Lox
Tue Apr 10 13:33:24 2007

Yes Lox, that's probably about right. How easy it is depends on your willingness and ability to open the beast up!! ;) At least the Samsung's had screws!!
Nigel
Tue Apr 10 13:21:29 2007

Nigel: I see... Mmmmmm is it so hard that you risk a major hardware failure ? I guess that after a couple of years it needs replacing am I correct?
Lox
Tue Apr 10 13:18:20 2007

Lox: No. Just the fact it is not (easily) user changeable. A little hatch and nice replaceable battery-pack you could swap in and out would be a better design in my view. I've changed batteries on both iPods and Samsung YEPs - not much fun, even with the right tools...

John: Glad you got time with the family over Easter! Hope the weather was as splendid in North Wales as it was in Shropshire! :)
Nigel
Tue Apr 10 13:00:44 2007

Hello all, I'm finally back at the office in London now - what with California and spending Easter in Wales I've been away just over two weeks... Have I missed anything?
John
Tue Apr 10 12:52:12 2007

MM: I wouldn't have expected anything less from "Cyber-Mum", you are my HERO! :D (and the "silver surfers" thingy is simply great!)

Nigel: What's the problem with the Ipod battery pack?
Lox
Tue Apr 10 11:58:43 2007

Thanks for that Rob. But I would add there are a large number of silver surfers who use the computers in the library. It's great to see them sitting there hunched over the keyboards.
Mad Mumsie
Tue Apr 10 11:11:46 2007

MM may be biologically older and may be a grandmother but I can vouch that she's more technologically enabled than I. Except, perhaps for my PC and a PS2. She had a Game Gear colour hand-held before anyone else, taught herself MS Access, owns an iPod and a powerful laptop. Not what I would call a typical pensioner.
Rob Lang
Tue Apr 10 10:58:59 2007

MM - :D !!
Nigel
Tue Apr 10 10:47:11 2007

Omar!!! Fantastic to hear from you. There are a number of ways of getting a bit of space on the web for yourself. Firstly, there is MySpace where you can have a load of different things going on. You could have a blog, I'd recommend Blogger (Google by any other name). Those should get you started and you don't really need any html knowledge.
Rob Lang
Tue Apr 10 10:30:47 2007

Nigel: your street cred was blown a long time ago, round about the time this senior citizen got one.
Mad Mumsie
Tue Apr 10 10:19:34 2007

Yeah, certainly a gadget for the new Millennium! If only they introduced replaceable battery-packs...
Nigel
Tue Apr 10 09:56:35 2007

100millions.... Wow now that's quite a record! I wonder what they'll come up with next! Surely Ipods have had the same success of Sony's Walkman (a long time ago) a true generational gadget! :P
Lox
Tue Apr 10 09:39:17 2007

Morning! :)
I see they've reached 100-million sales of iPods... Time to move to something "less popular" or my street-cred will be blown! Sheesh...
Nigel
Tue Apr 10 09:23:06 2007

Good morning all.
Mad Mumsie
Tue Apr 10 08:41:15 2007

Morning everyone!
Lox
Tue Apr 10 07:52:27 2007

Well, the weekend is nearly over, work tomorrow. Still the weather has been super and I have had a good time, clearing out a cupboard, and going through all those interesting little things that I stuck up there some years ago. Great fun.
Mad Mumsie
Mon Apr 9 23:11:25 2007

Hmmm... I see Microsoft's "adCenter" is clearly trying to tap into Google's revenue stream... Isn't being the largest/richest software company enough for them? Are they so afraid of Google?
Nigel
Mon Apr 9 14:05:40 2007

Woooooo spring cleaning for me!!! I am knackered and I have to do the kitchen and half of the bath still... :(
Lox
Mon Apr 9 12:24:03 2007

Morning!
Omar: Lovely, I'll check it out straight away! If you need the testers you know I am there! :D
Lox
Mon Apr 9 10:12:59 2007

Morning!! :)
Nigel
Mon Apr 9 10:04:59 2007

Morning All
Kev
Mon Apr 9 09:16:31 2007

Hiya Lox. In answer to your question, I'm working on a project called Scourge. If you take a look around the site you'll find some screenies and info on the game. Regarding beta-testing, I can't guarantee anything but I'll keep you informed :-)
Omar the Omarian
Mon Apr 9 08:29:09 2007

Ken, thanks for the heartfelt compliments, now please could you go and fetch a red poker and use it on yourself as an anal probe? Thanks.
Lox
Mon Apr 9 06:30:55 2007

Thanks Ken!! How's Barbie?
Nigel
Sun Apr 8 17:32:11 2007

I think, that is interesting for all.
KenMarshall
Sun Apr 8 16:57:16 2007

I guess it was Easter for you lot when I posted last. Happy Easter, all. Enjoy.
Travis
Sun Apr 8 15:21:49 2007

Sun is up in Pizzaland too :P
Lox
Sun Apr 8 10:18:20 2007

TM: Taralli will be great as a starter! Good Choice! As for me I have kept all those Cadbury's Eggs so today I am going to bring them for lunch... As a matter of fact I have already guzzled a lot of the goodies that you and MM sent me! :D
Have a great Easter everyone!!!
Lox
Sun Apr 8 10:18:01 2007

Morning all!! :)
Yeah, the sun is certainly shining here. What a nice week it has been!
Nigel
Sun Apr 8 10:09:05 2007

Lox: Have you eaten all your eggs yet, or are there any left? We are at Tim and Clare's today and I will try and get some good pictures. I'm taking 'La Taralleria Del Tavoliere' with me to share - but they are not getting the cheese! We will also be taking easter eggs, cakes, San Miguel beer and wine. Hope the sun shines for you all.
Tim's mum
Sun Apr 8 07:56:46 2007

Happy Easter folks! Tim is still having problems with his broadband and the muppets supposed to be providing it, who all appear to be on another continent. So much for progress.
Tim's mum
Sun Apr 8 07:56:23 2007

Lox: Yeah; I'll finish my MA Classics courses in early May. I'll teach that course until the end of May, and then I'll go to Florida State for my PhD Philosophy. I'll keep you guys (blokes, if you will) posted on how it goes. I think it could be something special.
Travis
Sun Apr 8 04:25:08 2007

cool page
ed
Sat Apr 7 19:26:59 2007

Morning!! :)
Well the sun is still shining here so I'd better get some fresh-air!!
Nigel
Sat Apr 7 11:16:41 2007

Morning... I see that spammers are active near Easter as well... Now in german too! We are getting popular guys!
Lox
Sat Apr 7 10:55:24 2007

Hallo, gibt es dieses Sofa www.boxingglove.de als Boxhandschuh auch woanders?
Boxfan-Europe
Fri Apr 6 23:12:21 2007

T-Boy: I seeeee... Well it's a very interesting prospective, I think that this plan will translate in an hell (in a positive meaning of course) of lecture (or set of lectures), this is your last show before you move Uni, right?
Lox
Fri Apr 6 15:32:10 2007

Oh, Lox: Troy is for quickly (well in 3 hours) telling the Iliad. I just want people to be familiar with the basics. The gods' roles are not central to the heroic pattern in the way I'm presenting it. We look at angry Achilles then read book 24, where he changes. Then we talk about Odysseus and read his adventures with Polyphemus (the cyclops) and see how a calm, rational soul gets disturbed. It's all about looking at the soul according to Plato's schema.
Travis
Fri Apr 6 14:49:53 2007

Sodom and Gomorrah are parallels to Philemon and Baukis. I usually show a specific clip from Star Wars. I don't really touch Lord of the Rings because I think Star Wars is slightly better known and I reserve a higher position (artistically) for sci-fi than I do for fantasy. I do show a great Conan the Barbarian clip, mind you.
Travis
Fri Apr 6 14:48:11 2007

Travis: Sorry I could not resist... On Philemon and Baucis, the ending bit (them being turned into trees when they die), could be linked with JJR Tolkien's Silmarillion, with the two trees of the Valar Laurelin and Telperion. It seems that both in ancient and modern myth the trees have some important meaning...
Lox
Fri Apr 6 10:27:07 2007

Travis: And DUNE... Total class there! As Nigel pointed out you ruled out the newer blockbusters... Although Troy was a great movie I thought that taking out the Gods from the movie wasn't a great idea, are you planning to add some Ulysses references too? Maybe adding some Joyce there? Too boring?
Lox
Fri Apr 6 09:24:30 2007

Omar: Seen the site, what project are you working on at the moment? Do you need beta testers? I'd be glad to try whatever game you are developing!:D
Travis: Seems a very interesting set of lectures, why did you add Sodom and Gomorra? Did you need something biblical as well? I would have thought that Babylon Tower would have been the choice there...
Lox
Fri Apr 6 09:21:35 2007

Morning all! :)
Travis: Sounds fine to me!! But then I'm a complete dunce when it comes to such matters. I hadn't realised "Dune" was so well considered among classical circles... But I realise they are allowing you "free rein" somewhat... I'm actually a bit glad Star Wars and LOTR aren't in there! :)
Nigel
Fri Apr 6 09:02:29 2007

Hey hey Lox! Great to hear from you! :-) I don't have a personal website or anything like that, but the short version is that I'm still in Spain making games. Our website is www.tragnarion.com if anyone wants to check it out. Still working on our first couple of projects but things are going well! Hey, can anybody recommend a nice easy way to set up a customizable personal webpage without having to re-acquaint myself with html and all that jazz?
Omar the Omarian
Fri Apr 6 08:24:50 2007

OMARRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!! How are ya' mate!? I hope that things are great for you, is there any site where we can check out your progress/pictures/whatthehellareyoudoinginlife?
Lox
Fri Apr 6 08:07:28 2007

Well played, Rob. Sounds like a great time, Jimmy. Perhaps we'll see some images of this castle?
Travis
Fri Apr 6 02:48:28 2007

Section 2: The Epic Cycle. Plato's Republic IV (how the soul ought to be arranged), Troy (the film with Brad Pitt), Iliad XXIV, Odyssey IX. Quiz #2. Then Underworld and Afterlife. Plato's Myth of Er, Aeneid VI, Ovid on Orpheus. Finally, Modern Myth and Tragedy. Aeschylus's Eumenides, David Lynch's Dune, and Sartre's Les Mouches. Final Exam.
Travis
Fri Apr 6 02:34:39 2007

First section: Introductory lecture and an article called Myth and Symbol, talking about how to interpret myth. Then onto Cosmogeny: 160 lines of Metamorphoses and 900 lines of Theogony. Then a section on offending the gods. 240 lines of Metamorphoses on the Flood then Genesis 1-8 on the Flood. Then 120 lines on Philemon and Baukis and Genesis 9-20 on Sodom and Gomorrah. Punishment: Sisyphus (100 lines from Ovid) and 5 pages from Camus on the Myth of Sisyphus. Quiz #1.
Travis
Fri Apr 6 02:32:11 2007

Okay, so I've been told that this summer when I teach my last classical mythology class I can be a bit "experimental" with it because I've taught it four times already. I want to pitch the idea to my faculty "mentor", but I wanted some thoughts first. Let me do another post with my projected reading material. I'd appreciate any comments.
Travis
Fri Apr 6 02:25:05 2007

'sup people? How's things in the Maison? Greetings from Mallorca (yes I'm still alive, just!)
Omar the Omarian
Fri Apr 6 02:17:33 2007

Rob, WD new Job :)
Grrr I am working bank hols. System Live dates are getting very close.....
Kev
Thu Apr 5 17:57:08 2007

Sounds good, Jimmy!! :)
Nigel
Thu Apr 5 17:40:05 2007

Almost holiday time! Next week we're off to sunny Edingburgh to stay in a castle (Dalhousie Castle) and celebrate our 10th anniversary! See y'all in a week ...
Jimmy
Thu Apr 5 17:08:19 2007

Glad you are back, and that you have brought some Californian sunshine with you. If you had a telly, you would have seen the advertising about Virigin trains/putting electricity back. But how do they get it into the rails????
John's Mum
Thu Apr 5 17:02:06 2007

Four days of doing nothing much - super. See you all on Tuesday. (Unless I can be bothered to boot up the machine at home!) Have a good Easter break everyone.
Mad Mumsie
Thu Apr 5 16:55:21 2007

Nice one Rob!! I remember you mentioning you were ready to start sending out the CVs! I take my hat off to you, Sir! Fast work! :)
Nigel
Thu Apr 5 16:44:20 2007

Lox, I am just lucky, I suppose. Distribution technology make software for the finance industry. I'll be doing the sort of mathematical stuff that I enjoyed so much at Moody's. And it's 25 minutes walk from home! :)
Rob Lang
Thu Apr 5 16:05:20 2007

Rob: Really?! You quit you new job and got another one straight away?! You are my hero!! :) What will you do at DT (what is DT anyways?)
Lox
Thu Apr 5 15:58:02 2007

It's out: I have resigned and will soon be starting work at Distribution Technology.
Rob Lang
Thu Apr 5 15:45:25 2007

Robert Lang - I do soooooooooooo hope not after all we spent on your edukashun!!
Mad Mumsie
Thu Apr 5 14:22:14 2007

John, are you going to try and upgrade your friends to 'Upper Class'? I'm afraid I'm a loss cause, corrblimeysquire.
Rob Lang
Thu Apr 5 13:43:10 2007

We're getting that in F1 next year. It's pretty crap, though!
Jimmy
Thu Apr 5 12:34:30 2007

Tom: on my previous trip to California I attended a presentation given by some people from Virgin (admittedly Galactic rather than Atlantic, but it's all under Saint Richard). They seemed to be actually quite concerned about the environment and all that. Did you know for example Virgin trains have the same thing where they use energy generated by braking to recharge the batteries that hybrid cars like the Prius have?
John
Thu Apr 5 12:32:55 2007

Welcome home John.
Mad Mumsie
Thu Apr 5 12:27:29 2007

Just got back home. Upper class was very nice (in relative terms that is, I still can't bring myself to say I actually enjoyed being on a plane). The seats turn into completely flat beds and there was loads of space, but I still couldn't get to sleep. So I'm knackered now.
John
Thu Apr 5 12:24:15 2007

12K is quite a bit for a flight. Do they offset your carbon spend too?
tom
Thu Apr 5 12:15:44 2007

Morning all, Lox - Bethan might not have enjoyed the almond goodies, but she lapped up the pasta!
Mad Mumsie
Thu Apr 5 09:05:50 2007

Morning!
Lox
Thu Apr 5 07:22:39 2007

Enjoy the films!!! ;)
Nigel
Wed Apr 4 23:47:09 2007

Right, I'm off to get on the plane now then... Next post from the UK!
John
Wed Apr 4 23:40:53 2007

Actually virgin do offer a shuttle service in a limo when you fly upper class. :)
John
Wed Apr 4 23:40:30 2007

John: Well done. Such a display of pomposity is not lost on me. I love it.
Travis
Wed Apr 4 23:26:21 2007

:D I'm not a fan of "fois gras" but otherwise your expectations seem completely reasonable to me!!
Nigel