Just read that BBC News article about Google Gears that Nigel mentioned earlier - still not quite clear why they felt this needed an article linked from the front page (as great a piece of technology as it is, I'm not sure this will be particular meaningful to the average BBC News reader). Anyway, my main reason for bringing it up is that I realised I've been in a meeting with the vice president they mention there. :)
John
Thu May 31 23:46:32 2007
I too unusually had a yoghurt after dinner today. There's obviously some cosmic significance to this - shall we henceforth make May 31st "yoghurt day"?
John
Thu May 31 23:16:10 2007
Good man! :)
Nigel
Thu May 31 22:43:49 2007
I think I talked that one up. ZA....PPPPde
Kev
Thu May 31 22:37:44 2007
(Kev: is your "zapper" working? Mine won't remove the offending entry... :( )
Nigel
Thu May 31 22:30:47 2007
Ah... I am the culture that bowels your loosen will!
Nigel
Thu May 31 22:29:09 2007
Actually I just realised that was supposed to be Yoda.... probably not as convincing as your spammer impersonation.
Kev
Thu May 31 22:25:43 2007
Nigel was that your attempt at imitating a spammer, if so it was rather good. I just ate a yogurt!
Kev
Thu May 31 22:24:20 2007
Ha! I know nothing! I Yoghurt, am!
Nigel
Thu May 31 22:15:01 2007
By the rule of 4.30 I have been up for more than 2 hours.... I wish this trul did not exist and since we are there I wish that intercontinental flights did not exist.
Lox
Thu May 31 22:07:45 2007
Nigel: When I left you you were the Masster and I was the learner.... Now, I am the MASTER!
Darth
Thu May 31 21:51:12 2007
Coo! Who's that then?
Nigel
Thu May 31 21:28:59 2007
Don't be too proud of this technological terror that you have constructed. The power to store data offline is insignificant compared to the power of the desktop.
Darth
Thu May 31 21:11:34 2007
Just seen the BBC's Gears story... http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6708375.stm
Don't think they do it justice, because if the story paints the correct picture it sounds just like off-line browsing from some cache... Which we can do now to a certain extent. Then to read more we just grab a site tree and store it for future viewing. A web-archive or PDF etc... All this is probably the BBC dumbing-down the tech so we mere news scanners can understand it! :)
Nigel
Thu May 31 19:19:13 2007
Nise site!
anatol
Thu May 31 17:59:09 2007
Don't confuse the power of the software with the ability to use it effectively, ma.
Rob Lang
Thu May 31 17:04:11 2007
Does that mean I don't have to remind you about birthdays etc. anymore.
Mad Mumsie
Thu May 31 16:58:47 2007
Rob, that's very scary - you, organised! ;)
Mad Mumsie
Thu May 31 16:58:16 2007
I think "centrally storing" data (as in online) and mashing data together is much better than having it distributed across a number of machines. I have my calendar online, so I can get to it at home or at the office. Or on the mobile (theoretically). Same with email. Why not everything? Furthermore, when there are updates to a bit of software, it's a pain to download the new version and have it installed. Much better for the app provider to just update the server.
Rob Lang
Thu May 31 16:46:54 2007
Good man, Rob! :) I was kind-of expecting something, especially when I make sweeping statements like that. I figure it's part of my own personal learning-curve. I need the input and ideas etc...
Nigel
Thu May 31 16:34:38 2007
Just trying to work out how to say that I don't really agree.
Rob Lang
Thu May 31 16:29:37 2007
Oooeerr! That was a conversation stopper! :)
Nigel
Thu May 31 16:24:19 2007
Hmmm, the more I think about it, the more I'm not keen on the idea of on-line apps. I realise web-companies will love the idea of another revenue stream - perhaps to the detriment of old-school app vendors - but I can't really see a user advantage. Remember that web-based O/S desktop? Great to play with for 10 minutes but.... No... It's almost a bad as trusting banks to look after your money... (!)
Nigel
Thu May 31 12:24:30 2007
John, if you make an online Cheese, is that just not Picasa?
Rob Lang
Thu May 31 12:09:31 2007
John, no don't have a use for Gears. I've just been waiting for someone to run the browser into an OS by the back door and this is the first step away from a completely stateless protocol. I doubt anything I do will use it for work or Icar but it's really cool and I like really cool things. Actually it might be useful for the next generation of neural network software I've been thinking about.
Rob Lang
Thu May 31 11:16:17 2007
... am I right though, as Google is moving to online apps anyway, this must be a favoured development method (?) I'm still old-fashioned enough to prefer local apps (and even vanilla "C" !!) as I'd hate to rely on an online service only to have BT stick a spade through my cable etc...
Nigel
Thu May 31 10:12:43 2007
John: Actually good idea the photostudio-online thing, when will we see the first release? :P I can see "google-photostudio" project coming out there :D
Lox
Thu May 31 10:09:10 2007
Lox: cretin.
John
Thu May 31 10:06:53 2007
Rob: out of interest, do you have a specific need to use something like Gears? Is it a work related thing, or do you have a secret project you're working on at home?
John
Thu May 31 10:06:35 2007
Of course, for a program like Cheese I'd still have to fall back to native code anyway for things like lossless JPEG rotation (as far as I'm aware the only implementation is C++)... and C++ is still far more natural to me for anything which pokes about with ones and zeroes directly... but those bits aside, I wonder now if I could have been more forward looking and just basically made it as a locally running web app.
John
Thu May 31 10:03:39 2007
John: I wasn't joking from now on Rob will be acknowledged as the only TRUE doctor in the house, you can be paramedic if you want. :D
Lox
Thu May 31 10:02:40 2007
I hadn't heard of Gears before, but it does sound like something that might be a jolly good idea. Developing cross platform apps is still a very imperfect art. When I mentioned to a couple of guys here at work about Cheese, they immediately said I shouldn't bother trying to generate native code, and instead should do the heavy lifting in a Java servlet which ran locally, and do all the UI in a web browser. At the time I scoffed at this suggestion, but thinking about it now it makes a lot of sense. Gears seems like a similar approach, although basically letting you do a lot more of the sort of stuff in Javascript that you would otherwise have to resort to using Java servlets for.
John
Thu May 31 09:57:34 2007
Rob: of course I knew you were joking - I would have used font size="+8" (and maybe even color = "red") if I was really angry.
John
Thu May 31 09:49:35 2007
Yeah, I've just set up my "iGoogle" page with all the links and clocks and bits and bobs - rather like Windows Live beta was I guess... All very swish! Nice that I can just click back and forward into the classic view!
Lox: Yes, I have video of the dummy having his head knocked off - repeatedly! :D
Nigel
Thu May 31 09:12:20 2007
Rob: What does it actually do that thinghy? I didn't quite understand... Is it something for developers? Seems like an offline browser and Javascript enhancer right?
Lox
Thu May 31 08:54:56 2007
Cheers T-Boy.
John: I was joking, you plum. Looks like you had a minger of day yesterday. Still, it can only get better!
Rob Lang
Thu May 31 08:53:52 2007
(Last post was supposed to sound more jolly and excited than it did, pretend it has lots of smileys all over it)
Rob Lang
Thu May 31 08:46:39 2007
They're at it again! http://gears.google.com/
Rob Lang
Thu May 31 08:46:11 2007
Nigel: Nice video! Is that Joc voice in the movie? If so she's got a VERY NICE voice (not to be unpolite and say sexy!). As for the joust, the destroying of the puppet must be a classic all over the world, shame that we have no video of that!
Lox
Thu May 31 06:11:33 2007
Rob: Congrats. If it takes me four years to get the corrections on my thesis approved, I'll kill someone. Literally. Fortunately, my likely thesis chair has an incredible track record for getting things accomplished. All the same, I commend your fortitude.
Travis
Thu May 31 05:46:02 2007
Ahhh... I see! Good idea then! I don't know if it means anything 'round here but I notice on the "Recent Stumblers" sidebar there's a guy from Calif. called "Bradley"... Seems to have some relevance round here!!! (Not sure why!)
Nigel
Wed May 30 23:31:05 2007
Nigel check out stumble upon it what the internet has been waiting for.
Kev
Wed May 30 23:23:14 2007
... crossed posts there Kev! Yeah, that would have been good... Gorey but good...!
Nigel
Wed May 30 23:22:52 2007
No Kev... lost me on that one... :(
John: Yes, am I alone in actually *liking* QT Pro? I registered too and thinks it's quite good... (not being a video-pro myself etc) I like that exporting stuff and the full-screen, though I have to admit I might have converted the vid using Handbrake!
Nigel
Wed May 30 23:21:17 2007
Ah boring, they should have just got a couple of guys out of the crowds that had spent the afternoon in the beer tent and chucked them on the back of a horse suited and booted and made them joust. I'd pay good money to see that.
Kev
Wed May 30 23:20:20 2007
... the two-way knock-your-opponent-off-his-horse jousting wasn't done as apparently the horses were borrowed from a local stable for the event, and were too nervy. But they did do annihilate-the-dummy, knock-the-swingy-thing-round-and-escape-before-it-whacks-you-on-the-back, as well as skewer-the-maiden's-firey-ring-thing ...
Nigel
Wed May 30 23:17:50 2007
you do know about stumble upon ?
Kev
Wed May 30 23:16:11 2007
agree but youtube is just liek google really, its full of crap too, but you just search for the intersting stuff. I anticipate a Google StumbleUpon plugin..... Copyright Kev 2007
Kev
Wed May 30 23:15:23 2007
Nigel: on the flip side the nice thing about having a regular movie is that I was able to play it full screen in QuickTime (I was conned into buying the pro version because I wanted to watch Eurovision).
John
Wed May 30 23:15:07 2007
Kev: what I meant was the fact that it was so easy could be seen as down side - anyone can put any old crap on there, just like I did. The vast majority of content is unappealing filler... Mind you, the same could be said of the interweb as a whole!
John
Wed May 30 23:13:55 2007
I think its pretty straightforward, you can add a clip then insert a link in a page that shows the stream directly in your page ( with a starting image and a play button) which is nice.
Kev
Wed May 30 23:13:53 2007
That's a good idea - I'll have to look into how to do it! Though I don't take videos very often, and don't have many to show... Tried to give the vid a thumbnail preview but fluffed it...
Nigel
Wed May 30 23:09:21 2007
Flaw how so ? shurly the streamin-ness is it greatest assest? everyone else seeing you in all your geekyness/boringness/underwear a flaw ?
Kev
Wed May 30 23:07:51 2007
Yea I put some videos on YoutTbe a short while ago, it was delightfully easy. The irony is that this facet is both YouTube's greatest asset and also its biggest flaw. :)
John
Wed May 30 23:06:21 2007
lol I just rewatched your clip, those are Real steel tips on those lances. specially the last guy with the full visor and armour!!!!
Kev
Wed May 30 23:05:21 2007
Just took a look at that video myself. Couldn't help but think the real hero there is the guy standing still and holding the hoop!
John
Wed May 30 23:05:02 2007
Nigel, perhaps you should Youtube those videos? I always find being able to stream a video much more watchable rather than having to download the whole thing first?
Kev
Wed May 30 23:01:22 2007
Thanks Kev! Yeah, I reduced the video-size for easier d/l. You should have seen the expression of the guy holding up the "hoops" as the lances came towards him! Definitely more scary in real-life!
Nigel
Wed May 30 22:57:45 2007
btw Nigel I liked your movie of the the jousting hoops... would have been more fun if they had been knocking each other off of their horses !
Kev
Wed May 30 22:47:14 2007
Die SPAM die
Kev
Wed May 30 22:45:29 2007
Er... Hmmm. Good evening chaps! (Nigel keeps his head down...)
Just tried to delete that spam, John, using both my passwords, but no joy...:(
Also just spent too long trying to find a decent Mac database, other than Filemaker which costs too much. Now I love Macs but we need an easy to use database, not just having to resort to SQL for form-based simple stuff... Oh well, not too serious I suppose, just bloomin' annoying!
Nigel
Wed May 30 22:42:46 2007
Sounds like a "pistols at dawn" situation to me!!!!
Kev
Wed May 30 22:19:49 2007
WHAT?
John
Wed May 30 22:18:37 2007
Rob: I cannot agree more, and on the top of that I mean who really watches Teletext (which is the only expertise that I am prepared to recognize to THAT person that we are talking about)?!? I think he should really be addressed as "Mrwalhe." (Mister with a little higher education), rather than DOCTOR!
Lox
Wed May 30 21:44:52 2007
Yes, Lox. You've hit the nail on the head. My thesis took 4 years to go from viva to submission. Not 3 days because I happened to be going to Japan.
Rob Lang
Wed May 30 21:15:18 2007
Rob: Anyways it will be a total pleasure to all you DOC if there is a person that impersonate the Doctor type it's certainly you, not like the other people here at la maison who work for wishy washy american companies doing nothing and getting paid millions of pounds... :D:D:D:D:D:D:D Are you going to have some sort of party for the "doc-ation"?
Lox
Wed May 30 16:23:35 2007
I am now Google Mobile'd up to the 9s. I have Maps and Mail and they are lovely. Can't get Calendar running because O2 don't have SSL on their Wap. Time to upgrade the mobile methings.
Rob Lang
Wed May 30 14:47:11 2007
(just an expression ... thought I'd try it out)
Jimmy
Wed May 30 13:05:51 2007
And before anyone else says it he is NOT "Doctor Bob" :)))))
Mad Mumsie
Wed May 30 12:22:39 2007
Rob: Ah, well-done then! Only a Month or so to go. Splendid work old chap!! Look forward to calling you Doc!
Jimmy: Yer-wa?
Nigel
Wed May 30 11:54:36 2007
64 Megs of Ryan!
Jimmy
Wed May 30 11:49:02 2007
Lox, you've found me out. Then again, it's not my fault my external examiner can't read so had to get his mum to read it to him as a bed time story each night.
Rob Lang
Wed May 30 11:27:36 2007
I was thinking I might buy an online PhD from a sham university. Maybe Alison will get it for my birthday ...
Jimmy
Wed May 30 11:14:40 2007
Rob: It's not your professor fault if you cannot write in English and you made so many grammar mistakes that it took them 4 years to correct them!! :D
Lox
Wed May 30 10:31:16 2007
Hey Nige. I defended my PhD in November 2003. It took them four years to aggree on the corrections. I don't actually become doctor until July.
Rob Lang
Wed May 30 10:24:42 2007
Crap day at work, things falling apart slowly in a very Japanese style, I am tired and I want to go home...
Lox
Wed May 30 10:23:08 2007
Rob: Congrats on the thesis, sorry I forgot to write it before!! :D
Lox
Wed May 30 10:13:59 2007
Rob: Does this mean you've defended the PHD etc? Are you now a Doc, and should we give you the big Hurrah! yet??
Nigel
Wed May 30 09:37:11 2007
John, definitely get one made. Send me the PDFs and I'll get the binders to do one for you.
Rob Lang
Wed May 30 09:18:22 2007
Morning Maisoneers! :)
Nigel
Wed May 30 08:55:41 2007
Morning all
Kev
Wed May 30 08:05:34 2007
Ok off to work again good night everyone! :P
Lox
Wed May 30 00:07:58 2007
Tom, you'll need to queue up behind the TV Inspector Person :)
Kev
Tue May 29 20:56:02 2007
John. If Google doesn't release a Picasa for OSX, I'll come and give you a slap with a wet fish. ;-)
tom
Tue May 29 20:45:48 2007
yep.... don't let them in... even if you have nothing to hide.(like a tv) To my mind its invasion of privicy. Let them get a Search warrant and stick two fingers up to the Establishment. Don't let the Man get you down John. We are all right behind you on this one. ( I might even pop along to your application for bail hearing just so I can update your blog for you )
Kev
Tue May 29 20:16:51 2007
Oh, and as is obligatory, I have to point you towards: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_licensing_in_the_United_Kingdom which offers more detail than you possibly want, but is PRETTY SCARY too... It outlines the knock-on-the-door approach... :(
Nigel
Tue May 29 20:03:52 2007
Evening!
Good point Kev! Also, I seem to remember that the old detector-van method of trapping non-licensed users, relied on the EM radiation being given off by cathode TVs while in use - they could actually "see" what channel you were watching... Now I have to wonder if this same technolgy would be foiled by newer LCD tvs, which give off none!! What a nice, warm thought that is! :)
Nigel
Tue May 29 19:53:51 2007
If a "tv inspector" does show up, make sure you tell him to "go away". Why should you have to prove that you don't own a tv!
Kev
Tue May 29 17:48:08 2007
The poor TV inspector's job must be much harder since flat screen tellies were invented. They are so much easier to hide. You could have a revolving picture like in the 'le crunch bunch' adverts.
dsp
Tue May 29 17:35:21 2007
I've actually got myself into a bit of a cutting-off-my-nose-to-spite-my-face situation over the TV - we got a letter from the TV licensing people asking us whether we had a TV, so I phoned up to let them know that we didn't. We then got another letter saying an inspector might call at some point to verify this, which is fair enough, but now I feel like if I do get a TV (and therefore a license) it will look to them like I actually did have a TV all along, and only bought the license due to the threat of the guy coming round. As an organisation, the TV licensing people are very good at making you feel guilty when you've done nothing wrong!
John
Tue May 29 17:31:14 2007
If you got a telly you could watch the programme. Pretty good justification in my eyes to go and and get yourself a new 42inch flatscreen.
Kev
Tue May 29 17:12:26 2007
...and I'm very impressed to hear about Alex's TV program! As you correctly guessed, I haven't seen it given that I still don't have a telly (ironic really, considering my line of work), but nonetheless that is fantastic! You must be feeling rather smug as the mother of two such accomplished offspring. :)
John
Tue May 29 16:46:40 2007
MM: really nice to hear about you getting the long awaited masterpiece! Actually I didn't keep a bound copy of my thesis for myself (or my family), just got the two copies required by the university, and one for my supervisor. I think it was a combination of the expense, the fact I was imminently moving to Japan, and just overall being quite sick of the sight of the thing by that point... However now I am reminded I do feel a slight sense of something lacking. Maybe I ought to get one made...?
John
Tue May 29 16:44:37 2007
Having read Nigel's last message I'm now doubting myself - I thought these were just the same passwords - as I remember it, if you had a password to post with, you also had a password to delete messages... but maybe I remembered wrong! I'll look into this when I get back tonight. (Nigel: there was never any intention to deny you access from deleting posts - I trust your good judgement utterly!).
John
Tue May 29 16:37:32 2007
Lox: It's exactly the same password you use for posting messages - as I noticed you posted that last message with a password, then your password must still work... Are you perhaps using a different keyboard to usual or something?
John
Tue May 29 16:33:32 2007
Afternoon all! :)
Yeah, my delete-spam password stopped working ages ago - I assumed I wasn't trusted any more ;)
Nigel
Tue May 29 14:21:04 2007
Fear not, my passwords work :)
Kev
Tue May 29 14:07:35 2007
John: for some strange reason the password in the delete-spam window doesn't work anymore... quite strange as I saved it, can u resend or check that the spammers didn't find a way to crack the site?
Lox
Tue May 29 14:05:35 2007
MM: Wow that's a great bank holiday!! Compliments!! :D I am now in the tiny hotel room in Tokyo, I do not have the strength to tell what happened in detail but it was a very hard day for me, that will peak on Thursday by the looks of it... :(
Lox
Tue May 29 13:58:30 2007
MM: Wow! TV Producer daughter and son's thesis on the bookshelf - no wonder you are proud! :o)
Tim's mum
Tue May 29 13:33:30 2007
Hi Tim's Mum. This is proud Mum bit - my daughter is the producer of Spring Watch. Look out for Alexandra in the credits. She is usually one of the last names, although at the moment she is training someone to take over from her, so that person's name appears. On Italian matters, I gave the pasta to my granddaughter because it is almost a staple food for her, still have some of the biscuits though.
Mad Mumsie
Tue May 29 13:23:45 2007
Yes! i'm watching Spring Watch. Love the kingfishers. Also watched the Zimmers, I want to be like Buster when I grow up.
Tim's mum
Tue May 29 13:19:02 2007
On the subject of 'dining out' - I much prefer to eat a home cooked meal. Restaurants charge rediculous amounts for food you can often cook better yourself. (Maybe i'm just 'tight'!)
Tim's mum
Tue May 29 13:17:34 2007
Greetings boardies! Rather chilly up North this weekend. Did the only thing possible under the circs and ate nice things. Had toast and Lurpak for the first time in ages (Flora Lite might be good for me, but butter tastes so much better!). Thanks to Lox for the cheese which I am still enjoying. We had pasta with Green Pesto sauce, bits of pepperoni chopped up, some fresh basil and Parmesan shavings, plus obligatory glass of red.
Tim's mum
Tue May 29 13:12:58 2007
With the exception of John, I hope that everyone is watching SPRING WATCH!
Mad Mumsie
Tue May 29 13:11:48 2007
Do you know, I read what I had written before I added it, then noticed that it should have read "WENT" to my brother's.
Mad Mumsie
Tue May 29 13:10:43 2007
John: the weather being what it was, it became a watch the telly type weekend, except when to my brother's for lunch on Sunday. Interesting aye!! Oh yes, saw Robert and was presented with a bound copy of his thesis. Hurrah. Something to put on the bookcase!
Mad Mumsie
Tue May 29 13:09:45 2007
So, is everyone going to tell me how much better their bank holiday weekends were than mine?
John
Tue May 29 12:52:19 2007
Oh, that's better.
John
Tue May 29 11:35:21 2007
Erm, the daily board looks somewhat blank.
John
Tue May 29 11:34:36 2007
Don't be scared!!! I went to bed at 12.00, woke up at 1,30 for some room neighbour decided to bang his door while coming in, and thanks to MIGHTY sleeping pill (which I don't like to take but I had to) I managed to sleep until 6! Tonight I will be up at 4 as standard, if I do not use the pill again, but I am quite against it...We will see...
Lox
Mon May 28 23:28:03 2007
Well, getting on for 5:30 AM in Tokyo now - could it be that Lorenzo is actually getting a decent night's sleep...?
John
Mon May 28 21:23:37 2007
Very busy day today. It has only just started raining up here!
Nigel
Mon May 28 19:59:30 2007
So then... is everyone else's bank holiday monday turning out to be as dreary and disappointing as mine? The weather has been shockingly bad here in London - OK I accept it has to rain now and again, but the icy wind is a bit much for the end of May, isn't it? We ended up doing very little - an average lunch followed by a thoroughly unpleasant walk around the city centre.
John
Mon May 28 18:15:50 2007
Well I think it is now 1:30AM in Tokyo now - so Lox ought to be online again in about three hours time. :)
John
Mon May 28 17:30:59 2007
Yea I think traditional one sided reviews like you get in newspapers etc are actually much better. I remember when we studied information theory at university, they said something about politicians lying exactly 50% of the time being the worst case scenario (if you knew they lied all the time you'd simply negate anything they said). Similarly having 50% of the people tell you a restaurant is terrible and 50% tell you it is excellent provides you with no actual information at all. This is the flaw in ad hoc user feedback like this - people only feel compelled to write if they've had a truly excellent or utterly terrible experience. So you get heavily polarised results.
I wouldn't mind so much if sites like that weren't so dominant in search results, but at least one from that bunch I listed earlier always seems to turn up somewhere near the top. I think we probably need user reviews for these user review sites - and if people consistently are disappointed with them then they'd be accordingly bumped down the search results list. Of course, this wouldn't solve the problem ultimately, as 50% of people would say each site was terrible, and 50% of people would say it was the best site they ever visited.
John
Mon May 28 17:19:05 2007
Oh no Lorenzo - don't do it! Think of the children!
John
Mon May 28 17:09:07 2007
Good day lads and lasses, arrived alive in Japan! Going to hit the big mac before it closes (even though it's a 24 hours shop), can't be arsed to have real food today...
Lox
Mon May 28 13:26:49 2007
.. at least then anyone looking at it will see consistent reviews and as long as you are honest about the places thats all most people need.
Kev
Mon May 28 12:56:27 2007
Maybe you should compile your own list, with user comments allowed and simply delete any that do not agree with you. Call it JohnsLondonFoodGuide.com.
Kev
Mon May 28 12:55:07 2007
...so I thought, well let's just go out for a nice lunch somewhere - that ought to be easy. Then I realised I have a new pet hate - those bloody websites about London restaurants, squaremeal.co.uk, toptable.co.uk, london-eating.co.uk, viewlondon.co.uk, londoneats.com. They all jostle their way to the top of the search results by no doubt dubious means, then offer crap all information and a handful of irritatingly contradicting user reviews. For every single restaurant you get an oscillation between the pissed off "I went there for our wedding anniversary, the food was apalling and the service was terrible" customer, and then the "I don't know what the previous reviewer was talking about - some friends introduced me to this place and it is my favourite restaurant in London". After reading a set of reviews like that you are absolutely none the wiser. A bloody waste of time!
John
Mon May 28 12:41:31 2007
Hi Kev. Yes it does look a bit grey and miserable out doesn't it? Chie and I are suffering from that bank holiday malaise of "oh we've got the day off so we really ought to do something" but actually have no idea what to do.
John
Mon May 28 12:23:13 2007
Ah raining on a Bank Holiday. Morning all.
Kev
Mon May 28 12:20:23 2007
...ah I see now, it was printed in our tenant's newsletter on April 1st. I think that sort of wraps the issue up then.
John
Sun May 27 23:08:36 2007
...can't find anything about it on the web though. Maybe it was just a rumour.
John
Sun May 27 23:05:25 2007
Blimey! Have just read in our tenant's newsletter that Prince William is considering moving into our square. A bit hard to believe, but then I suppose Princess Anne did live here for a while (and supposedly said it smelled of cabbages).
John
Sun May 27 23:04:59 2007
So I guess Lox is probably still in the air? It is strange, I've become accustomed to reading his posts from the airline lounge and have come to expect them... maybe this time he was either in a rush or something...
John
Sun May 27 22:25:52 2007
(Back from sorting out the central-heating in the garage! And on the Guinness now!) Well, it certainly works for Google Earth and I get the little camera icon etc for my own pictures, dotted around the landscape. Not sure how this relates to Google-Maps etc. though... Just a bit annoying Oswestry is in such low detail at the moment... I supose ideally we should get Panaramio accounts so our pictures get featured for everybody... Hmmm. Maybe not. Shame there wasn't some kind of "Group" so, being members, we could see each others photo tags etc...
Nigel
Sun May 27 17:36:49 2007
Yes I too am quite excited about this! I'm just lacking a few bits of glue now to get the locations associated with actual pictures, and given that Cheese produces XML files for sets of images, it ought to be pretty easy to modify that Javascript so I can actually get those little red markers to point to pictures.
John
Sun May 27 17:19:42 2007
That's absolutely Bl*&dy marvellous!! (Not heard me swear before, eh?!?!) Spot on John!!! Forgive my enthusiasm, but that's something of the elation I discovered when I realised that by using Google Earth, my camera and a couple of utilities I could geo-tag all my photos. OK, so it's not as neat as using the Sony GPS, but for me it's part the way there...! It really is quite splendid.
Sadly I rarely travel so much at the moment, but the technology gives me a buzz, and I have a BIG collection to catalogue. I invested in Adobe Lightroom the other week, which is helping amalgamate all these photo aspirations...
Nigel
Sun May 27 15:19:17 2007
Oooh I've made something nice - have modified some Javascript / Google Maps API code to get it to plot a track log from my Sony GPS. When I went to Canterbury yesterday, I took the GPS unit along to test, and for the first time have actually been able to see the points properly on a map. I know it is completely pointless, but still I can't help but be amazed by this bit of technology! If you're interested you can see the results here.
John
Sun May 27 14:39:02 2007
Yes Nigel - it is raining here... but actually I don't mind so much, I've always quite liked hearing the sound of the rain when I'm having a lazy day indoors.
John
Sun May 27 11:14:07 2007
Well bon voyage Lorenzo (or should that be buono viagio?)... hope your flight is not too boring and unomfortable...!
John
Sun May 27 11:12:29 2007
Morning all!
What a change of weather... I know we were expecting it, but... Miserable or what!?
Nigel
Sun May 27 10:42:04 2007
Ok then, time to pack up and go... BOOOOOORRRRIIIIIINNNGGGGG
Lox
Sun May 27 09:52:56 2007
John: I know what you mean, during all my travels I always find that I am missing some parts of what I have left behind. I just hope that the business related crapness doesn't affect it too much... :P
Lox
Sun May 27 09:11:46 2007
Yea Lox - as you put it, "oh well!". In between all the business related crapness, I do hope you find a bit of time to enjoy yourself while you're there. I think I've actually been quite missing Tokyo recently. Would love to have the chance to pop in to Watanabe-san's bar, or go for a couple of beers with Tanaka-san.
John
Sun May 27 08:40:25 2007
Getting ready to go back to Japan again... This time being just a week feels like a huge waste of time... Oh wellllllll :P
Lox
Sun May 27 08:10:49 2007
What I really want to know though is.... do they actually work.... for stalking deers I mean ?
Kev
Sun May 27 00:28:10 2007
I definitely considered the deer stalker Nigel! However I thought in the end I ought to get something I might actually wear under normal circumstances, and a deerstalker is just a little too outlandish...
John
Sun May 27 00:18:46 2007
A Deer-Stalker perhaps? :)
Nigel
Sat May 26 23:48:53 2007
On our way back from Canterbury to London now. Leon mandated that we all come to his party wearing hats, so I bought this most fabulous tweed cap from a charming little shop in London. I quite love it - it is my new favourite thing.
John
Sat May 26 22:31:32 2007
John: It is actually blistering hot and humid, I think that the weather decided to give us a preview on how shite August is going to be!! :( Leaving tomorrow anyways...
Lox
Sat May 26 11:14:19 2007
Lox: my weather widget tells me there will be thunder storms in Florence over the weekend... is it accurate? Or actually come to think of it, maybe you have gone to Japan already?
John
Sat May 26 10:23:09 2007
Morning all. Chie and I are off to Canterbury today, it's my friend Leon's birthday.
John
Sat May 26 10:21:53 2007
Yeah, on a lesser time scale (i.e earlier, around five) I was one of the last ones standing - everyone else had left early to various destinations and pubs - leaving me and a colleague to hold the fort. The roads into North Wales were chocka-block with traffic but luckily I was heading in the opposite direction so the journey back home wasn't too bad. No plans really for the weekend, except probably visiting newly-restored Whittington Castle which is holding a Medieval Weekend...
Nigel
Fri May 25 22:51:46 2007
...back at home now. Nigel - no singular item is urgent in itself, but there are a lot of people on my team taking time off around now (and quite within their right it is to do so of course), but I seem to have ended up with enough work for three people. Oh well!
John
Fri May 25 21:52:36 2007
not tonight i left early tonight before 7pm :) and i dont intend to work this weekend at all.
Kev
Fri May 25 20:50:02 2007
No John - we've all rushed home to watch telly.
dsp
Fri May 25 20:31:26 2007
No... You working on something urgent, John?
Nigel
Fri May 25 19:59:53 2007
Anyone else still at work?
John
Fri May 25 19:44:54 2007
Jimmy - thanks - what language are you using to integrate with Oracle?
dsp
Fri May 25 16:24:58 2007
Best of luck MM! I keep trying to catalogue things, get half way through and then peter-out (petre?)... As for the sleeping/drinking... Sadly I have not YET perfected that art! :)
Nigel
Fri May 25 16:16:33 2007
Still, got a really nerdy job lined up for Monday, should the forecast be correct - I'm going to start putting all my CDs on a spread sheet. I can see you all thinking, my what an exciting life she leads.
Mad Mumsie
Fri May 25 15:54:05 2007
John: just checked the BBC website and they basically say c..p for the next four days: rain/sun: rain: rain/sun: rain. Says it all really.
Mad Mumsie
Fri May 25 15:52:57 2007
Nigel: have you then, perfected the art of sleeping and drinking at the same time. Excellent. :)
Mad Mumsie
Fri May 25 15:50:57 2007
It's all too confusing... Everything is too confusing... I either need lots of Guinness or lots of sleep... Or both...
Nigel
Fri May 25 15:44:13 2007
And- yes- it's gonna rain. Go out and party tonight ... and if you *must* have a picnic, try to get it out of the way by tomorrow lunchitme!
Jimmy
Fri May 25 12:29:48 2007
dsp- I'm sure it's very good at all the advanced stuff, but in terms of getting the basics right ... Oracle is a turd. Almost every aspect of programming it requires special considerations "Because it's Oracle." Most open database connectivity APIs are designed to make the database transparent ... but instead you end up making work-arounds because it simply doesn't work properly. It really defeats the purpose. It's almost as though it's more interested in being Oracle than being a database. And of course the tools that come with it are utter shite, and the better ones are ludicrously expensive (and still crap compared with their free MS equivalents). Spare me the madness!
Jimmy
Fri May 25 12:29:05 2007
Hey y'all. I think it will rain. :-(
tom
Fri May 25 12:21:02 2007
MM: Is it actually forecast to rain on the bank holiday, or is that just general pessimism...?
John
Fri May 25 12:16:58 2007
Pleasant in London, Sunny with a few wispy clouds. May change later though, and I think the hatches will be battened down and the drawbridge drawn up for Bank Holiday Monday.
Mad Mumsie
Fri May 25 11:15:03 2007
Morning... blistering hot in pizzaland.. :(
Lox
Fri May 25 10:22:47 2007
Morning! Raining in Os' as I left. Dry at work though. The schedule for me looks nice and easy today (famous last words, as they say!) which will suit me as I'm feeling particularly lethargic today... Still got the public tho' ...
Nigel
Fri May 25 09:05:00 2007
Kev: Red Letter day then. Morning all.
Mad Mumsie
Fri May 25 08:59:15 2007
Morning all, hot and sunny in Norwich today :)
Kev
Fri May 25 08:30:36 2007
Ah! Of course... Sorry John. Well I was stunned. Just couldn't believe it. Initially I thought it was just another of these wild conspiracy theories, but then as the programme progressed I realised how well documented (and worse not actually denied by politicians!) the cases were - all started by "plane-spotters" who, in similar fashion to train-spotters, spend their free time just cataloguing and photographing the comings and goings of flights.
Nigel
Thu May 24 23:02:40 2007
Alas no TV Nigel! ...but that does sound like a nasty business from your description...
John
Thu May 24 22:50:57 2007
Just been watching the BBC2 programme tonight about the "Mystery Flights" of the CIA around Europe, with prisoners for torture in European countries... Anyone else watched it? I have to admit I was totally in the dark about all this. Quite simply it is totally shocking and not something we Westerners, who claim to be civilised, should allow to happen.
Anyone else got views?
Nigel
Thu May 24 22:10:15 2007
...at my place we just wrote our own. :)
John
Thu May 24 21:00:54 2007
The features that blew me away were the Automatic Storage Management features of 10g. The only clustered database product available that shares physical storage between nodes. All other RDBMS physically partition data across private storage. This enables incremental scale-up without the need to rebalance. Also the Multi-Version Concurrency Control approach to avoid blocking on large data set operations. These fundamental differences enable Oracle to do things you could never do with the alternatives.
dsp
Thu May 24 17:18:14 2007
I am very glad you're sharing your views. The timing could not be better. I would be very interested to hear more about what you were doing, where you've had problems. Especially from a techie perspective.
dsp
Thu May 24 16:58:02 2007
"Phomenal"? Phenomenally expensive, phenomenally slow, phenomenally difficult to install, phenomenally-phenomenally-phenomenally difficult to uninstall, phenomenally difficult to use, phenomenally difficult to interface with programatically, and phenomenally non-functional (its support for standard numeric types is disatrous!). These are my findings. I think the reason is that because it tries so hard to be platform-neutral, it is fundamentally unsuited to any platform. It's a bit like Java in that sense ... it's crap everywhere!
Jimmy
Thu May 24 16:03:16 2007
... or is it just that customers already have an installed base using Oracle so you just have to provide a script or object or whatever? Then they wouldn't have to by extra licenses for one-shot products???
Nigel
Thu May 24 14:08:23 2007
So fundamentally "Oracle" is just an RDBMS, but what does it have that is better than other products? Security? Reporting? Networking ability?
Nigel
Thu May 24 14:00:59 2007
Jimmy - kind of - it effects our ability to compete. I believe that database services have become a commodity, so it makes commercial sense to exploit this.
Our Tier 1 customers (well known mobile operators) already have site-wide 'all you can eat' licenses and infrastructure. Unable to utilise this resource means our solution is more expensive overall due to additional purchases.
In our evaluation of Oracle, it is my opinion that it is a phenomenal product.
dsp
Thu May 24 13:45:20 2007
Jimmy - I mostly see it (ok, "saw" it many moons ago) used for business accounts, but it's really an office-wide "management" system. Modular; German; Vorsprung Durch Whatsit...
Nigel
Thu May 24 13:36:21 2007
I've looked-it-up on Wikipedia, and although tons of products are described, it doesn't really give a clear picture. So .... what is it, exactly?
Jimmy
Thu May 24 13:24:59 2007
Perhaps, but you've not answered my question.
Jimmy
Thu May 24 13:20:02 2007
Jimmy: lucky you.
Mad Mumsie
Thu May 24 13:01:15 2007
Ive never actually seen SAP. What is it???
Jimmy
Thu May 24 12:58:59 2007
Lox: Yup!
Mad Mumsie
Thu May 24 12:34:24 2007
Companies buy Oracle because their IT departments have a geeky dislike of Microsoft, OR because (as Lox points out) they're Oracle sales-victims. There really isn't any other reason to buy the fucking thing.
Jimmy
Thu May 24 12:00:49 2007
Thanks MM - Point proven! :)
Nigel
Thu May 24 11:12:03 2007
MM: I have noticed that every time that SAP is mentioned you feel obliged to write something about it, it must be REALLY crap... :D
Lox
Thu May 24 11:11:44 2007
Good point Lox! I haven't heard anyone ever say anything good about SAP!
Nigel
Thu May 24 11:10:23 2007
SAP urrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh. I am not given to swearing, but SAP could make me change my mind!
Mad Mumsie
Thu May 24 11:09:18 2007
Jimmy: But if the customer wanted the Oracle version you have to do as they ask in order to sell right? No sales, no job... The fact I think is that Oracle, like SAP, has a very strong sales department that imposed the systems all over the world even if it is not that great... That's what I think, mind you I am totally ignorant on the subject...
Lox
Thu May 24 11:02:57 2007
How about My-SQL, Jimmy?
Nigel
Thu May 24 10:48:14 2007
dsp- why? Let me guess: you were selling loads of the MSSQL version, but some potential-customers kept asking "Do you have an Oracle verson?" So you are forced to make an Orcale version despite the fact that it's actually worse than the MSSQL one, just to keep your customers' IT departments happy. And the only reason *they* bought Oracle in the first place in nothing to do with whether it's a good database or not (and it's not) but out of some weird personal dislike of Microsoft. Now, am I right, or am I right?
Jimmy
Thu May 24 09:48:12 2007
Spammer: It's that your family is totally deranged and your son is gay. Don't worry nothing that a bullet in your head cannot solve.
Lox
Thu May 24 09:08:46 2007
Morning all!
Spammer: Just ask your son or daughter, eh? Good idea, eh?
(Sorry guys, my "deleting" PW doesn't seem to be working...)
Nigel
Thu May 24 09:03:36 2007
has anyone ever heard of an lolmachine before? its really bugging me, i dont even know what it does
or what, my son and my daughter use the term loosely in there IMs i figured id ask around in a couple of
forums to find out what it ment
concernwillym
Thu May 24 07:24:32 2007
Evening, so in the end AC Milan won again against a british team, I am quite disappointed by Liverpool, I thought that they were going to make it but it wasn't the case. It has to be said that they deserved to win judging the match played, but such is football....
Lox
Wed May 23 22:18:27 2007
Object Databases ftw :)
Kev
Wed May 23 22:14:32 2007
Jimmy: We're are about to create an Oracle version of our product which currently runs on SQL Server.
dsp
Wed May 23 21:50:11 2007
It's too big and too slow and too complex. It should be more like SQL server which is smaller, faster and simpler-to-use. Poeple who buy Oracle should be shot.
Jimmy
Wed May 23 17:24:28 2007
... the reason being, it is underpinning some software here... Talk about lead-footed...
Nigel
Wed May 23 15:20:13 2007
... funnily enough I'm looking at Oracle right now... Shudder!!
Nigel
Wed May 23 15:10:26 2007
Hmmmm. Big and unweildy as far as I remember... dBase was nicer (a programming/scripting language after all)... but it's also a long time ago now... :(
Nigel
Wed May 23 13:06:03 2007
Never had to use it Jimmy. One of my career objectives remains to keep as far away from databases as possible.
John
Wed May 23 12:18:30 2007
Oracle sux
Jimmy
Wed May 23 12:16:18 2007
Morning, beautiful day here, quite hot... summer is here I am afraid...
Lox
Wed May 23 09:04:08 2007
Hi all!
MM: Not so clear here, but not bad over all... Except the work bit, of course.
Nigel
Wed May 23 08:42:11 2007
Morning all. Beautiful day, not a cloud in the sky.
Mad Mumsie
Wed May 23 08:30:09 2007
Tonight I'm going for dinner with our old friend Ali! Don't think I've seen him since I finished the PhD.
John
Tue May 22 18:55:35 2007
Travis: No peobs. I will be in Japan from Sunday till the 2nd of June but after that date I can surely have a look.
Lox
Tue May 22 15:45:11 2007
Thanks, Lox! Could be a few weeks, but could be only a day until I get it to you. As for fusilli, I had to look it up. We're so baby-talk in our namings of foreign things. Fusilli is Spiral Pasta or something along those lines in the US. It's pretty ridiculous.
Travis
Tue May 22 15:28:46 2007
Dsp: Cheddar will not be allowed anywhere near that recipe that I gave you of course! :D As for the fusilli incident it's a common pasta shape here in Italy some serve it some don't, generally speaking if they didn't have maccheroni or penne or pennette it would have been quite serious, fusilli is something that you can not have and still call you "italian restaurant"... That's my feeling of course...
Lox
Tue May 22 15:03:10 2007
Wa wa wa waaaaaa :-)
dsp
Tue May 22 14:39:24 2007
dsp: Did he Re-Fusilli ? :D
Nigel
Tue May 22 14:34:01 2007
Lox - as an Italian, what's are your thoughts regarding Fusilli? I nearly got in a fight with an Italian restaurant owner because I insisted that a proper Italian restaurant would serve it. He didn't agree.
dsp
Tue May 22 14:21:17 2007
Sounds good! If you cannot get hold of Gorgonzola or Dolcelatte can you use Cheddar instead?
dsp
Tue May 22 14:17:44 2007
Well, I'm gonna try it! :) I'll probably have to find the ingredients, so at the weekend I think. Thanks!
Nigel
Tue May 22 13:42:54 2007
Dsp, Nigel: May I suggest a simple but GREAT recipe for tortellini? It's Gorgonzola cheese sauce tortellini, basically boil the tortellini and in a separate pan get some gorgonzola cheese (or dolcelatte) melting on a very low fire with some milk (not too much). When it gets creamy put the tortellini in and get them "jumping" so that the sauce mixes well. Serve with a bit of black pepper. Make sure that you don't make the sauce before because if you leave it to rest it will become solid and gooy.
Lox
Tue May 22 13:29:11 2007
Sounds good! It's a long while since I had any. I remember during student days having the dried version (a bit like posh Pot-Noodle I guess!) and boiling a pan for dinner..
Nigel
Tue May 22 13:12:42 2007
Mmm... tortellini for lunch :-)
dsp
Tue May 22 12:35:47 2007
Glad to hear it Nigel!
John
Tue May 22 11:52:30 2007
Ah-ha! Well basically it means I've had my "yearly review" and they haven't sacked me for using the Internet... Yet! So I'm "chancing my arm" a bit, but am still feeling rebellious! :)
Nigel
Tue May 22 11:10:01 2007
Nigel: does this mean you are now back on line at work? or does the "let me at 'em" refer to something completely different.
Mad Mumsie
Tue May 22 10:57:26 2007
... OK, that's better. One large mug of strong coffee consumed... Let me at 'em!! :)
Nigel
Tue May 22 10:42:12 2007
And I advise everyone to get the new movie "Hogfather" based on the Pratchett novels, it's simply great! :P
Lox
Tue May 22 09:36:08 2007
Travis: Sure no problem send me a mail with what you require and I will look for it. I think that if you give me the passage in English and the page + chapter I should be able to find it... Actually I might buy the book altogether, they say it's nice... As for Pratchett I love him, I read all the work in English of course, he's a genius!
Lox
Tue May 22 09:35:33 2007
I've had mine, made no difference.
Mad Mumsie
Tue May 22 09:31:36 2007
And here!
dsp
Tue May 22 09:30:05 2007
Morning! Strong coffee needed here...
Nigel
Tue May 22 09:00:05 2007
Lox: I've only read "Good Omens" by Pratchett (and Gaiman). I liked it a lot. I may be writing an article on Baudolino. If there is a way you could get your hands on a copy to look at a passage or two for me in Italian, I'd greatly appreciate it. If it's not easily available at a library or something, don't worry too much about it, but there's no way I can get my hands on an Italian copy unless it's from eBay or something like that.
Travis
Tue May 22 00:16:35 2007
I think they hosted an event in some stately home for all the great movers and shakers in computer technology right now, to have a kind of "think tank" about where the future was headed. There was the YouTube guy, Second Life, Bebo, My Space (plus dozens of others not mentioned judging by the crowds...)
Nigel
Mon May 21 22:40:47 2007
I didn't hear about the Google thing in Hertfordshire Nigel - what was that all about?
John
Mon May 21 22:35:07 2007
Yes, that's an odd view, isn't it? Not the first time though. I do think some people ride on the wave of celebrity and think anything they say is "funny". Others then go and believe them, or back them up, and, well... that's alright then, isn't it? Er... No!
However I thought the Cutty Sark fire was more news-worthy (I say let's ignore "celebrities" then maybe they'll just go away.)
Then, of course, Google's "event" in Hertfordshire... I rather liked the idea. Sadly, I wasn't invited ;)
Nigel
Mon May 21 22:30:17 2007
Just browsing BBC news and was amused by this article. Actually it wasn't the main article, but the final paragraph which I found oddly amusing:
Last year, [Jeremy Clarkson] was cleared of making a racist slur about Germany because this was adjudged to be amusing rather than offensive.
You can just imagine some doddering old judge saying - "Oh, he was having a go at the Germans? Well that's not racist then!". What a bizarre world of doubled standards we live in.
John
Mon May 21 21:54:22 2007
Nigel: I use XCode to write Cheese. This is probably one of the areas where the Mac is still a bit behind the PC - even though I've used XCode for a bit now I'm still finding the experience is somewhat lacking when compared to something like Visual Studio. Still, it gets the job done I suppose.
John
Mon May 21 21:18:35 2007
Hello! Thanks for the best wishes. I am now working for Distribution Technology in the centre of Reading. It's super.
Rob Lang
Mon May 21 19:27:12 2007
I tried to improve my JAVA a while ago (you might remember my heroic attempts to improve my coding using all types of languages) Prog'ing in JAVA was like running in syrup so I gave up! If I ever get taken again, I think I'll try the X-Code stuff. But then again, "life" always gets in the way of my plans...
Nigel
Mon May 21 16:42:04 2007
John: I'd love to comment but I have totally no idea of what you are talking about! :(
Lox
Mon May 21 16:01:57 2007
On a completely unrelated note, has anyone else used IntelliJ? I think as a result of this excellent piece of software I have changed my mind about Java. Whilst there are still things I don't like about the language, the loack of all the dirty stuff you get in C++ (like preprocessor macros) does seem to make it possible to write really sophisticated IDEs with lots of clever autosense and refactoring type tools. Programming with anything else now seems like it takes a tremendous amount of effort to achieve even the smallest results.
John
Mon May 21 14:59:21 2007
There wouldn't be any point - I don't think the IP addresses are ever consistent.
John
Mon May 21 14:54:46 2007
John: Can't we log the IPs and ban them forever?
Lox
Mon May 21 13:49:41 2007
I feel somehow those last two bits of spam (probably deleted by the time you read this) were in response to my earlier message questioning what the point of it all is. They are (or were) just completely random strings of characters - perhaps they think this kind of "noise" helps to confuse spam filters, so that when they later paste stuff with actual links in (which will never get through anyway) it somehow stands a better chance... go figure.
John
Mon May 21 13:39:18 2007
Walking distance - really glad to hear that in particular. I'm able to walk to work too, and although it sounds like a minor detail it is actually one of my favourite things about this job. One of my other favourite things is the mushroom risotto I've just had for lunch. That was quite superb.
John
Mon May 21 13:07:14 2007
MM: GOOD NEWS!!! Best of luck to Robbie then!
Lox
Mon May 21 12:36:38 2007
Similar to the first job, walking distance from home, nice location, overlooking the Thames. I'll leave him to give all the details when he's settled in and learnt where the coffee machine is!
Mad Mumsie
Mon May 21 11:59:19 2007
What's the new job, then???
Jimmy
Mon May 21 11:25:50 2007
Rob starts his new job today. GOOD LUCK.
Mad Mumsie
Mon May 21 11:12:21 2007
Not sure I would agree with the word "smart". Yes, on a public forum where no account is required to post, anyone can turn up and post a message... but given that we filter out links from unverified posts they're not really achieving anything by doing so. Personally, I'm no longer that bothered by it - they're easily deleted and soon forgotten about!
John
Mon May 21 10:23:10 2007
Nigel: I was thinking the same thing... :P Mmmmm are they getting smart? (they being the spammers)...
Lox
Mon May 21 09:56:09 2007
Morning all!! (So is that last message "spam" then, or is one of our number on far-off shores?)
Nigel
Mon May 21 09:46:20 2007
Hi
G'night
Test
Mon May 21 08:56:07 2007
Travis: Nope... I haven't. At the moment I am reading a lot of english literature, mostly linked with Terry Pratchett and stuff like that. Easy readings that I get through while on the plane or travelling..
Lox
Mon May 21 08:49:45 2007
Lox: Have you read Baudolino in Italian?
Travis
Mon May 21 01:21:24 2007
Nigel: Exactly the issue. If I start giving my parents a lot of tech that they cannot use, which means hours to explain it, then hours of customer care to do on the phone and ultimately going back to more conventional methods! :P
Lox
Sun May 20 18:03:30 2007
:D
Good idea! I bought a mic-headphone to use Skype but my family are so slloowww with all this technology!
Nigel
Sun May 20 18:01:33 2007
Nigel: Actually we both have a VOip phone now so we do not really need it... :P
Lox
Sun May 20 17:59:03 2007
Ah! Good, so now you can Skype to your father any time!?
Nigel
Sun May 20 17:40:08 2007
Nigel: Installed an Access Point at my father's place had lunch with him. Then went to see Chiara at her place and then now I am here at home. :P
Lox
Sun May 20 17:36:49 2007
:D Have you been doing much, Lox?
Nigel
Sun May 20 17:07:49 2007
Nigel: Wow That's quite a great afternoon it seems!! :D Good stuff!
Lox
Sun May 20 17:03:10 2007
Afternoon! :)
Been gardening here. Playing ping-pong with Tim. Isobel's been playing on her new trampoline... And now I have a small Guinness to hand! Rather satisfactory!
Nigel
Sun May 20 16:23:53 2007
John. Ploughman's lunch sounds simply delicious.
Sheri
Sun May 20 16:20:03 2007
Err.... vegetarian
Sheri
Sun May 20 16:17:05 2007
Kev. Imagine if John had been a vegeterain AND jewish...!
Sheri
Sun May 20 16:08:21 2007
Looks like Mars Bars are back on the menu John, link However, since loads have been presumably made non-veggie, its a case of russian-mars bar-roulette. Well done Mars UK.
Kev
Sun May 20 15:58:35 2007
Thanks for letting me know Kev - I have just gone and wiped a load out. Strange how pretty much all of them seemed to target the same page. Weird.
John
Sun May 20 15:41:22 2007
'lo everyone. Nobody on skype ?
Sheri
Sun May 20 15:28:50 2007
Hey all, well I am also having a very relaxed Sunday doing absolutely nothing (especially not working) :) btw John, It appears that the spam-burglars are up to their old tricks on your archived articles sections.
Kev
Sun May 20 15:25:58 2007
I'm having a very British sort of a day. Had a Ploughman's for lunch, going to have tea and scones (with clotted cream) in a bit.
John
Sun May 20 15:20:09 2007
Delightfully so, John. A lazy day, which is rare these days. Thinking about taking the family to see Shrek 3. You?
Travis
Sun May 20 15:13:20 2007
So... is everybody enjoying their Sunday?
John
Sun May 20 14:56:19 2007
I should clarify: I mean in looking to move to Tallahasse, Florida, where I'll be studying next. Frustrating. In more positive news, one of you suggested some tips to help my eyes because I'm on computers so frequently. I appreciate them greatly. This was a few months back...and it may have been DSP.
Travis
Sun May 20 01:25:24 2007
Travis: Messy! 'Know what you mean tho'...
Nigel
Sat May 19 23:15:06 2007
I'm finding it incredibly difficult to afford a place where my three dogs, two kids, wife and I can be safe and comfortable. In that vein, I'm willing to sell bodily fluids (well, none that require needles) for cash.
Travis
Sat May 19 22:37:51 2007
Don't Bradley me.
dsp
Sat May 19 19:16:29 2007
John: Rubbish. I bet you a pound that it is not true!? (or should we ask DSP about it!?)
Lox
Sat May 19 13:54:04 2007
I feel a Bradley moment coming up here - you know although I made that up, there almost certainly have been people in France called Angin, and probably some of them were artisits.
John
Sat May 19 13:35:16 2007
(Just the sounds of incipient lunacy, Sheri!)
Nigel
Sat May 19 13:32:59 2007
???
Sheri
Sat May 19 13:05:34 2007
Errrr.... Bibble... bibble... ;)
Nigel
Sat May 19 12:13:32 2007
John: I see.... What did they put in his guinness yesterday? LSD?
Lox
Sat May 19 10:35:40 2007
No I believe Nigel was offering out a greating to Renaud Angin, the lesser known French painter who worked mainly in a neo impressionist / cubist style.
John
Sat May 19 10:28:18 2007
I forgot the "used" between "slang" and "chavs"... :P
Lox
Sat May 19 10:04:49 2007
Nigel: "ANGIN"? Is it a new slang among chavs?
Lox
Sat May 19 10:04:03 2007
Yo! How's it 'angin'? (Trying to avoid the "Hello" bit!)
Nigel
Sat May 19 09:51:32 2007
Morning all.
John
Sat May 19 09:23:00 2007
Increadible!!!! Guiness is having one of these stupid marketing campaign where you get a scratch card and win a totally useless thing. So I went to the pub this evening and won an inflatable pillow, the prize that you can get this time... Almost 5/6 months ago they had a similar campaign and I won a strange plastic gizmo with a metal disc inside a sort fluid. getting the disk to "click" makes the fluid quite hard and very hot, a sort of hand warmer... Both times I won just purchasing ONE beer, I wish I had this sort of luck with national lottery...
The fact that pisses me is the total waste of luck! I'll write a post about it!
Lox
Fri May 18 23:44:06 2007
200ml glasses are boring though! Continentals and their metric system. Whats wrong with an old fashioned Pint!
Kev
Fri May 18 23:00:25 2007
Yes, I guess broadly speaking these are sort of Pilsners? Do you remember the Kolsch in Cologne? I thought that was really good.
John
Fri May 18 20:41:32 2007
I must say I also like that style of beer, along with czech.
Kev
Fri May 18 20:33:58 2007
Tescos sell it. 98p nice
Kev
Fri May 18 20:33:12 2007
Yes I like Tsingtao too, sometimes have it in Chinese restaurants, but haven't seen it in shops so much. In fact I like most beers from that part of the world - Korean beer (like OB) is also to my liking.
John
Fri May 18 20:29:43 2007
Thanks Kev!
John
Fri May 18 20:28:29 2007
Anyone tried Tsingtao? Its very tasty.
Kev
Fri May 18 19:47:11 2007
Well, I don't have cheese, or a mac, or in fact anything that starts with and i. But I am sure cheese is great and you are brilliant John!
Kev
Fri May 18 19:45:31 2007
...so does it work Lox? Are you on the cusp of telling me how brilliant I am?
John
Fri May 18 19:14:25 2007
John: Got it now :P
Lox
Fri May 18 17:53:42 2007
Did you download the XSLT file and put it where it told you to put it? (see here)
John
Fri May 18 17:48:57 2007
John: Perfect this is all I needed to resize for, I'll give it a go now! thanks!
Lox
Fri May 18 17:44:44 2007
Lox: well it's a slightly different approach. In Cheese you keep your original images at their original sizes, but when you create a webpage it makes a set of images at a reduced size (currently 800x600 or 600x800 depending on the orientation, I guess that probably ought to be configurable). Are the times other than this that you want to resize images then?
John
Fri May 18 17:42:23 2007
Nigel: yes I'm really baffled as to what the point of it is. Tell you what, I'll just wipe them off the board, then we won't need to think about it!
John
Fri May 18 17:38:58 2007
John: I know that I shouldn't bring it up here, but I have noticed that Cheese does not resize pictures like PS used to do... Is that something that you might implement in the future..? :P
Lox
Fri May 18 15:29:50 2007
So is it a code then? Am I thick? When spam like this occurs is it expected I will go put Kenn****r into Google, and then visit some site or other? A bit vague! Perhaps it's spam for crossword-solvers! :(
Nigel
Fri May 18 13:33:50 2007
Errrrrr dsp can we have your spamfightbot as I think we are badly in need of it... :(
Lox
Fri May 18 13:25:59 2007
..oh and Tim, your anti-spam idea sounds really smart. I had thought in the past of doing a token based check, whereby client side there is some script running that generates some sort of key based on the time, and server side this is validated... However your version sounds more robust and easier to implement.
John
Fri May 18 11:10:49 2007
Tim: well I started off doing a thing to do with transcoding subtitles - taking bitmaps subtitles from things like DVDs or DVB-T and converting them to text (basically OCR), so you could search based on them, and translate them, and so on. However I ended up putting that to one side, and instead doing a few things more closely related to my main project, which I therefore can't really talk about.
John
Fri May 18 10:15:07 2007
Dsp: Chapeau! Have you implemented it already? Does it work? As for John's 20% project he is working on a true life replica of "Onan's deeds".
Lox
Fri May 18 10:07:03 2007
John: What's your 20% project?
dsp
Fri May 18 10:01:09 2007
Hope this helps
dsp
Fri May 18 10:00:48 2007
John: I've invented a marvelous new spam killing invention which I am will to divulge to you.
Step 1, change the form's action script to be a dumb-ass decoy that says "Thanks for your spam - good bye".
Step 2, create a hidden input in the form called something tempting to a bot, let's say: txtUrl
Step 3, change the submit button to call a function which programatically submits the form, but before it does, it sets the form's target script and sets the hidden input to a magic value which the server-side script validates. Most bots are unaware of the script so do not know the magic value or what script to post to.
dsp
Fri May 18 09:48:38 2007
Perhaps we could make our own timezone for the Maison? It could always be a Saturday in June, or something.
John
Fri May 18 09:38:34 2007
Alas, if only I was in another timezone at this point I could object to all these accusations of it being morning.
John
Fri May 18 09:37:20 2007
Morning each.
Mad Mumsie
Fri May 18 09:05:10 2007
Morning all! :)
Nigel
Fri May 18 09:00:27 2007
...anyway, that aside, morning all!
John
Fri May 18 08:49:44 2007
Hope nobody minds I just killed that message from "kennyguitar". You know, I think I may actually find this kind of spam (where you have no idea what they are trying to sell you) *more* annoying than the regular sort.
John
Fri May 18 08:49:29 2007
Morning all!
Lox
Fri May 18 07:42:41 2007
John: Around Italy with my boss... nuff said... I'll try to post something...
Lox
Thu May 17 22:15:30 2007
Moan
WifeBot v0.1
Thu May 17 20:52:09 2007
Lox: where have you been?
John
Thu May 17 20:28:17 2007
Hi Lox!
Ah, Jimmy, but how do we know... You might be a 'bot script called Judith...
Nigel
Thu May 17 19:42:49 2007
That was me (Jimmy) just being silly. Don't know about Adam Smith, though!
Judith
Thu May 17 17:48:31 2007
I am back!! :P
Lox
Thu May 17 17:43:22 2007
OK... Who's real and who's a 'bot?
Nigel
Thu May 17 16:34:13 2007
Hi! My name is Jimmy!
Judith
Thu May 17 15:49:58 2007
Hi!
My name is Adam!
Adam-Smith
Thu May 17 15:25:49 2007
Fear not Jimmy - we're on the slow update list for Google, anything we write on the board today won't get crawled until after the party... probably.
John
Thu May 17 13:23:24 2007
The wen? I believe I meant the web.
John
Thu May 17 13:22:26 2007
If she did some how find out via the wen, then there'd be one of those situations that sitcoms always resort to at some point, where they do the "I know that you know that I know, but I didn't know that you knew that I knew that you knew" routine... with hilarious consequences! (read that in as deadpan a voice as you can possibly manage).
John
Thu May 17 13:22:10 2007
bastard.
Jimmy
Thu May 17 13:20:38 2007
...which would only actually get her to this page as a result of me posting that last message.
John
Thu May 17 13:15:31 2007
Well, you never know, she might be at work today typing "my bloody husband didn't even organise a party for my 40th birthday today" into Google...
John
Thu May 17 13:15:07 2007
Perhaps not, John, but I'm pretty sure she never visits the maison.
Jimmy
Thu May 17 11:38:17 2007