Nigel: Impressive!! Compliments!
Lox
Fri Jun 30 21:54:37 2006

 Yes!! Finally got a Linux up and running in the VM on the Mac. It's Mandriva 2006 and the browser is Firefox 1.0.6 !! Well done those French chappies at Mandriva, for a Linux that's configurable enough to rescue it from xserver probems.
Nigel
Fri Jun 30 21:21:37 2006

 Well, it's heartening to see everybody else is having a rotten time too.
Jimmy
Fri Jun 30 15:23:08 2006

 :))) Well we have a nice range of customer benefits with added-value components, designed to suit their needs perfectly! We're a one-stop shop for a diverse clientelle and aim to provide total satisfaction...
So to answer your question, Lox - Nothing!!! :) They get money, we get shouted at!
Nigel
Fri Jun 30 13:53:33 2006

 Nigel: What do you actually *SELL* your customers?
Lox
Fri Jun 30 13:37:59 2006

 Hello all! Yes, I am still upright and moving...!! No machine-guns or chainsaws yet... and I'm told Friday is usually a peaceful day :) I've been locked-out of the network here all morning and only just been reinstated...
My next "customer" is at 13:40, so a few minutes to go... Oh the excitement!!! (NOT!) Oh, he's just arrived....
Nigel
Fri Jun 30 13:32:39 2006

 This summer I will be going (apparently, not 100% sure yet, a bit like the rest of my life) to GUADALUPA! Technically I'll be in the same country where Sheri lives, though I think that it will not be easy to see each other at weekends...
Lox
Fri Jun 30 13:13:48 2006

 Nigel has gone missing since the morning, I am getting worried.. Maybe that lady came back with a bazooka or something like that! Give us a sign Nigel!!!
Lox
Fri Jun 30 13:12:43 2006

 Ok I'll be wearing a tuxedo and some flip-flops (green), plus my red thong.
Lox
Fri Jun 30 13:09:12 2006

 All right. 10 o' clock. I'll be wearing a pink suit with light blue shoes.
Sheri
Fri Jun 30 13:01:37 2006

 Sheri: Why not! I am leaving tomorrow, make sure you find a ticket and come to malpensa at 10 ish.. Lufthansa gate! :)
Lox
Fri Jun 30 12:29:24 2006

 John, Lox, may I come too to Japan ?
Sheri
Fri Jun 30 11:45:57 2006

 I also stumbled across this page which hosts the source code to many decoders of alsorts of formats, including AAC and MPEG4 audio. Which is nice. http://www.mp3-tech.org/programmer/decoding.html
dsp
Fri Jun 30 09:33:54 2006

 John, Kev - thanks for the pointers, that gives me plenty to chew on!
dsp
Fri Jun 30 09:30:58 2006

 That'll be the weekend of the 8th! :)
Lox
Fri Jun 30 09:28:19 2006

 Great Lox, so are the dates fixed now then? Which weekend is this you're mentioning?
John
Fri Jun 30 09:26:11 2006

 Morning.... JOHN I might have 3 (three) extra days in Tokyo, as the flight on Saturday is full and I have been booked on the one of SUNDAY. That means that Saturday we could hang around Tokyo or whatever!
Lox
Fri Jun 30 08:14:04 2006

 dsp, buttining in, this might be no help at all, but, divx and xvid are variation on an mpeg4 theme. Look here www.xvid.org/ and they have source code for an xvid decompressor! Maybe you can check the source out and figure out what you need to know. Like I always say "why do something hard yourself when someone else has already done it for you ;)" - or was that Homer J Simpson?
Kev
Fri Jun 30 08:13:54 2006

 Morning, geeks!
Sheri
Fri Jun 30 08:03:46 2006

 Tim: Don't be disheartened! There's a good article on wikpedia (isn't there always?) about H.264, which I was reading on the train this morning. I got the impression from this that some parts of the bitstream are structured in a similar way to MPEG-2. If that is the case, the code is pretty simple to extract the values you want (although as I said before, the duration of the entire stream might not be so straightforward unless you know it to be CBR). I haven't yet been able to lay my hands on the relevant spec (ISO/IEC 14496-10), but if you want a quick solution, you could always take a sneaky peek at an open source H.264 library - the wikipedia page lists a few. Unfortunately I cannot browse open source in office hours due to the supposed potential for IP contamination, but if you can wait until tonight my time I'd be more than happy to take a look for you (I love this kind of stuff!).
John
Fri Jun 30 02:38:50 2006

 Kev: Thinking about it, there's probably a web-site somewhere dedicated to such madness! I'm sure my attempts would be scoffed at!! :)) I think it actually says something good (for a change!) in the Windows v Linux debate, for XP. I had no probs whatsoever VMing it. Linux though is proving belligerent!!
Nigel
Thu Jun 29 22:11:09 2006

 Nigel, have you tried OSX->VM->win2k/xp->VM->OSX ? now that would be cool way to waste an evening.
Kev
Thu Jun 29 21:52:54 2006

 Well I tried another Linux VM this evening - and it failed on the graphics start-up. Hmmmm. Maybe third time lucky tomorrow!! :)
Nigel
Thu Jun 29 21:46:46 2006

 OK- well that still works then. Thought it was broken (!)
Jimmy
Thu Jun 29 16:58:50 2006

 TESTPOST
Jimmy
Thu Jun 29 16:58:25 2006

 John: Thanks. I had a feeling it wasn't going to be easy. My Bird and Waddler book is no help at all. I was naive and hoped it would be in plain text somewhere near the beginning of the file. Nothing's ever simple.
dsp
Thu Jun 29 16:54:39 2006

 Tim: don't know off hand, but I'll take a look. In MPEG-2 the video has sequence headers which repeat constantly throughout the stream. So it is fairly easy to pick out those values - although duration is obviously going to be tricky if it is VBR. I've never really fiddled with MPEG-4 bitstreams directly though. Often compression standards do not proscribe any particular file format, so I suppose it partly depends how/where you are getting these streams. I vaguely recall some connection between MP4 files and Quicktime, for example. H.264 is going to be used in the DTV standard for Brazil, so presumably that could be wrapped up in an MPEG-2 transport or program stream.
John
Thu Jun 29 15:50:11 2006

 Blimey! just found an awful problem in CFileDialog!
Jimmy
Thu Jun 29 15:26:12 2006

 John: Do you know anything about the H.264/MPEG4 standard? I am looking for a specification somewhere that would tell me how to determine the height, width, bitrate and duration in seconds. Have you got any pointers?
dsp
Thu Jun 29 13:22:34 2006

 Well Chie has randomly gone off for a whinge fest with a friend of hers, leaving me with an unexpected 'night off' by myself. So quite unsurprisingly I am now in Ikebukuro, about to embark on my standard night out. Oh what a boring and predictable person I am!
John
Thu Jun 29 12:49:30 2006

 Almond Croissants from anywhere!!!!!
Mad Mumsie
Thu Jun 29 11:28:33 2006

 Mmmm, those almond croissants from Tesco..... or the custard crowns....
Tim's mum
Thu Jun 29 11:22:36 2006

 Oh now you see what's happened? I'm sitting here, sneakily accessing the Internet while no-one's looking, and now I'm hungry!! And another hour-and-a-half to go before lunch!! :(
Nigel
Thu Jun 29 11:10:44 2006

 Mmmmmmmmm lovely. Great with really fresh French pastries.
Mad Mumsie
Thu Jun 29 10:51:39 2006

 Raspberries, fresh from the garden anyone?
Tim's mum
Thu Jun 29 10:12:17 2006

 Just have a bite at your mint jelly (yurk)!!
Sheri
Thu Jun 29 10:01:30 2006

 I said NO! End of the story!
Cruel Sheri
Thu Jun 29 10:00:30 2006

 Oh, go on! Just one bite! :))
Nigel
Thu Jun 29 09:43:49 2006

 Well, Nigel, I'm NOT sharing it with you. It's ALL for ME !!! Mmmmmmmmmm, c'est si bon !!!
Sheri
Thu Jun 29 09:33:03 2006

 Morning all!! You know I think we Brits have got breakfast all wrong, when you see the daft, grey, cardboardy articles we consume... :( Sheri: I envy your breakfast!!! There, I said it...
Nigel
Thu Jun 29 09:02:13 2006

 John, whenever I have used the maison ftp I found it can sometimes be a bit flakey, perhaps this is the problem for the dropped connections? I am sure however that you will work your magic on it until it OBEYS.
Kev
Thu Jun 29 08:20:46 2006

 Sheri: You made me hungry!!!!!!
John: Keep on at it! I am sure that you'll find a way to make it work! By the way did you find out why it gets stuck?
Lox
Thu Jun 29 07:58:47 2006

 Morning everyone. Stuffing myself with à few petits gâteaux à la crème patissière. Dellllllllicious.
Sheri
Thu Jun 29 07:43:22 2006

 I left the backup utility running last night, and, as predicted, it failed after a while (although somewhat more gracefully this time - I think the server closed the connection). Getting the 'Maison backed up is turning out to be a significant undertaking - one directory contains over 15,000 files, for example. I'm going to have to do a lot more work on the backup util so that it is capable of handling the job.
John
Thu Jun 29 05:34:43 2006

 Well tonight's attempt to use a different browser to visit the Maison failed. I tried to run Xandros Linux as a VM but though it installed ok it would not boot... I suspect the emulated i825 graphics evaded it. Ho-hum... Will try another distro tomorrow... Nigty-night! :)
Nigel
Wed Jun 28 23:29:08 2006

 Lox - thanks for spelling that one out - sorry I'm a bit slow!
dsp
Wed Jun 28 23:02:48 2006

 Dsp: Jeweller... Mostly because they are expensive more or less in the same way.... :(
Lox
Wed Jun 28 20:06:16 2006

 Lox: are you getting Gold teeth? Now thats pretty cool, using your nashers to hedge against inflation.
Kev
Wed Jun 28 17:44:50 2006

 I don't understand the jeweller reference to dentist. Am I missing piece of knowledge? #include "italian-myths.h" ?
dsp
Wed Jun 28 17:14:23 2006

 Best 'O luck at the "jeweller" Lox!!
Nigel
Wed Jun 28 16:46:43 2006

 AHA! Today is drawing to an end (workwise), now I have to stop at the Jeweller (read: DENTIST) and then back home! Let's hope tomorrow I am busier!
Lox
Wed Jun 28 16:33:57 2006

 Mac Minis never sit there doing nothing... When they are not actively computing they are looking stunningly stylish for hours on end!! :))
Nigel
Wed Jun 28 15:56:49 2006

 Wow I just posted that message in the nick of time for it to be backed up :)
John
Wed Jun 28 15:51:14 2006

 Well I restarted it and it is running nicely now. It is more or less time for me to shutdown for the night, and I am left in a quandry as to whether I should leave the mini running or not - no doubt about 30 seconds after I stop watching it the backup process will get stuck, and then the mini will just be pointlessly sitting there all night doing basically nothing...
John
Wed Jun 28 15:50:34 2006

 John, it need to have error messages like "Gold fish are nibbling at my toes" or "The cheese is on the lawn". Only then can it truly be homebrew!
Kev
Wed Jun 28 15:34:11 2006

 Hmmm... well the first attempt has failed already - back to the drawing board methinks. This is a harder problem than I initially thought!
John
Wed Jun 28 15:34:04 2006

 Lox: yes that's probably the easiest solution in theory - but it is all a bit low level, and I am not sure how best to achieve that...
John
Wed Jun 28 15:28:53 2006

 dsp: not really - you could run multiple instances of it though - each working on a different part of the directory tree. It's a bit reminiscent of n processors for n work items. :)
John
Wed Jun 28 15:28:11 2006

 John: Can you set it so that if it timeouts it restarts itelf automatically? Maybe I am saying something of a technologica nonsense, but there must be a way to tell the program "ehi, you are timeouting!" to which he can reply "Oh sorry, my bad, I'll reset!"... :D
Lox
Wed Jun 28 15:24:12 2006

 Does it download multiple items simultaneously?
dsp
Wed Jun 28 15:20:48 2006

 Well boys and girls, I am now doing the first proper trial run for a backup of the Maison. My backup utility seems to have an irritating habit of getting stuck just after I stop looking at it. Whilst I haven't yet found the cause of this (probably some socket issue), as a mitigating feature, I've written it in such a way that if the program exits and is re-started, it shouldn't have to re-download any files that have already been previously downloaded. So it will probably take a number of attempts, but hopefully it'll get there in the end...
John
Wed Jun 28 15:19:09 2006

 Nigel: Well I am a master at FA, as a matter of fact! You can ask me anything you need to know, I could start my own wikiFApedia!
Lox
Wed Jun 28 14:02:42 2006

 Afternoon all! I've been learning a new job today, with the initials F.A. Yes, they could only give Nigel sweet FA to do!! So true though... (Financial Assessor or something). As for OS X Kev, of course I'm up to 10.4.6... Can't beat John's beta though...! And as you know, I've been VM-ing!! :))
Nigel
Wed Jun 28 13:57:09 2006

 ..that or the bravest man on the planet!!!
kev
Wed Jun 28 13:25:33 2006

 Considering that John is working on the NEXT version of VISTA, and that he's using a beta pre-release alpha/gamma/delta Mac OS, that makes him THE most advanced user in la Maison!
Lox
Wed Jun 28 13:12:36 2006

 Well I'm leaving early today. I'm gonna see The Who in Bristol this evening- now all I need is a last-minute hotel . . .
Jimmy
Wed Jun 28 13:00:33 2006

 10.4.6? That is soooooo last week! I'm on the 10.5.0 beta pre-release already.
John
Wed Jun 28 12:13:40 2006

 so Mac lads have you got OS X 10.4.6 yet ?
kev
Wed Jun 28 12:02:05 2006

 or obscure browser even!!
kev
Wed Jun 28 09:24:19 2006

 Or an oppurtunity to see who can connect with the most obsure browser
kev
Wed Jun 28 08:19:32 2006

 John: That could be nice actually! Good morning by the way..!
Lox
Wed Jun 28 07:47:54 2006

 There's an idea, I wonder if we can get the add message script to build some statistics about how people are posting. I am pretty sure the browser name at least gets sent. Then we can prove whether IE really is dead in the water after all!
John
Wed Jun 28 01:02:43 2006

 We have had connections through almost every possible OS, I think that we are missing Unix though....
Lox
Tue Jun 27 22:34:46 2006

 And tonight I will mostly be connecting to the Maison through Windows ME, running in a VM on the Mac OS X desktop... (Not as good in the VM as XP is...)
Nigel
Tue Jun 27 20:51:13 2006

 We won't get fooled again!
Jimmy
Tue Jun 27 17:47:27 2006

 Isn't it amazing what a cup of tea will do.
Mad Mumsie
Tue Jun 27 16:42:38 2006

 Ah, that's better! Refreshed! :)) People "drip" too...
Nigel
Tue Jun 27 15:39:47 2006

 TM: wet anoraks AND smelly feet..... Even nicer!!
Lox
Tue Jun 27 15:25:31 2006

 wet anoraks - niiiice.
Tim's mum
Tue Jun 27 15:10:02 2006

 No one in particular - just sheer volume of "customers" - and it's raining cats and dogs so you can imagine the "aroma".... Lovely.... :|
Nigel
Tue Jun 27 15:02:39 2006

 There, there Nigel, who's upset you now
Mad Mumsie
Tue Jun 27 14:52:24 2006

 Well I can't speak for anyone else, but I'm spitting feathers! I could seriously use a mug of tea!! :(
Nigel
Tue Jun 27 14:50:53 2006

 Mind you, knowing the state of most people's spelling these days we probably wouldn't have noticed any difference.
Mad Mumsie
Tue Jun 27 14:48:46 2006

 All the really 'clever' programmers do this too.
Kev
Tue Jun 27 14:47:38 2006

 Yes, I can see that. Hours of endless amusement.
Mad Mumsie
Tue Jun 27 14:41:25 2006

 Me too, which made it all the funnier!
Tim's mum
Tue Jun 27 14:28:48 2006

 Wouldn't bother me - I'm a touch typist.
Mad Mumsie
Tue Jun 27 14:24:49 2006

 In the 'old days' it was possible to lift off the 'letters' on keyboards and swap them around.....hours of fun for you and your workmates.
Tim's mum
Tue Jun 27 14:22:53 2006

 [bored aid] Fill a bucket full of water in sight of the computer, turn around and throw it over the machine laughing loudly as the water turns to confetti. Alternatively use real water but make sure you are wearing rubber boots.
Kev
Tue Jun 27 13:56:05 2006

 MM: It's like an addiction to drugs, you hate it on the surface BUT you luv' it deep inside!! :)
Lox
Tue Jun 27 13:47:01 2006

 My goodness, what an evil minded lot you are. Just think - no computers - no maison site. Look how you all missed it when it went down for a day or so.
Mad Mumsie
Tue Jun 27 13:30:34 2006

 [bored aid] Buy a brand new computer, place it on the edesk next to an old one then smash the new one into little bits with a sledgehammer. That'll put the wind up the old computer!
Kev
Tue Jun 27 13:21:04 2006

 [Bored Aid] Start removing small pieces (ram, extra HD, sound card) telling the computer that they are needed on "another" machine!
Lox
Tue Jun 27 12:37:57 2006

 Well, if you're bored, and you like tortoises, you might be interested in this story: http://www.theregister.com/2006/06/26/darwin_tortoise/
Nigel
Tue Jun 27 12:15:06 2006

 [BORED AID] I find that physical violence towards computers can be quite relaxing.
Jimmy
Tue Jun 27 11:38:00 2006

 [Bored Aid] Get your friend's super-power computer with gucci graphics card and loads of memory and put it on a desk near by yours. Use it for an hour. Make your older machine look on jealously.
Rob Lang
Tue Jun 27 11:33:59 2006

 [Bored Aid] Tell them that you are going to upgrade them and it will definetly involve a soldering iron!
kev
Tue Jun 27 11:22:52 2006

 Dsp, well i've never used subversion myself, but its basically CVS made better, so I assume its got a server like cvs that you can commincate with to access the filestore. I don't believe you access the files directly since the repository munges them into diff files.
Kev
Tue Jun 27 11:21:58 2006

 [Bored Aid] Keep turning them off at random. Just for fun. Unplug them - not using the switch on the front. Say HA HA! after you've done it.
Rob Lang
Tue Jun 27 11:19:04 2006

 Bored Aid Topic: Ways of getting back at computers.
Rob Lang
Tue Jun 27 11:18:29 2006

 I am utterly bored. Nothing to do at all... I'll go and check how many holidays I have still left! BORED AID anyone?
Lox
Tue Jun 27 11:11:53 2006

 Is a subversion archive just a set of files on the filesystem? Or is it a server running somewhere?
dsp
Tue Jun 27 09:38:42 2006

 Kev - there is a tortoise for subversion, http://tortoisesvn.tigris.org/
dsp
Tue Jun 27 09:37:16 2006

 Morning all!! Lox: The VM software I've just got is for the dual-core Intel CPUs, so there is virtually no slowdown running Windows except for games using direct calls to the API's. DirectX, for example, does work but very slowly. Another night I'll install a Linux distro! :)
Nigel
Tue Jun 27 09:01:27 2006

 John, for your couple of projects theres no real need, however I noticed they have osx support. It also has a few nice features like binary diffing for faster binary support. I think though in the main its been redesigned to be faster and more efficient than CVS for large projects.
Kev
Tue Jun 27 08:25:34 2006

 Ah goodmorning.... Yesterday I have lost a couple of more years of life due to the Italy-Australia match....
Lox
Tue Jun 27 08:19:37 2006

 Nigel: VMs are great, playing on old coinop games thanks to VM emulation is well cool :) Isn't XP too slow on a VM?
Lox
Tue Jun 27 07:58:21 2006

 Why would I bother with subversion? CVS does exactly what I want, in exactly the way I want it to work. I just like it. By the way, yes I'm using tortoise on Windows - that too is just right.
John
Tue Jun 27 00:57:07 2006

 Hang on, this ain't no German car... It's a VM... sorry! :)
Nigel
Mon Jun 26 23:27:32 2006

 Goodness! You're going to be astounded by this... (Well, maybe...) I'm currently writing this on my iMac, *in* Windows XP Pro SP2 using "Parallels Desktop" VM software. It has a full screen mode which automatically configured itself to full-widescreen... Fantastic! Speed slowdown isn't too noticeable, though I'm not doing anything too adventurous yet. And being a VW as opposed to boot-camp, it's XP safely cacooned(?) in OS X !!
Nigel
Mon Jun 26 23:26:31 2006

 and yes, that was the tortoise i w s thinking of.
dsp
Mon Jun 26 19:28:27 2006

 Kev: we're hoping to switch to Microsoft Team Foundation Server, how big is your team?
dsp
Mon Jun 26 19:27:28 2006

 Sheri: it started when i tried to remember what 'cheese sandwich' was, then I found google translate tool, c'est tres bien!
dsp
Mon Jun 26 19:26:29 2006

 Why that sudden interest in French, Dsp ?
Sheri
Mon Jun 26 17:52:32 2006

 dsp when you say the "tortoise one" are you thinking of tortoise CVS, which is a windows front end plugin to CVS ? Talking of version control, I am currently using the new Microsoft Team Foundation Server. Its quite funky and has all sorts of bug tracking and code management stuff built into the source control so saves having CVS/Bugzilla/code-bugreport trackers, its all magically built in. John is this what you use when you are at 'Work'?
kev
Mon Jun 26 17:07:17 2006

 Le panneau de message est un grand endroit pour rencontrer les personnes amicales.
Le dsp
Mon Jun 26 17:05:48 2006

 That's the tortois one isn't it?
dsp
Mon Jun 26 16:45:15 2006

 heres a Link subversion.tigris.org/
Kev
Mon Jun 26 16:33:40 2006

 Of course, not wanting to rain on your mini-mac parade, but CVS is so yesterday. Subversion in the New in thing.
Kev
Mon Jun 26 16:33:00 2006

 HP by preference, though Daddy's will do in emergencies...
Nigel
Mon Jun 26 16:24:00 2006

 Nigel, well, lucky ole you.
Mad Mumsie
Mon Jun 26 16:19:19 2006

 My sausages are sauce-controlled... :))
Nigel
Mon Jun 26 16:14:28 2006

 John: Has PhotoStudio and StuffTV not been source-controlled before?
dsp
Mon Jun 26 16:13:41 2006

 Well it has taken me all evening, but I've finally got a CVS server up and running on my Mac Mini. The FTP backup tool is now safely under version control. I'm probably going to put Photo Studio and StuffTV in source control too - just because I can!
John
Mon Jun 26 15:41:00 2006

 Nigel, perhaps you should cover your bit with annoying popups, banners ads, tracking cookies and google ads so as to help out in a financial sense ;P
Kev
Mon Jun 26 14:44:51 2006

 In order to get a server to return DDoS what kind of attack do you have to perform? I mean a simple swarm of connections at the same will do it?
Lox
Mon Jun 26 13:40:16 2006

 Wow, dsp! That's awfully generous of someone!! I'm feeling a bit guilty now - should I be offering to "help out" somewhere along the line?? Happy to help, and all that...
Nigel
Mon Jun 26 13:14:44 2006

 (ooo er)
dsp
Mon Jun 26 12:44:26 2006

 Actually, the report at the register did mention a DDoS attack, could that have been John's tool?
dsp
Mon Jun 26 12:44:15 2006

 We have an 'all you can eat' bandwidth model. Welcome to the bandwidth buffet.
dsp
Mon Jun 26 12:43:49 2006

 lox, thats just it I don't know but thats usually how these things work. I seem to remember though that John said mds can use as much as it likes - however - I would be suprised if Fasthosts don't have an upper level cap of some kind. Worth checking before all the maisoners do their bit backing up the site only to use all the download b/w. Johns piccies along must be several gB!!!
kev
Mon Jun 26 12:36:09 2006

 Kev: Is the bandwidth allotted per month?
Lox
Mon Jun 26 12:19:33 2006

 John one thing that crossed my mind during the 'outage' was is there a bandwidth download limit on the site, even if its quite large, I feared that your magical backup tool had leeched all the bandwidth and that was the end of mds till next month :)
kev
Mon Jun 26 11:47:50 2006

 John: I seem to have just gone and bought "Parallels Desktop" for my iMac. After considering boot-camp and the fact that it basically takes over the machine completely, I decided to go the virtual-machine route. It looks rather good and means I can run Linux too - all at once if I want! I'll let the Maison know how I get on!! (I am being sneaky from work, by the way!)
Nigel
Mon Jun 26 11:03:43 2006

 Oh well, sorry for the inconvenience anyway! Maybe another good reason to get the whole thing backed up ASAP...
John
Mon Jun 26 10:46:12 2006

 I initially thought that John had forgotten to pay th eleccy bills again!
Kev
Mon Jun 26 09:13:15 2006

 Oohh we ARE here... Yes, yesterday was a complete downer! Glad the Maison is here again today...! :))
Nigel
Mon Jun 26 08:59:29 2006

 Nope it was just Fasthosts..somethign to do bith their BGP info tables missing?? and its happen before apparently. www.theregister.co.uk/2001/05/31/fasthosts_outage_outrage/
Kevin
Mon Jun 26 08:27:14 2006

 I think it might have been some DNS problem, only UK sites were inaccessible... How are you all this morning?
Lox
Mon Jun 26 07:49:50 2006

 Yesterday the whole empire was down. Our host including their home page and all email was down. Must have been a connectivity issue. Cocknockers.
dsp
Mon Jun 26 07:14:58 2006

 He's right, John. It was'nt accessible last night.
Sheri
Mon Jun 26 06:48:58 2006

 Hmmm... Lox said he thought the site was offline again... Seems OK to me, maybe just a temporary glitch?
John
Mon Jun 26 01:21:37 2006

 Ciao a tutti! Nice and cloudy weather here is going to result in NOT going to the swimming pool.. :( CRAP!
Lox
Sun Jun 25 10:12:00 2006

 Now there's a good idea!! :)))
Nigel
Sun Jun 25 08:39:57 2006

 'mornin' Nigel! Before long he'll be bringing you a cup of tea in bed! (My eldest used to charge 5p a cup! - worth every penny!)
Tim's mum
Sun Jun 25 08:33:47 2006

 Morning! So there was I thinking I'd sneak downstairs a little earlier than usual on a Sunday, for a bit of quiet time - just me and the computer - only to find Tim sitting watching TV!
Nigel
Sun Jun 25 08:19:28 2006

 Well, bedtime for me now, but I hope you all have a pleasant evening...Despite having spent more or less a year out of the country, I still haven't completely got my head round the time difference...
John
Sat Jun 24 18:36:16 2006

 Hope the evening went well! Here we are just gearing-up for tea. Trying to quell the hoards... OK, the kids... ! :)))
Nigel
Sat Jun 24 18:01:33 2006

 It is about 2AM here, and I'm a bit worse for wear as a result of drink and strange foreign cold medicine.
John
Sat Jun 24 17:59:38 2006

 Nigel: I don't understand many things, generally speaking!
John
Sat Jun 24 17:55:13 2006

 Oh.. You know... I was trying to be "hip and happenin'". A bit of patois... No? OK, I wont try again... :)))))
Nigel
Sat Jun 24 17:14:05 2006

 Que?
John
Sat Jun 24 16:54:53 2006

 Yo, hangin' dudes!! Catch doh's rythms....
Nigel
Sat Jun 24 15:54:19 2006

 john you need to get yourself a hi-def lcd something with 1080p so you can get 1920 × 1080 resolution which is nice for using as a large screen computer monitor. Don't they give these sorts of lcds away free in cornflakes packet in Japan?
Kev
Sat Jun 24 15:27:35 2006

 Hello ladies! I have absolutely nothing to say... Having a small party at our apartment here in Tokyo, and the Mac Mini is doing a sterling job of providing music background. Whilse it's here I thought I'd just check the web quickly, but as it is plugged into the TV I can't actually read any text, so this is probably full of spelling errors.... anywho, errrrr, as you were....
John
Sat Jun 24 14:22:24 2006

 GOOD MORNING GAYLORDS, are you still GAY?
Lox
Sat Jun 24 11:42:23 2006

 Yeah Lox, that learned us!
dsp
Sat Jun 24 11:00:02 2006

 Morning !
Sheri
Sat Jun 24 10:56:10 2006

 Morning all!! :))
Nigel
Sat Jun 24 10:26:33 2006

 Dsp: I have been abused over and over again by you guys, OH POOR LORENZO!!! I did lear that secret number in the end and played that same prank to them later... :)
Lox
Sat Jun 24 00:21:02 2006

 Everything really sucks today, doesn't it?
Jimmy
Fri Jun 23 17:20:21 2006

 We used to play a similar joke on Lorenzo. We'd make the phone ring using a secret BT line test number and then pretend it was a long-distance call from Italy. He'd run down, then call us all bastards. Of course, when his mum eventually called he'd just say 'yeah yeah' and then get bollocked for leaving her waiting. Oh how we laughed!
dsp
Fri Jun 23 16:14:25 2006

 Tim's Mum - that's bad enough when it happens occasionally and people just hang up, but to have it happen all the time must be infuriating - the can of coke idea sounds good :)
Mad Mumsie
Fri Jun 23 14:56:15 2006

 Rob: jobs@google.com
John
Fri Jun 23 14:54:23 2006

 Herpes ? What a wonderful bit of conversation ! And I was just eating... Yummy!
Sheri
Fri Jun 23 14:36:25 2006

 I'm in work today and we have a faulty line into the switchboard, causing the phone to ring every 10 seconds or so. There is nobody on the linemost of the time and the call cuts off as soon as we answer it. I'm trying not to get stressed by this, it's been doing it for 3 hours 45 minutes so far. BT are going to fix it, they say. I'm very tempted to pour a can of Coke into the machine. TGI Friday!
tim's mum
Fri Jun 23 14:32:36 2006

 Sorry to hear you have Psoriasis, Rob. Stress really takes its toll. To be avoided/minimised whenever/however possible, I say!
Tim's mum
Fri Jun 23 14:32:17 2006

 Lox: a bit different because Psoriasis is not contagious - an easy description is that parts of the skin grow too quickly.
Mad Mumsie
Fri Jun 23 13:15:11 2006

 Rob: Sorry to hear about it, but as MM said it should be something similar to herpes, it comes and goes depending on immune system stress and mental strains...
Lox
Fri Jun 23 12:54:07 2006

 Well Rob I was sorry to hear about Psoriasis, but as you well know it comes and it goes, usually about three months after a very stressful happening - so think back about three months. There is nought to be done.
Mad Mumsie
Fri Jun 23 11:47:52 2006

 Flying isn't all that stressfl. My job is stressful, though.
Rob Lang
Fri Jun 23 11:41:53 2006

 Rob: That's the trouble with bodies... Who'd have 'em? I hope the "stress" of flying doesn't make the effects worse though.
Nigel
Fri Jun 23 11:31:04 2006

 Hi de hi, campers! Here's another jolly quote for you! Anxiety is caused by a lack of control, organization, preparation, and action. - David Kekich
Tim's mum
Fri Jun 23 10:45:37 2006

 Had my annual gliding medical yesterday. Fit to fly but diagnosed with psoriasis, which I will have for the rest of my life. Oh well.
Rob Lang
Fri Jun 23 10:45:00 2006

 Morning everyone!
Lox
Fri Jun 23 09:19:04 2006

 John. I will allow uncertainty to persist. Just to make you feel ill at ease...
Sheri
Fri Jun 23 09:07:21 2006

 I'm off to visit a vendor, so, would you believe it, I have already left the office. Hopefully the remainder of my day will not constitute anything too much like work, unless, that is, I'm being lured into some kind of trap under the pretenses of an informal status update, and I'm actually up for a thorough grilling! Well, hey, even if I am going to be crucified, at least it gets me out of the office!
John
Fri Jun 23 08:34:42 2006

 Sheri: I am no longer sure when you're being sarcastic or not! Anyway, no offence taken.
John
Fri Jun 23 08:24:00 2006

 But you don't know what you miss ! (I have a John Thomas the size of a trunk...)
Sheri
Fri Jun 23 07:36:34 2006

 All right, John, your silence is eloquent enough. you're breaking my heart, you selfish man. I'm off.
Sheri
Fri Jun 23 07:34:11 2006

 There, that's the spirit !
Sheri
Fri Jun 23 07:29:54 2006

 Morning all! A quick look in before the journey in to work... Not sure what the day has in store, but at least it's a Friday!! I also plan on smiling a lot, thus dazzling all my colleagues with my nice, shiney, polished-by-the-dentist set of teeth!! :))
Nigel
Fri Jun 23 07:27:39 2006

 And finally, your great sense of friendship...
Sheri
Fri Jun 23 07:06:41 2006

 your everlasting good mood...
Sheri
Fri Jun 23 07:05:45 2006

 You sex appeal...
Sheri
Fri Jun 23 07:04:40 2006

 Your great sense of humour...
Sheri
Fri Jun 23 07:03:53 2006

 Your shrewdness...
Sheri
Fri Jun 23 07:02:15 2006

 Your sheer sagacity...
Sheri
Fri Jun 23 07:01:52 2006

 Cose, you have to understand, I couldn't live without you...
Sheri
Fri Jun 23 07:01:11 2006

 You stille love me, I hope...
Sheri
Fri Jun 23 07:00:32 2006

 John, I didn't mean to upset you, you know that. I was just being realistic. Now, if you are, as you say, indispensable to them, you must have means to put pressure on *them*.
Sheri
Fri Jun 23 06:55:33 2006

 Ah, I see now, it's a Vista thing (see here). That would explain the sudden recent emmergence in emails, etc.
John
Fri Jun 23 06:25:55 2006

 This probably won't work properly what with CSS, and I'm not even sure if everyone has the font installed, but anyway Calibri looks a bit like this (or not, as the case may be).
John
Fri Jun 23 06:24:00 2006

 Is anyone else mildly fascinatied by "font fashion" or is it just me? Once upon a time everyone used Times, then Arial, from there Verdana, then Tahoma... and just in the last couple of days I've seen a suddent outburst of "Calibri".
John
Fri Jun 23 06:22:29 2006

 Couple of exhausting days. For some reason, teaching two hours straight is more fatiguing than taking classes spread out over an entire day. Bleah. Sorry to hear about the problem at work, Rob. Now here's a question...I'm reading a novel by Alan Wall. Is he a big deal in the UK?
Travis
Fri Jun 23 01:05:38 2006

 ...and actually yes they would have difficulty finding a replacement - I am in a very specialised niche there. Unfortunately, given my strange situation, whereby I am employed in Japan, but report to management in the US, it means the local office, who has no real concept of what I do, controls much of the HR side of things - benefits etc. This is where part of the shortfall in respect comes from I think.
John
Fri Jun 23 00:10:22 2006

 Sheri: thanks for the self esteem boost there!
John
Fri Jun 23 00:05:51 2006

 Great job Nigel, glad your toothy-pegs are alright!
dsp
Thu Jun 22 23:00:22 2006

 Evening!! Back with nice, bright, sparkly teeth!! And of course the usual lecture about "flossing"... What a horrible word... Don't get me started!!
Nigel
Thu Jun 22 22:57:34 2006

 Can't wait to read you, amico mio! Always colourful!
Sheri
Thu Jun 22 18:13:37 2006

 I am back home..... wow what a full 2 days.... will write something later!
Lox
Thu Jun 22 17:00:44 2006

 I am back home..... wow what a full 2 days.... will write something later!
Lox
Thu Jun 22 17:00:00 2006

 I suppose they won't have to much problem finding a replacement. Not that you are insignificant, but...
Sheri
Thu Jun 22 16:11:40 2006

 I mean, given the size of the company !
Sheri
Thu Jun 22 16:09:39 2006

 *That'll learn 'em!* Are you sure ? Don't you think they just don't care ?
Sheri
Thu Jun 22 16:09:05 2006

 Well, in retaliation for the disrespect that my current employer has shown me (the rediculous annual allocation of sick leave) I have spent today sorting out my CV and looking for other jobs. That'll learn 'em! I have decided this will be the new regime from here on in - when they do something that pisses me off, they'll be punished for it accordingly. This approach may seem a little hardline, but it's in their own best interests in the long run.
John
Thu Jun 22 15:49:40 2006

 Next time, tell him you want his babies and see if you get the same reaction.
Rob Lang
Thu Jun 22 11:46:32 2006

 Oh and Japanese medicine is much better than I gave it credit for - physically speaking I have felt more or less OK all afternoon.
John
Thu Jun 22 11:20:46 2006

 I told my manager today what a crap week I've been having. So he asked me if there was anything good about this week, to which I replied "there's only one day of it left". Not that it will make any difference in the long run, but I actually feel a bit better about having at least made my feelings known.
John
Thu Jun 22 11:18:59 2006

 Rob: So who sabotaged it on your day off then.
Mad Mumsie
Thu Jun 22 09:39:45 2006

 Sheri: So true!! :)
John: I've been thinking about that. There was no firm conclusion... Can I let you know when I get back? :))
Nigel
Thu Jun 22 08:19:05 2006

 Oooh, look, there's a problem at work. SHOCKER. The system seems to have broken down. SHOCKER.
Rob Lang
Thu Jun 22 08:18:37 2006

 So Nigel, which is worse, a day at the dentists or a day at work?
John
Thu Jun 22 08:02:21 2006

 That's a cheap excuse, Nigel. Just admit you wanted to stay at home...!
Sheri
Thu Jun 22 07:34:32 2006

 Morning! Hope the day improves, John! I'm up earlier than usual as today Timothy is on a school trip to the seaside. Oh, an I have the day off to go to the dentist... Lovely. Not that I need a day for the treatment, it's just so far away. Couldn't get one locally. :(
Nigel
Thu Jun 22 06:49:09 2006

 Well, after sending some exceptionally grouchy email which I'll no doubt regret later, I decided to take some medicine (that Japanese one which I can't read the label of properly). I feel slightly better now.
John
Thu Jun 22 05:16:02 2006

 Well I think I am breaking my own record for being late into work - I didn't even leave my apartment until after 10. Oh and I've picked up a crappy cold and feel like shit, but I can't take the day off because I've already used up my sick leave allocation for the year - 3 whole days. So I'm in a really pissy mood now... again.
John
Thu Jun 22 02:17:43 2006

 So the, Nigel stops the conversation again!! :))))) Night all!
Nigel
Wed Jun 21 23:52:05 2006

 The course has finished! Yippee!!
Nigel
Wed Jun 21 15:41:28 2006

 The course has finished! Yippee!!
Nigel
Wed Jun 21 15:41:27 2006

 It's on my "ToDo" list John!! :) Also, they seem to like the use of the phrase "Hand-off". I just daren't ask anyone what this actually means.... As in "This is a hand-off between the..."
Nigel
Wed Jun 21 15:15:39 2006

 The word "proactive" all by itself should already be setting off the bullshit warning lights. Tell them they need to "refactor their total quality vector". That's always my favourite.
John
Wed Jun 21 15:00:12 2006

 Rrrrr rrrrr rrrrr rrrrr rrrrr
Sheri
Wed Jun 21 14:44:48 2006

 "Once conditions were met"... "On condition that"... "The conditions are". If I hear such daftness as "proactive questions as to conditionality" much more I'll probably go "Pop!" You'll feel the rumbling for miles..
Nigel
Wed Jun 21 14:43:52 2006

 Rrrrr rrrrr rrrrr rrrrr rrrrr
Sheri
Wed Jun 21 14:38:35 2006

 Harumph!!! :(
Nigel
Wed Jun 21 14:11:23 2006

 Nigel, According to Google, yes, there is.
Tim's mum
Wed Jun 21 14:07:08 2006

 Is there such a word as "conditionality" ? If there is it should be banned... (I'm still on my course...)
Nigel
Wed Jun 21 13:38:02 2006

 vmware is much more large scale orientated, it has its own api, you can snapshot your os then squeeze it down a network/internet to another machine that will 'spawn' the new instance. Also you can run many more per machine, its much less intensitve, but its mucho costo.
kev
Wed Jun 21 11:20:23 2006

 I just read that dog story. Yuk.
Jimmy
Wed Jun 21 11:15:56 2006

 ... although, thinking about it now, I'm not sure if that was DOS on it's own or as a window in Win98 (which is the version I was using for speed).
Nigel
Wed Jun 21 11:05:26 2006

 Morning all! Tea-break from the course I'm on today!
When I ran Virtual PC on a Mac - a year or two back, it was version 5 for OS X I think - I could even run MS-DOS and use the USB ports. No problem. I used a USB flash drive and it was mapped to a DOS drive letter! :))
Nigel
Wed Jun 21 11:03:59 2006

 Ah - not USB ports - but apart from USB ports, they're pretty great!
dsp
Wed Jun 21 10:43:56 2006

 The thing I like most about VirtualPC is that you can map physical hardware to it, such as a COM port, USB-port, network socket or CD-ROM drive. Very cute.
dsp
Wed Jun 21 10:37:24 2006

 Aparently if you try to run the PocketPC emulator inside VirtualPC you get the following message "You just had to try it didn't you?"
dsp
Wed Jun 21 10:36:24 2006

 As for Virtual PCs, how does it work Vic? I feel compelled to ask whether you can run one inside the other, and if so is there a silliness threshold to limit the number of times you can do this?
John
Wed Jun 21 10:24:33 2006

 I have escaped from work, leaving the office at the scandalously early time of 6PM. Oh and guess who was manning the door to grunt disapprovingly as I left? Yes it was Mongy-Pigoid-Bloke. Tosser.
John
Wed Jun 21 10:20:02 2006

 Kev - that sounds great! Much more powerful in terms of features and flexible ways to use it. We get Virtual PC bundled in with our MSDN subscriptions. Do you use VMware?
dsp
Wed Jun 21 09:59:07 2006

 check out vmware, virtual pc by the "company that may not be named" is a slug in comparison!!!
kev
Wed Jun 21 09:23:30 2006

 God yeah! Remote desktop rocks. So does Virtual PC.
dsp
Wed Jun 21 09:19:00 2006

 Isn't remote desktop brilliant? This message is being posted via a PC situated in the US, for no other reason than because I can.
John
Wed Jun 21 09:03:14 2006

 I should probably be banned from the message board on days like this - I seem to be only capable of either moaning or talking utter crap!
John
Wed Jun 21 08:41:11 2006

 Well I had a lot of sugar, and also some salty/fatty junk food. I actually do feel a little bit cheered up after that. It is strange when you think about it, in a way I am trading in a bit of my physical health, in order to improve my mental health, albeit in a short term and superficial way.
John
Wed Jun 21 08:21:44 2006

 Right, well I'm off to buy something fizzy with sugar in it. That'll very temporarily cheer me up.
John
Wed Jun 21 07:50:24 2006

 Man's perpetual lack of satifaction...
Sheri
Wed Jun 21 07:38:58 2006

 ...and the person who does receive it would then moan that it wasn't shiny enough, it arrived too late, it was too difficult to keep clean, and generally didn't seem worth all the effort they had to put in for it in the first place...
John
Wed Jun 21 07:35:17 2006

 An "Outstanding Moaner of the Year Award"...? Great idea Sheri - the delightful irony of this is that anyone who doesn't receive it would probably then start moaning that they never win anything, life is so unfair, etc, etc...
John
Wed Jun 21 07:34:00 2006

 Mmmmmm. We do like to moan about, don't we ? You, Lox, me... Who gets the medal?
Sheri
Wed Jun 21 07:15:56 2006

 Oh I have nothing really worthy of saying, I just wanted to moan generally...
John
Wed Jun 21 07:12:54 2006

 There there John, I'm here for you. Speak up, my friend, I'm all ears.
Sheri
Wed Jun 21 07:11:43 2006

 I am actually talking to myself here aren't I? God this time zone sucks. Give me GMT/BST any day of the week!
John
Wed Jun 21 06:15:59 2006

 On a slightly cheerier note, I read an article on BBC News just now about a dog in the US phoning for an ambulance when her owner fell unconcious. Yes it is all a bit soppy, but I oddly found this sort of endearing. Better than the usual doom and gloom you get on the news.
John
Wed Jun 21 05:55:23 2006

 Well my lunch sucked. I really don't know why people rave about Japanese food so much, after a while of living here I have come to the conclusion that it is actually a barrel of crap.
John
Wed Jun 21 04:48:23 2006

 Just thinking out loud really...
John
Wed Jun 21 02:49:20 2006

 You know, my thoughts are starting to turn once more to the idea of becoming self employed (I don't want to say "set up my own business" because no doubt you'll all tell me that is way too difficult). It occurred to me I don't really need staff and offices and all that. I could go and live with my family for a while, and just fill my time writing software. Then after six months or so (by which time my savings will have ran out I'm guessing) if it really doesn't look like there's any prosect of making any money out of it, I could always go and try to find a "real job" again.
John
Wed Jun 21 02:49:03 2006

 Jimmy/DSP: Congrats! (and Congrats, MM, if you're having one, too). Yes, the tenth is a big deal. Hopefully, in two years I'll have something nice planned. Like maybe I'll be employed.
Travis
Wed Jun 21 02:18:53 2006

 Our 4th is coming up in july.
dsp
Tue Jun 20 23:18:36 2006

 Travis- 8 years, eh? At least you've survived the dreaded 7th! Alison & I have just celebrated our 9th. I'm dreading next year ... she's gonna expect *such* a present!!!!!
Jimmy
Tue Jun 20 22:35:57 2006

 Lots of good stuff going on at the Maison. Good to see. "Cocknocker" used in Britain? I had no idea (to be honest). Wedding Anniversaries, eh? Next month for me. Eight wonderful years.
Travis
Tue Jun 20 19:43:11 2006

 That explains a lot! Why does it appear, to an outsider, that a lot of other software companies are actually "cool", whereas one of the largest clearly is not (give or take those ex-pat employees forced by circumstances to work for them!!) :))
Nigel
Tue Jun 20 16:23:44 2006

 Nigel: actually what I mean is that he's the best respected in the industry as a whole - he's actually working for us on a contract basis, and he's a quite well known figure in the broadcast industry here in Japan. I'm not sure what the rest of the team think about him though! What I think is great about him is that whilst he is a very humble, modest and extremely likeable chap, he is also very smart, and has enough self confidence to know that he doesn't need to pointlessly work rediculously long hours in a vain attempt to prove himself. He really is a model for what the rest of them should be like, but sadly this kind of strength of character is generally lacking on the team.
John
Tue Jun 20 15:44:26 2006

 Right, well, as Sheri rightly pointed out, it is more or less bedtime for me now, and another fun packed day awaits me tomorrow! I am literally beside myself with glee.
John
Tue Jun 20 15:36:45 2006

 Hmmm. I'm glad your colleague with the "normal" hours is one of the best respected, John. This, at least, makes the valid point that you are headed for equal respect, while the rest are on a hiding to nothing!! :)
Nigel
Tue Jun 20 15:35:50 2006

 Nigel: it appears to be the norm across most companies Japan. It does make one wonder about the quality of the average Japanese relationship - in my opinion, if the average man is so reluctant to go home, he can't think a great deal of his wife and kids. I work in a team of around 10 people, and I only really get on with two of them. It is probably no coincidence that one of those two works the most sensible hours of the whole team, and, to my delight, is also the most respected and best paid.
John
Tue Jun 20 15:20:10 2006

 I must admit, the thought of John waltzing out of the office and shouting at the top of his voice goodnight Cocknockers is highly amusing.
Mad Mumsie
Tue Jun 20 15:19:28 2006

 dsp: I think you may have made the the very easy mistake of thinking that Rob had made a spelling boo boo, but in this case I THINK it was deliberate. So who's watching the footie tonight then.
Mad Mumsie
Tue Jun 20 15:18:17 2006

 yeah MM - it didn't look right to me
dsp
Tue Jun 20 15:09:48 2006

 dsp: too many "Ks" in there methinks.
Mad Mumsie
Tue Jun 20 15:03:41 2006

 Nearly bedtime for John. Another glorious day at work awaits him...
Sheri
Tue Jun 20 15:00:16 2006

 So, pardon my ignorance, does every Japanese man work late at the office - 2 or 3 hours over the odds by habit - or is it just a "Well known Software Company" thing?
Nigel
Tue Jun 20 14:48:31 2006

 +1 for cock-knockers - or referring to your colleague as "Cock Knocker San"
dsp
Tue Jun 20 14:42:50 2006

 Damn it! My MSDN subscription has expired and I need an activation code for WinXP - I'm fighting the urge to get one from a dodgy source. John - do you have any spare ones lying around? Is there a license tree at your well known software company?
dsp
Tue Jun 20 14:41:14 2006

 JOHN: I like your first quotation. The second is a bit cheap in my humble opinion. LOX: No 'idea' for the time being. Stock shortage.
Sheri
Tue Jun 20 14:14:51 2006

 Rob: Can't read either then, I didn't say, you PLUS Alex, and I said you hyphen Alex. Quite a different sum.
Mad Mumsie
Tue Jun 20 13:50:47 2006

 John, do they know what "Tossers" mean? Do you remember that game Dale used to play misinforming members of the Japanese college. They had been taught how to avoid rude slang but he'd invented his own language of slang. Or modern english, as he told it to them. I remember the word for "Handsome and Intelligent man", was not 'git' as you might think but "Wangleman". Aparently, they liked this word and I caught Kanako saying it once or twice. Think up a bit of slang and use it at will. Tell everyone it means goodbye and shout it as you leave the office. "BYE COCKNOCKERS!"
Rob Lang
Tue Jun 20 13:30:14 2006

 Are you suggesting you've been married 30 + 33 = 63 years?
Rob Lang
Tue Jun 20 13:27:08 2006

 I was casting doubt on the validity of my skin and blister.
Rob Lang
Tue Jun 20 13:26:38 2006

 Rob: I know that Maths was never your strong point, but let's do a bit of adding up - how old are you - how old is Alex - and therefore, we've been married how long?
Mad Mumsie
Tue Jun 20 12:31:40 2006

 Standard British pub food, perhaps some pasta. Nothing to write home about, but usually well cooked and presented
Mad Mumsie
Tue Jun 20 12:25:47 2006

 Well I left the office about 20 minutes ago - 8PM - and everyone else on my team was still working away. It really winds me up. To combat this I have got into the habit of muttering 'tossers' under my breath as I leave. Certainly makes me feel better!
John
Tue Jun 20 12:25:35 2006

 John: You made me "UK homesick" as well!!!

Rob: 32?!? Wow that's quite a lot! Compliments!
Lox
Tue Jun 20 12:25:11 2006

 Wedding Anniversary!? Which one? 32? :)
Rob Lang
Tue Jun 20 11:59:07 2006

 Sadly, Lox, my last "customer" didn't come in to that category...

Ah, for a country pub... Though round here they look at you like they do in the cowboy movies... You walk in and it goes quiet...
Nigel
Tue Jun 20 11:57:01 2006

 Oh and Kev - do you think Ali has gone out of business since we both left the village? I could murder one of his Rogans right now!
John
Tue Jun 20 11:47:16 2006

 Ahhhh.... sudden pang of home sickness. Ahhhh... even the word "Pang" itself - that delightful little tributary that ran into the Thames at, err, Pangbourne. Out the back of the Cross Keys watching the trout and dragonflies with a pint on a lazy sunny afternoon. Or gin and tonics down in the meadows by the toll bridge over to Whitchurch... Or a bottle of wine in the fields over the back... Or a couple of drams at the Swan watching the sun set over the Thames... Can somebody remind me why I ever left Pangbourne? It was a spectacular place to live!
John
Tue Jun 20 11:45:56 2006

 There were one or two nice pubs with a bit of a country feel around Hampstead/Highgate too, but I struggle to remember the names now (my pub obsession wasn't quite so clinical in those days, and I tended to be a bit more random).
John
Tue Jun 20 11:40:33 2006

 MM: Did someone say London and pub...? My recently dormant brain has just sprang into life! MM: for that country pub feel, may I recommend Ye Old Mitre, near Chancery Lane tube (just of Hatton Gardens were all the jewellry shops are). Perhaps you know it already? It is small and pokey and not much in the way of food (so probably no good for your anniversary meal) but it does have a magical atmosphere, and it feels like you've been magically transported out of London in an instant when you wander down that strange little alleyway... I think this has something to do with it having been technically part of Cambridgeshire for a long time, owing to its connection with the Bishops of Ely.
John
Tue Jun 20 11:38:28 2006

 Nigel: It depends... If they are terribly goodlooking I could be conned into liking them!
Lox
Tue Jun 20 11:38:04 2006

 I dislike "ladies" who chew gum and have lots of tattoos on their arms... :(
Nigel
Tue Jun 20 11:36:54 2006

 Lox: Neither Tea, nor Coffee - strange chap. But then he's never needed a caffeine fix to be as mad as a hatter.
Mad Mumsie
Tue Jun 20 11:28:33 2006

 MM: What?! Rob doesn't drink tea? I thought that he drank tea... Or did he switched 100% for the IRN BRU bandwagon?
Lox
Tue Jun 20 11:25:44 2006

 MM: MMmmmmmm nice setting! How about the menu? British food?
Lox
Tue Jun 20 11:23:55 2006

 Lox: Mmmmmmmmmmmm. I'm always a bit dubious about drinking anything made by someone who won't drink it himself :)
Mad Mumsie
Tue Jun 20 11:21:39 2006

 Lox: the trouble with London, is that you have to go a long way out to find an authentic country pub, but there is one reasonably close that serves good food, so I think we're going there. Its in a "verr nace" (posh for very nice) part of Barnet, and quite rural, lots of trees, big houses etc.
Mad Mumsie
Tue Jun 20 11:19:02 2006

 A sort of UN-Anniversary... Rob (as the mad hatter) could serve the tea!
Lox
Tue Jun 20 11:16:55 2006

 I think we're possibly going out next week. This week is a bit manic - small one coming tonight for an overnight stay, out all day tomorrow, large red headed one, plus the other Mrs L is arrived Wednesday evening for an overnight stay. So I suspect the rest of the week will be spent recovering, and before Rob says anything - yes I LOVE it.
Mad Mumsie
Tue Jun 20 11:16:35 2006

 I'd still go to the restaurant if I were her...
Lox
Tue Jun 20 11:16:20 2006

 MM perhaps you could celebrate your return to health with a slap up meal and a few beers?! Worth a try!
Tim's mum
Tue Jun 20 10:53:34 2006

 Oh, and another quote I quite liked recently, perhaps more for the word play than the underlying message (which is a bit schmalzy, if that is a word), was:

It is our attitude, not our aptitude, which defines our altitude.
John
Tue Jun 20 10:49:31 2006

 John: Quite true, but you have to sell all thouse anti-depressive/mood-stabilizers drugs you know!
Lox
Tue Jun 20 10:48:52 2006

 Nice quote mum! MM - sorry you missed out on your anniversary, there's always next year ;-)
dsp
Tue Jun 20 10:46:01 2006

 I was watching a trailer for some film or other yesterday, and was amused by a rather sardonically delivered line from it, which I'm now going to paraphrase badly "We're people brought up to believe life is a struggle - if you do find you are happy at any point, be patient, for this will pass".
John
Tue Jun 20 10:43:28 2006

 Sheri: Selling it's not a problem (beleive me) but the problem is the channel that you use. Sometimes the best salesman with the best product just doesn't get the job done because he/she is focusing at the wrong channel... Can I be of help with the selling point of view though?
Lox
Tue Jun 20 10:22:17 2006

 Feel sorry for you, MM. Still, one day off work!
Sheri
Tue Jun 20 10:20:12 2006

 Yes, Nigel, but you have to know how to sellyour idea. I'm rather naive when it comes to that.
Sheri
Tue Jun 20 10:17:42 2006

 Ideas are "currency" (i.e money) though Sheri. A good idea is always worth something.
Nigel
Tue Jun 20 10:12:30 2006

 MM: Just a cold I hope... Can't you postpone the anniversary of one or two days? I am sure that Cyberdad will not mind it, provided that the nice restaurant is still open! Where were you planning to go to? Italian? Country pub? Indian?
Lox
Tue Jun 20 10:12:01 2006

 Morning all, had a but of a rough weekend, spent all day Sunday in bed with a high temperature, so no work on Monday, although much better still felt under the weather, which was a shame because it was our Wedding Anniversary and we had agreed to go out for a meal, but I wasn't up to it. Oh well, another time................
Mad Mumsie
Tue Jun 20 10:09:48 2006

 Having ideas and vision is good. But you need talent to fulfil them. That's my problem: I never lack ideas, but they're always beyond my reach!
Sheri
Tue Jun 20 09:55:58 2006

 TM (Tim'sMum): Nice one! I like it!
Lox
Tue Jun 20 09:27:40 2006

 Rob: So I gather that the job side is still a little.... "pants" (to use an expression that you always used to utter back in Radstock)... Any chance for an improvement at all? I can't believe that someone with your talents and qualifications cannot find a better job!
Lox
Tue Jun 20 09:26:35 2006

 Good morning! Here's a 'quote for today' for you lovely people! :O) If we are to survive, we must have ideas, vision, and courage. These things are rarely produced by committees. Everything that matters in our intellectual and moral life begins with an individual confronting his own mind and conscience in a room by himself. - Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.
Tim's mum
Tue Jun 20 09:24:41 2006

 John, I had the same thing this morning. I was just staring out the window thinking "Can I really be arsed?" and "Is this a good use of my time?". The answer was no for both questions.
Rob Lang
Tue Jun 20 09:07:12 2006

 Morning all!! Here we go...
Nigel
Tue Jun 20 09:02:48 2006

 Ah, good morning maison (at least at this time zone)...
Lox
Tue Jun 20 08:43:45 2006

 You lucky one !
Sheri
Tue Jun 20 08:37:44 2006

 And your friendly workmates who can'tr wait for you to leave before they do... !
Sheri
Tue Jun 20 08:34:06 2006

 THINK about the Guard at the entrance (your new friend) and the day will be brighter! :)
Lox
Tue Jun 20 08:18:00 2006

 Errrrr.... no?
John
Tue Jun 20 08:13:08 2006

 Stop crying about, John! Be a big boy now!
Sheri
Tue Jun 20 07:37:33 2006

 I really don't want to go to work today! I will be about 40 minutes late, for no other reason than I was struggling to muster the enthusiasm to leave the flat this morning.
John
Tue Jun 20 01:24:22 2006

 Travis: I'd love to take a look at them, especially at all the links with modern mithology... Maybe after reading I can give you my comments...

Jimmy: No way, I bought it recently and it's PERFECT, apart from that issue... :)
Lox
Mon Jun 19 18:40:40 2006

 Travis- cut through all the chod, and just watch "O brother where art thou?" ;)
Jimmy
Mon Jun 19 17:41:27 2006

 Another week begins. Homer's Odyssey on tab for today in class. Great stuff. I can't remember who was asking, maybe Lox, but I do have all of my notes. I can make them available at any point. I do talk about some things you wouldn't find in another myth class: like the Platonic view of the soul from Republic, which is a useful tool in examining the characters in Iliad and Odyssey. I also do an in-depth look at Xenia, the formal Greek host-guest relationship.
Travis
Mon Jun 19 14:39:09 2006

 Does anyone know much about Java 'portlets'? In particular JSR168. Is this anyone's bag?
dsp
Mon Jun 19 14:15:22 2006

 Lox: The option has got to be hidden away in a menu somewhere (surely!?) My Olympus offers both choices...
Nigel
Mon Jun 19 13:51:35 2006

 Lox- get another camera.
Jimmy
Mon Jun 19 12:39:14 2006

 Right, time for some lunch! Carry-on everyone...! :)
Nigel
Mon Jun 19 12:28:05 2006

 Hi all! Just having a quick peek while no-one's looking! Raining here... Wet "customers". Lovely....
Nigel
Mon Jun 19 11:42:04 2006

 Women ? I can't be bothered ! Too fussy, really...!
Sheri
Mon Jun 19 10:42:41 2006

 Sheri: I am guessing you have been stuck indoors alot recently! You need to get outdoors, preferably somewhere with women!
John
Mon Jun 19 10:04:16 2006

 Jimmy: Not true, my new CANON doesn't work like that (unfortunately) it is recognized as a digital camera device, so in order to use my super fast SD 1gb card as an hard drive, I need a card reader... :(
Lox
Mon Jun 19 09:57:20 2006

 Yes Jimmy, I'll tentatively second that motion: digital cameras are generally not utter crap. Would MP3 players be taking it too far though? Mine is very simple, not much in the bells and whistles department, but it does just work.
John
Mon Jun 19 09:56:23 2006

 My guess is Jimmy has bought an iPod.
dsp
Mon Jun 19 09:54:36 2006

 Most techno-gadgets are also utter crap, along with the computers. The notable exception to this rule is digital cameras. The reason that they actually work is that there's only on file format: JPEG. Also, they all use the "Mass storage device" USB interface.
Jimmy
Mon Jun 19 09:23:26 2006

 Lox. Next entry this afternoon, I promise. I'll tell you all about the weekend, with a lot of juicy pictures.
Sheri
Mon Jun 19 09:21:51 2006

 Bad Sheri: You ARE asking for it, are you?! :) Oh well... What have you been up to during the weekend? Any chance to have another blog entry ?
Lox
Mon Jun 19 09:18:29 2006

 Hi John, you too could be part of my sexual fantasies, you know! Webcam and all that... !
Sheri
Mon Jun 19 09:16:10 2006

 Riiiiiight Sheri. I was going to ask Jimmy about the success token... but it seems something of a mute point now.
John
Mon Jun 19 09:10:32 2006

 A monday, like any other monday. Not bad, nor good. Fine hot weather. Think I'm gonna have a wank (and fantasize about my dear friend Rob while doing so).
Bad bad Sheri
Mon Jun 19 09:05:18 2006

 I hate computers. They are utter crap.
Jimmy
Mon Jun 19 08:45:59 2006

 My day has started quite nervously, I will have an interview this afternoon, I am quite stressed, though I have nothing to loose, so really I shouldn't be...
Lox
Mon Jun 19 08:32:08 2006

 Well my day started off dreary and tedious, and as the afternoon wears on it is transforming into frustrating and irksome. I'm looking forward to a swift exit at the earliest possible opportunity!
John
Mon Jun 19 08:13:28 2006

 Hmmm, httrack seemed to have got stuck at around 500 megs. Ho, hum. Maybe next on the todo list is to set up some sort of telnet/ssh demon and make it accessible from outside my home network. Oh and then I need some pointless app with a web gui on that I can control via my phone when I'm on the train. :-)
John
Mon Jun 19 00:57:32 2006

 Evening all! Well I've been feeling a little rebellious today! Can't quite put my finger on it... Still, here's a good (safe) laugh, if you fancy one: http://www.microbizz.nl/themanfrommicrosoft.htm :))))
Nigel
Sun Jun 18 20:36:32 2006

 Quite uneventul day today...
Lox
Sun Jun 18 18:44:29 2006

 Night-night John. Sweet Unix Dreams! ;)
Nigel
Sun Jun 18 16:38:55 2006

 Actually now in fact.
John
Sun Jun 18 16:31:34 2006

 Yes but going to bed imminently.
John
Sun Jun 18 16:29:55 2006

 John, you still up?
a person
Sun Jun 18 16:29:07 2006

 I feel like a trainspotter on a busy day at Clapham Junction. I totally love the way OSX is so downright Unixy. I've got httrack built using GCC, with only a minimum of messing about I got it installed, and now it is happily running away in a delightful little terminal window, happily downloading the entire internet. OK, well just the 'Maison. I'm just going to leave that little box of magic turned on overnight, and I'll look in the morning to see what surprises await me (probably just a full hard drive!).
John
Sun Jun 18 16:11:27 2006

 I have been out all day, so there hasn't been much opportunity for nerdiness with the new mac until now... Anywho, I wanted to see if there was something like that httrack program available for the Mac. To my delight, what with httrack being open source and basically Unix-tastic, OSX support comes for free. I've just discovered the terminal in OSX, and being a closet Unixophile, I am absolutely loving it. Going to see how I get hold of GCC now. The best things in life are free!
John
Sun Jun 18 14:08:12 2006

 Have fun Sheri!
Nigel
Sun Jun 18 12:30:02 2006

 Lox. I meant the elbow in the face. (Not a kick in the elbow)
Sheri
Sun Jun 18 09:30:00 2006

 Father's day. Leaving now. See you all tonight, hopefully with a new entry.
Sheri
Sun Jun 18 09:22:03 2006

 Lox: The elbow kick was pretty nasty. And the guy pretended nothing happened. What a world !
Sheri
Sun Jun 18 09:20:55 2006

 Nasty match on TV yesterday I think I have spent 1+1/2 hours uttering blasphemies and swears at the players, now I have a sore throat!
Lox
Sun Jun 18 09:16:44 2006

 So to answer your question Travis, yes (they had better do!!) :))
Nigel
Sun Jun 18 08:55:51 2006

 Morning all! Well after a rather splendid night of rest (undisturbed by wailing children or being overly hot) I sit here awaiting the Father's Day tributes.... Oh the luxury - though I've already had to change a nappy so there are obviously limits!! :)
Nigel
Sun Jun 18 08:54:21 2006

 Do those of you across the Atlantic (or Pacific) celebrate Father's Day? It's tomorrow (Sunday) here.
Travis
Sun Jun 18 04:33:15 2006

 Travis, yes I believe the name is a heavily Japanicised version of Don Quixote. No idea why they called it that. It is kind of an all-manner-of-crap-you-don't-need store.
John
Sun Jun 18 02:33:02 2006

 Well what a hot one! Phew!

What are you up to Sheri? Anything exciting?

Here... I've had a Guinness!! :)
Nigel
Sat Jun 17 22:46:27 2006

 John: Is that store you mentioned really Donki Hote? Like Don Quixote? Congrats on the 'puter.
Travis
Sat Jun 17 16:16:56 2006

 Good news then John!! Glad all is nice and viewable now!!

I've just run the software update - mostly the 190mb OSX update I needed. So it's 10.4.6 now. This resloved a daft problem with the keyboard volume controls not working intermittently.

Do you notce how fast OS X boots up compared with XP? Compared to my old Sony laptop (XP MCE) it's about 4x fast - no joking!!
Nigel
Sat Jun 17 15:42:55 2006

 Have just bunged on OSXVnc, and am now controlling the Mac Mini via my laptop. The display quality is a million times better! Yes, I hear you ask, why bother having the Mac Mini at all then? Well, my main reason for getting it was to have it a little server. Maybe eventually if I decide I like OSX I might use it for day to day browsing etc - but I probably never would have gotten over the hurdle of the totally unreadable text on the telly.... With VNC I am only ever a click or two away from the safety of Windows!
John
Sat Jun 17 14:34:46 2006

 Oh and I recently bought a couple of magazines - both MacWorld (July and August issues) One has an article about VNC etc, and the latest about geting the most out of Boot-Camp and XP. Not gone there yet, but it'll be interesting reading!
Nigel
Sat Jun 17 12:22:32 2006

 Yes, I have the remote thing here too - not used it yet though (my older Macs didn't have this feature).

One thing John... I use my external USB hard-drives with both the Mac and PC (Joc still uses a PC). OS X uses a different method for disk naming so a lot of odd file-names appear once the Mac has used it, but otherwise mine work fine on both systems. Even the external DVD writer does too.
Nigel
Sat Jun 17 12:18:22 2006

 What I need is some sort of VNC / Remote Desktop thing for the Mac, then I could control it via my laptop...
John
Sat Jun 17 12:13:07 2006

 The Front Row thing looks really good on the telly though - it's really neat using the remote control for it too!
John
Sat Jun 17 12:09:15 2006

 Yes, it's a little strange to start with, isn't it? I like the progress bar being in the address box!
Nigel
Sat Jun 17 12:07:15 2006

 Nigel - it is totally the fault of the TV / cabling I'm using, no doubt. Was trying to do everything on the cheap!
John
Sat Jun 17 12:07:00 2006

 Right well I'm in OSX now then! Hello from Safari!
John
Sat Jun 17 12:05:39 2006

 Hmmm. Might be a setting within the TV adaptor? I've no experience of that device. The Mac display on a monitor is crystal clear.
Nigel
Sat Jun 17 12:04:16 2006

 Hmmm... the display quality really stinks on this TV!
John
Sat Jun 17 12:01:09 2006

 ... oh and I guess it's not an original Mac keyboard. Maybe it's power requirements are a little high etc.
Nigel
Sat Jun 17 11:58:25 2006

 Good! The old rotating cube eh?
Nigel
Sat Jun 17 11:56:30 2006

 Ahhhhh.... it was asking me to put batteries in the keyboard, which is odd, because it is not a wireless keyboard. So I unplugged it and plugged it in again and it seemed to work... Now I've got setup screens and stuff, which is just great.
John
Sat Jun 17 11:55:32 2006

 I'm wondering... Is it the TV adaptor which needs batteries, as I'm sure the MAC Mini doesn't?
Nigel
Sat Jun 17 11:49:54 2006

 Hi all! OK I'm here now John, so ask away!!!

Though I never remember a battery problem... Is your new Mac Mini an Intel one?

Oh and Well Done on taking the plunge - you'll find it fun!!
Nigel
Sat Jun 17 11:49:02 2006

 I have just got back from the shop, and plugged the mac in. It is showing me a screen which seems to suggest something about batteries. I really haven't got a clue what's going on!
John
Sat Jun 17 11:40:07 2006

 John/Nigel: Can you post a picture of the Mac?
Lox
Sat Jun 17 10:52:15 2006

 A.H.A.H.A.H..... My blood turned cold after reading (and nderstanding alas) the first joke!
Lox
Sat Jun 17 10:51:32 2006

 There are 10 types of people in the world. Those who understand binary and those that don't.
Nerd Joke No. 1
Sat Jun 17 10:46:54 2006

 John: I frankly don't know HOW you can sit there and wait, I would have gone already two times probably, when I get new gadgets (especially the ones that are not working) I completely forget everything around me! :)
Lox
Sat Jun 17 10:45:51 2006

 I have to wait for Chie, because it would mean a trip to the nearby Donki Hote. It is full of crap you don't need, but for some reason Chie loves the place. So to go without her would get me into trouble!
John
Sat Jun 17 10:43:42 2006

 John: Go out IMMEDIATELY to buy a new one!!
Lox
Sat Jun 17 10:35:07 2006

 Actually I haven't been able to do anything with the mac mini yet - I don't have a video cable. I decided to save money and space by not buying a monitor, opting instead to use an adaptor to connect to our TV. Unfortunately the adaptor is just a socket with no cable!
John
Sat Jun 17 10:04:40 2006

 John: As for backup I think that if everyone backup their bit of the site with some sort of program we should be ok... As for me not having adsl it's a bit of a problem, from work it might not do it because of the firewalls... Oh well, I'll have adsl soon in my new florentine home!!!
Lox
Sat Jun 17 09:21:01 2006

 John: YOU WHAT???? MINI MAC FOR YOU as well?!?!? Good man!! I am sure Chie is impressed!
Lox
Sat Jun 17 09:19:43 2006

 I seem to have bought a mac mini.
John
Sat Jun 17 08:22:34 2006

 Hmmmm... 50 minutes in, and it is not much faster than a meg a minute... I don't think it has really scratched the surface yet...! So I've aborted for now. At a very very rough guess, I think it would take at least 24 hours to do a dull download... Maybe event more than that.
John
Sat Jun 17 06:24:03 2006

 As an experiment, I'm now trying to download the entire site. I have a feeling I'll be giving up soon! Does anyone want to take a bet on the amount of files or the total size...?
John
Sat Jun 17 05:53:24 2006

 Just had a quick play with httrack for doing website backups. It just uses HTTP (not FTP) so it won't get any behind-the-scenes stuff like scripts etc, but it does do a very good job of making a local copy of a website (or part thereof). It rejigs all of the links as it goes, so you can browse through it locally - and it also ought to make it easy to transfer to another domain at some point. I gave it a go on Nigel's bit of the site, and was rather pleased with the results. I think what we need ultimately is something that does FTP rather than HTTP, so it gets everything, not just the externally facing files... but anyway, if any of you are feeling nervous after our recent problems and want to backup your bit of the site, this might be a good thing to try out...
John
Sat Jun 17 04:58:42 2006

 There was just no way we could have done a keyword search on URLs - the last batch were just a random string of characters. I think all of us regulars have got passwords now (and if any of you haven't, or have forgotten it, please let me know) - so if you ever do want to post a link to anything, you'll just have to remember to put your password in.... Oh, and URLs don't get auto-converted into links any more. Maybe I'll fix that another time.
John
Sat Jun 17 03:40:11 2006

 Well, I woke up this morning, checked the board, and there were something like 20 spam messages all in a row. So I've gone a bit extreme, and changed the add message script - now you have to use a password even to post a URL. Sorry about that, but it was just getting unmanageable!
John
Sat Jun 17 03:36:44 2006

 On your site I mainly found shoddyness
You ain't seen me right
- Fri Jun 16 23:51:41 2006

 'Vi auguro', not 'vi auguri'.
Sheri Ze Perfectionist
- Fri Jun 16 22:54:11 2006

 Sono totalmente ubriaco e vi auguri una buona notte. Je suis complètement soûl et je vous souhaite une bonne nuit. I'm completely drunk and I wish you a good night.
Sheri
- Fri Jun 16 22:51:26 2006

 John: It seems that the anti-spambot is not working anymore... :( I have read that yesterday that nicked the BIGGEST spammer in the world, and all of a sudden we have a surge in spam... :(
Lox
- Fri Jun 16 22:45:49 2006

 azum biknsrc jfhgvq likzdt jncmwlk jtlxo nqdfepvsa http://www.whyk.ymjgxnc.com
nmpufytj ciaxlhyo
- Fri Jun 16 21:55:52 2006

 yjrxzwc etpns xybpf wusnt iwumjk eonthk giwca
ewngdoajt sufvqae
- Fri Jun 16 21:55:49 2006

 On your site I found information I've searched! Good site, thanks. http://mullers20.front.ru cybersex
cybersex
- Fri Jun 16 21:55:17 2006

 Wow! You were up LATE John! Hope the hangover's not too bad :))

Well, first thing I did on getting home (from work) was to crack a couple of tinnies of "brown sauce"! They were sooooo needed after that week of public-facing!! How I managed it I'll never know. It was horrible, but I survived.

I now plan to play with the new iMac and contine to imbibe!
Nigel
- Fri Jun 16 19:42:15 2006

 Good for you, John!
Travis
- Fri Jun 16 17:41:05 2006

 Well I'm back home now. I managed to find a way to the main road from that station that completely avoided any such venues as mentioned in my earlier post.
John
- Fri Jun 16 17:37:29 2006

 Well, it may not be a case of temptation so much as a simple lack of any alternative!
John
- Fri Jun 16 16:44:08 2006

 John, don't be tempted. Or if you are we shall expect a full report.
Mad Mumsie
- Fri Jun 16 16:37:50 2006

 So... I'm on the last train leaving from the station nearest to where I work. Although it is going towards where I live, it won't actually quite get there. Instead it stops at a place which I've only ever passed through before, and appears to be full of 'hostess clubs'. I wonder if this is a deliberate conspiracy between the club owners and the train company.
John
- Fri Jun 16 16:35:27 2006

 dsp, SQL Server 2003. We did some side-by-side on the last job and I agree that it's a good technique where possible but this system - well, it's a mess.
Rob Lang
- Fri Jun 16 16:02:59 2006

 Thanks MM! I'm always a little aware I might "over punctuate" sometimes. Still, the keys are on the keyboard to be used... :))
Nigel
- Fri Jun 16 15:34:10 2006

 Lox: I think you can get a Limited company up and running for a few hundred quid. Then there's the ongoing account reports which you can either do yourself if you know what you're doing or pay an accountant to do.
dsp
- Fri Jun 16 15:10:16 2006

 Of course I mean congratulate - and I read it through before I added it and still missed it.
Mad Mumsie
- Fri Jun 16 15:04:21 2006

 Nigel: I have just read your latest blog and I must congratulation on the careful use of comma's, full stops, exclamation marks etc. It has a very interesting description of your latest purchase, together with measurements, and the general ambience of the piece was very entertaining.
Mad Mumsie
- Fri Jun 16 15:01:34 2006

 So, come on Sheri, write a blog entry so that we know what you've been up to lately! :)) Bet it's more interesting than mine!
Nigel
- Fri Jun 16 14:53:22 2006

 So much happens while I'm sleeping (or trying to, but my dog was barking because some idiots were outside partying at 3am). Rob: There was actually a film version of my life made already. Russell Crowe portrayed me. It was called Romper Stomper.
Travis
- Fri Jun 16 14:31:38 2006

 I wonder about the derivation of the word "freelance". I mean does it come from some chap with a long pole who'll whack anyone on the head with it for the price of a dropped hanky?
Nigel
- Fri Jun 16 13:28:51 2006

 Dsp: Is Tom still working as a free lance consultant? Is it very expensive to set up a company in the UK?
Lox
- Fri Jun 16 13:12:22 2006

 Careful Nigel.
Mad Mumsie
- Fri Jun 16 12:42:14 2006

 Lunch! That was a mad morning (at work AND on the board!)
Nigel
- Fri Jun 16 12:33:08 2006

 dsp - don't mention the Scottish play.
Mad Mumsie
- Fri Jun 16 12:17:49 2006

 Rob: What database system are you talking to?
dsp
- Fri Jun 16 12:15:49 2006

 Spam is anoying at the best of time. But that is spam without a point, therefore, it's pointless spam.
dsp
- Fri Jun 16 12:15:11 2006

 Lox: Yes I have - big time!
dsp
- Fri Jun 16 12:13:58 2006

 MM: OK - you didn't missed out William.
dsp
- Fri Jun 16 12:13:43 2006

 MM: You missed out Hamish William McBeth
dsp
- Fri Jun 16 12:13:23 2006

 For really bad he gets the lot ROBERT IAN WILLIAM LANG. Weren't we clever to give him such an interesting name.
Mad Mumsie
- Fri Jun 16 12:03:20 2006

 Dsp: 500pence a day? Isn't that below the minimum contract? :) Actually have you ever considered working on your own?
Lox
- Fri Jun 16 11:55:52 2006

 ztjwhiad riyb zjaycgnih bwzaidpe mdesu rowxbnmzs vxfheormk http://www.nyewgdqls.lxzdurb.com
qfdmbx divlp
- Fri Jun 16 11:46:33 2006

 oyczi cgupjqi sieunfbz sovd lier cvxrgm vlzg
yvjiqmoh halpo
- Fri Jun 16 11:46:27 2006

 Rob: Another migration technique that we use is that you can deploy ASP.Net pages and old ASP side-by-side within the same application. So some features are implemented using the old ASP, and other pages are new ASP.Net ones. Because the browser only looks at one at a time and all params are pass via the client as HTTP cookies, POST or GET data you can implement new features/rewrite old ones phasing out the ASP as you go. Tell your boss I am available for consultancy work at 500/day.
dsp
- Fri Jun 16 11:45:24 2006

 John: Say hello to Watanabe san from me!
Lox
- Fri Jun 16 11:39:44 2006

 MM: You forgot the "IAN", or do you save it for the real "bad" occasions? ;)
Lox
- Fri Jun 16 11:38:27 2006

 Right then, well I think that's enough work for me for one week so I'm going to leave the office now. I really fancy a night out, but haven't got anything planned... Perhaps Ikebukuro is calling...?
John
- Fri Jun 16 11:38:26 2006

 ROBERT LANG be nice.
Mad Mumsie
- Fri Jun 16 11:34:02 2006

 No comment.
Rob Lang
- Fri Jun 16 11:33:07 2006

 Rob: AHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAH :) So you are telling me that your sister is a Dracula's kin? Interesting! :)
Lox
- Fri Jun 16 11:32:45 2006

 ktbwpri crsw ifryqlxte ftezdobxy uxavm jqabko pkwaft http://www.daqpw.zlqe.com
xtbyzup dsejxvzah
- Fri Jun 16 11:31:58 2006

 pjwcna nhxjvk simjbak xedisuzj igadyn tervk etmwqsuhl
maryqxtsz zfkdy
- Fri Jun 16 11:31:56 2006

 Lox, she reads a lot of Bram Stoker. Mostly stories about Bethan's mother.
Rob Lang
- Fri Jun 16 11:30:47 2006

 MM: What stories do you read to Bethan?
Lox
- Fri Jun 16 11:29:54 2006

 Just ASP. Only ASP. The only component we use is ODBC. In future, we're going to freeze the code and move to C# .NET, thank god. I hate the current system because the way it's been hacked together - certainly not the fault of ASP (I've seen some nasty nested shorthand C++ 'if' statements - 20 levels deep - that made me cry). However, the language itself has not been extended or modernised like PHP has. That's ok, MS are moving away from ASP to ASP.NET 2.0, which is a different world entirely. Thanks for the tip, though, I will bear it in mind.
Rob Lang
- Fri Jun 16 11:27:18 2006

 Probably it is the same as the Windows vs Linux argument - the more widely deployed commercial product will always be a bigger target for hackers than the lesser deployed open source one. I wouldn't be surprised if Firefox actually had *more* security holes than IE, it's just they're never targetted. I can't believe that open source developers really have the resources or the enthusiasm to go into every last tiny little corner of the codebase checking for flaws. Writing secure software is not easy, not quick, and by implication not cheap!
John
- Fri Jun 16 11:26:54 2006

 Rob: Are you using just ASP or ASP talking to VB6 components? Our legacy apps use ASP but all the heavy lifting is implemented in VB6 Components. At least you've got compiled code and more than just variants in VB6. If you are not, I would suggest it as a maintenance strategy.
dsp
- Fri Jun 16 11:24:17 2006

 So, Borland, then. (Seeing as we're 'soft basshing today). Should the Project Manager for Access attempt to steal database code from Borland? Is that good business practise? Discuss. :)
Rob Lang
- Fri Jun 16 11:22:40 2006

 The think I like about the Maison is the way the posts don't always necessarily follow on. It makes for interesting reading.
Mad Mumsie
- Fri Jun 16 11:21:50 2006

 Will just mention, to be fair, that IE7 is still in Beta so is probably filled with debug code. I will save judgement until after it is released.
Rob Lang
- Fri Jun 16 11:21:05 2006

 Rob: Actually in what way do you think it is a copy? Is it basically just those tabbed windows? In which case, Firefox didn't invent those - that was Opera. Actually after an initial dalliance with tabbed windows, I quickly decided this wasn't for me - I like to have all windows of all programs in one place (the task bar) - and incidentally I hate that thing in XP where it tries to group similar windows together. One of the first things I turn off after every new install. I do actually by choice use Firefox at home, but I'm almost not exactly sure why I do - I just have a vague idea it is more reliable and secure. I haven't any solid proof that either of these are really true.
John
- Fri Jun 16 11:20:19 2006

 No I don't read the stories. My granddaughter is enough for me, I don't think I could cope with 30 of the little darlings, especially the ones in this area - say no more, nudge nudge wink wink. See I can quote Python as well.
Mad Mumsie
- Fri Jun 16 11:19:30 2006

 John, please do ask them if they're going to make it as good as FF. We're using it as a testing platform here and it doesn't work nearly as neatly or as well as FF. Do you use FF in the office, John?
Rob Lang
- Fri Jun 16 11:18:58 2006

 Having been working in ASP for the past 2 months, it's not nearly as power as PHP. The reason is that it's not supported anymore - .NET is the replacement for it. .NET is much better than PHP. PHP is still supported though, so it is going to be much better than ASP. The ASP class system uses up ENORMOUS amounts of memory. From a personal point of view, VBScript is just plain ugly. Ugly ugly ugly.
Rob Lang
- Fri Jun 16 11:17:26 2006

 John: While they are awya, hack into the program and set IE7 to point to "la Maison" as default!!! MUHUHUUHUMAUAHAHUAHAUHMM They'll never find who did it!
Lox
- Fri Jun 16 11:14:46 2006

 John: I am waiting for Rob's retort to back him up, of course I couldn't even attempt to reply to what you just said... :) Isn't all that "new web concept of interactiviry HTML2" thing programmed in jave by the way?
Lox
- Fri Jun 16 11:13:44 2006

 Actually Rob, it turns out there are some people working on that very software product you mention in large pink letters in this room. I'll just nip over and ask shall I?
John
- Fri Jun 16 11:12:40 2006

 MM: Do you get to read the stories to children as well? I used to love fire drills at 2 in the night at SIBLEY HALL!!!
Lox
- Fri Jun 16 11:11:32 2006

 Honestly though, at the risk of opening a horrid can of worms, is PHP really any better than ASP? OK, I admit VB Script is a bit naff as languages go, but I believe with ASP you have some freedom over the language you use for the scripty bit, and so you could do that all with JavaScript instead. I've been working with JavaScript a bit recently, and I've realised that is actually a pretty good script language - you can do all sorts of neat things you can't do in C++, like adding methods to classes at runtime, turning functions to strings and vice verse.
John
- Fri Jun 16 11:10:28 2006

 Hi MM... Some sanity on the board at last!! Hope everything worked properly!! :)
Nigel
- Fri Jun 16 11:10:22 2006

 IE7 will not even get close to my computer, even when I install VISTA! Now I am a total FFox addict thanks to DSP!! :)
Lox
- Fri Jun 16 11:09:48 2006

 Who put that q on the end of my name. Must be because I went to see "Avenue Q" last evening. A really funny show, based on the characters from the American children's show called Sesame Street. I can assure you that there was absolutely NOTHING in it for children. You may have heard the expression "near the mark" - this show was on the mark and sometimes over. Very funny indeed.
Mad Mumsie
- Fri Jun 16 11:08:38 2006

 Rob/John... Please explain. I'm baffled! Has Borland bought a large OS company. Is PHP the new designer drug? (:))
Nigel
- Fri Jun 16 11:07:05 2006
AND IS IE7 JUST A FIREFOX COPY?

Rob Lang
- Fri Jun 16 11:07:01 2006

 We've just had a bit of excitement - a fire drill. Mainly so that they can test how long it takes to get 30 under 5's out of the children's library during story time. Glad it wasn't raining.
Mad Mumsieq
- Fri Jun 16 11:05:54 2006

 It would be hard to suggest anything other than the fact that I totally brought that on myself.
John
- Fri Jun 16 11:04:51 2006

 John: Why did you "feel" that a PHP message was about to come? We weren't talking about HOW GOOD IS PHP even though I cannot use it to save my life, I join Rob's bandwagon just because I know that it annoys you! :)
Lox
- Fri Jun 16 11:02:20 2006

 So, Borland, then... was it nicked?
Rob Lang
- Fri Jun 16 10:56:58 2006

PHP IS REALLY GOOD AND FREE!

Didn't want to disappoint you, John. ;-)
Rob Lang
- Fri Jun 16 10:56:25 2006

 Sigh... I suppose some comment about PHP is imminent.
John
- Fri Jun 16 10:50:22 2006

 John: Before.... I mean they OVERPAY the TV engeneers already, how much do you think that management would get!?
Lox
- Fri Jun 16 10:30:47 2006

 Is that dollar a year before or after tax?
John
- Fri Jun 16 10:22:28 2006

 Well I haven't dared to venture out further onto the Internet news sites, but I think I catch the drift of what's happened! Interesting to see how the industry reacts. Perhaps he'll have to come back for a dollar a year as Steve did...
Nigel
- Fri Jun 16 10:21:27 2006

 Yea I was watching the video of that Bill Gates announcement this morning, however to my very slight frustration Chie seemed to know about it before I did. In practice, it's hardly going to make any difference - he's not leaving for two years, he's still going to stay on in a part-time consulting capacity after that, and Steve Ballmer has been running things the last few years anyway. Actually I think it is great he is going to devote most of his time to his charity work. As Steve B said, he is probably going to be remembered as one of the greatest philanthropists of all time - if nothing else because no-one has ever had that much money to give away before!
John
- Fri Jun 16 10:00:20 2006

 Oh yes, I have fond memories of "Monsieur Spot, le Chien", and "L'ours qui s'apelle Teddy, il va pour un picnique".
John
- Fri Jun 16 09:55:03 2006

 SHOCKER!!!!!
Our friend BILL left the company (or better he's got a prospect to leave) because of JOHN!! SHAME ON YOU Dr.Hawkins!
Lox
- Fri Jun 16 09:53:23 2006

 Classics dsp! (Or should that be "classiques!") :))
Nigel
- Fri Jun 16 09:49:25 2006

 Travis: How about the French equivalent to Spot The Dog or Teddy Goes on a Picnic?
dsp
- Fri Jun 16 09:28:00 2006

 Morning all! John - sounds interesting!! "OS X" can be a bit odd at first but is quite clever. And Mac Minis are such quality machines, and look superb! :))

Right.. Must away to my public....
Nigel
- Fri Jun 16 09:13:21 2006

 John: And yes you are right, Rob and Sheri are rather histrionic personas, and the fact that he calls me ugly it's actually feels quite good! :)
Lox
- Fri Jun 16 08:19:51 2006

 Sheri: CRAP!!! I told you NOT to post thoose pictures on that gay-porn site!!!! Come on! We all know that John is a "regular" among thoose circles!!! Now we have been caught red-handed!! :(
Lox
- Fri Jun 16 08:18:02 2006

 T-Boy: You grew up in the harsh burbs of Philly, eh? (of course, I knew that, I was pulling your leg) I'm surprised you don't have scares from the rumbles in the 'hood.
Rob Lang
- Fri Jun 16 08:17:49 2006

 For those who like to cook, Beano is doing this great promotion where you and a best friend submit a recipe. Go to www.beanogas.com. The grand prize winners get a trip to a luxurious spa. I’m spreading the word on behalf of Beano.
asakura
- Fri Jun 16 07:01:48 2006

 Hell and damnation, Lox !! John knows about us !!! What shall we do now ?! I bet he's jealous.
Sheri
- Fri Jun 16 06:23:45 2006

 John: The Stranger is only 120-160 pages depending upon the version. I read a couple of paragraphs per day, with a (seemingly fine) translation on hand. It's not much of a struggle. And it's Camus. It's good fun. I may soon ask you a similar question for German, but I know absolutely nothing in German except for Vorsokratiker, sheiBe.
Travis
- Fri Jun 16 05:50:19 2006

 Travis: It's been more than 10 years since I properly attempted to read anything in French, and even then I don't think I ever attempted anything as ambitious as a whole book! Just the odd newspaper and magazine article.
John
- Fri Jun 16 05:44:49 2006

 To those of you who know French quite well, I ask a question: What's something fairly easy, but good, to read? I'm reading Camus right now, which is a great mix of the two...at least The Stranger. My French isn't great right now, but I'd like to keep up with it in this manner instead of taking another course in French. Thanks in advance.
Travis
- Fri Jun 16 03:51:35 2006

 Rob: I didn't see that comment about being a redneck until now. I assure you I'm no redneck. My neck is a bit sunburned right now, but I grew up in the subsuburb of a suburb of Philadelphia. It wasn't until I was 23 that I spent more than six months in Texas. I do enjoy Lubbock, fateor enim.
Travis
- Fri Jun 16 03:50:28 2006

 Incidentally, I do find Belgium a tad confusing - I was reading about this recently in a Bill Bryson book. It is almost like two separate countries. So you've got the Flemish region in the North (sometimes called Flanders, but apparently that name is a bit ambiguous) and the Walloon region in the South, or Wallonia. The former is predominantly Flemish speaking (which is pretty similar to Dutch I believe) whilst the latter is predominantly French speaking. To confuse matters, according to wikipedia, Brussels is considered a whole other region in itself, despite being a little island cut out of the Flemish region (Flemland sounds so much better), and I think it is largely French speaking there.

Now I *believe* Sheri grew up in Brussels, so I imagine that means he is neither Flemish nor a Wallonian, but a Bruxellian...? ...and anyway, he bit of the site says he was born in Africa, and with a "real name" which is distinctly English sounding (but apparently Irish).
John
- Fri Jun 16 02:48:51 2006

 Sheri/Rob: come now, let's not fight! When Sheri calls someone ugly, it is merely one of this strange terms of affection - I am deeply upset that he has never chosen to call me ugly - he has been calling Lox ugly for months, and we all know they are secretly having an affair... and when Rob says Flemish, it is only with the same playful mirth that he would inappropriately call me a Northerner,