Interesting subjects though Travis! Well I filled up the other day for 87.9p per litre - which equals £3.99 per gallon - which is equal to $6.98. Mind you Travis, I think we lose track of the actual oil price because we pay so much tax in the price!
Nigel
Oswestry, Home - Wed Aug 31 23:09:04 2005

 94-99p litre.
tom
- Wed Aug 31 22:50:24 2005

 Statement: I'm probably in over my head in the early goings of my Classics MA. We're translating at leat 60 lines of Latin every other night and 60-80+ of Greek per night. I'm also doing an independent study that is 50 lines per week. And I'm TAing two classes, World of Egypt and Mythology. It's too much work currently. Hope it eases up (read: I get better).
Travis
- Wed Aug 31 22:27:29 2005

 Question: What are you lads (and ladies) paying for "petrol"? It was just $2.40 something per gallon, but it's gone up to $2.75...in one evening.
Travis
- Wed Aug 31 22:25:40 2005

 Right I'm going to bed now, it's gone 1AM here...
John
- Wed Aug 31 17:16:05 2005

 So as not to muddy the waters, there were also other bottles of olive oil significantly cheaper than this... and of course for many oriental cuisines other types of oil are more suitable anyway... So in general I for one am not worried about oil prices.
John
- Wed Aug 31 17:07:33 2005

 Tom: regarding oil prices, I saw a bottle of olive oil in Japan the other day for something like 2400 Yen - about 12 quid. Personally I would have been happy to pay this as it looked nice, and actually worked out cheaper than buying it in Italy (when you factor in the air fare from Japan, etc).
John
- Wed Aug 31 17:00:18 2005

 I am vastly drunk. Kev, I hope you will learn from this - being unemployed gives you far more opportunities to be rascally inebriated - and this is a good thing!
John
- Wed Aug 31 16:55:48 2005

 she has to sit an test too ?
Kev
- Wed Aug 31 15:31:54 2005

 Oooo. Abigail was breached and Clare had to have an emergency section. Its good that you know in advance unlike us. Have they given Sarah exercises to do?
dsp
- Wed Aug 31 15:17:36 2005

 Sarah is doing ok. Not liking the heat, but ok. The baby is breech at the moment, which might mean a caesarean. They will try to turn it round next friday though.
tom
- Wed Aug 31 14:28:01 2005

 There is a derivate contract on oil that will get you the actual barrel to your house. this happens if you wait for the contract to end without specifying that you don't want the barrels.Problem is that usually Futures and Derivates are very expensive, I think that the minimum amount (and you'll be considered a bum by the financial community), is 250.000 Euro, 175.000pounds... Did I mention that you can loose everything withing the hour if you are VERY UNLUCKY?
Lox
- Wed Aug 31 14:16:22 2005

 Hey Tom, how is Sarah doing?
dsp
- Wed Aug 31 14:10:12 2005

 ...although my neighbours migth complain...
tom
- Wed Aug 31 13:55:08 2005

 What is the current price of Oil? Can we not buy, say a few hundred barrels and stash 'em somewhere?
tom
- Wed Aug 31 13:54:47 2005

 Kittens?
John: Do you think that we might update the main page to link the food-wiki?
Lox
- Wed Aug 31 10:43:02 2005

 Duh.... I'm still looking for those kittens..... :/
Nigel
Wrexham, ... - Wed Aug 31 10:25:11 2005

 Just if you were wondering I have stocks in an ETF that invests in raw materials, where oil is the greater part of their investments. Checking closely also palladium, coffee and mineral water.
Lox
- Wed Aug 31 10:14:48 2005

 Dsp: I am not an expert, but your closing statement is perfectly right. All the fluctuation that you see now is much due to speculation, China and India had a responsibility 1 1/2 years ago with the first shock (40$ x barrel against the classic 28$), as they bought more than they needed to create reserves. Now it's all paper shuffling, and general bullshitting from the news and government (as they protect their own interests). I personally hope that oil will reach a PRICE BREAK POINT, a point where is not more economical using it, that will help in moving towards better sources of energy, like sun-cells. Of course if that was to be the case it will be NASTY for many years as oil (and energy in general) usage will be restricted (as happened in 1970s). Since I don't think that governments will try to capsize the current power structures (of which they are part), the only thing that I can think of are: once I have MY house I will install solar panels FOR SURE, will buy TOYOTA hybrid car as soon as it comes out here, in Japan they are performing miracles in terms of savings and pollution reduction. The argument that prices are rising so is oil is pure nonsense, IMHO...
Lox
- Wed Aug 31 10:13:16 2005

 dsp:have you missed the work '"peak" from somewhere in your last post ?
Kev
- Wed Aug 31 09:48:54 2005

 Lox: OK, time to talk economics. I've heard some notable economists talking about oil. One reckons that oil at $200 a barrel will happen in the not so distant future. The other disagrees and says that as it approaches that price, cheaper alternatives would quickly come to market. Another says that the current high price of petrol etc. is not so high when you consider it in real terms (everything is more expensive these days). Personally, I think that the recent hikes are less to do with demand/scarecity and more to do with the actions of speculators who are switched onto oil and have moved in for a quick profit. What is your view?
dsp
- Wed Aug 31 09:39:25 2005

 Er... look over there... kittens!
dsp
- Wed Aug 31 09:35:00 2005

 Lox: Sounds like dsp is at "alpha" at the moment. Still that never stopped venture-capitalists pumping in millions if you can sell them on the idea... and the idea is... ? Over to you dsp!!
Nigel
Wrexham, ... - Wed Aug 31 09:08:59 2005

 Ok I have already booked the stand at E3 and Computex (Taipei). Tim, is this beta ready or not ?!?! Booked the Imperial palace in Tokyo (with laundry service and mexican beverages) for the convention that we are going to have in Japan next December!
Ah forgot to ask, what are we selling again?
Lox
- Wed Aug 31 08:59:12 2005

 I think you should join dsp's start-up Lox - you could be his ace salesman!! Tom could be security chief! Kev could work from Silicon Fen, Travis would produce the promo videos...(John would obviously orchestrate an MS buy-out in three years time and make you all rich!) I'd volunteer to sweep the floors the way things are going at this place!! :(
Nigel
Wrexham, Working... - Wed Aug 31 08:47:41 2005

 I recon there must be a HND level qualification you could do - or even a degree at, say, the Open University? At least the light would be at the end of the tunnel so to speak.
tom
- Wed Aug 31 08:22:26 2005

 I'd also exchange it because I like computers, OSs, networks and so on... Maybe I like the fact that they do what I tell them, they are not erratic like most of my clients and bosses. Problem is, with no degree no employment in the IT industry (even hardware makers and so on)... I am trapped!
Lox
- Wed Aug 31 08:14:55 2005

 :-(
tom
- Wed Aug 31 08:01:37 2005

 Tom: To be honest in this point of my life where everything seems to go bad again, I'd exchange Japanese with NetBDs (and Linux or similar OS)... It seems that nobody here wants to employ an Economist with a joint honour degree, polyglot and with computer skills above the average...
Lox
- Wed Aug 31 07:52:23 2005

 Lox: Yes, but the most Japanese that Tim and I can manage is Dun Gai!
tom
- Wed Aug 31 07:22:03 2005

 ...errr, or even the 1st September.
John
- Wed Aug 31 05:14:50 2005

 Bloody hell - the whole month message board is getting really, really unmanageable now.... roll on the 1st of October!
John
- Wed Aug 31 03:56:00 2005

 Nigel: Thanks for the pointer, just researching at the moment.
dsp
- Tue Aug 30 23:36:38 2005

 Perfect I have added another recipe... You can see that i have just done my grocery shopping 4 days ago!! From tomorrow I will have to come out with something with frozen food!! :) Oh well..
Lox
- Tue Aug 30 20:33:43 2005

 Nigel... help... I am drowning.... I had a peek at the mono page... gurgle gurgle gurgle.... I'll go back to my little crappy laptop with no avi and sound because I can't configure linux!
Lox
- Tue Aug 30 20:00:55 2005

 Lox: I'm swimming, doggy-paddle style, and getting out of my depth here pretty rapidly... :)
Nigel
Os, .. - Tue Aug 30 19:54:11 2005

 Hi again guys. Well is this your own start-up dsp? Not sure if I'm reading the requirement correctly, but as we're in recommendation mode, how about www.clarkconnect.com ? Costs a little money, so maybe it fulfils the role of write-off against profits and all that hocus-pocus... :) Otherwise the hardware isn't going to cost the earth.
Nigel
Oswestry, Home now... - Tue Aug 30 19:51:34 2005

 Tom, Tim: I am completely lost!! I bow to your prowess and expertise!!
Lox
- Tue Aug 30 19:42:15 2005

 dsp: have you played with python.net, I found these links http://www.zope.org/Members/Brian/PythonNet http://www.ironpython.com/ have you tried any of them ?
Kev
- Tue Aug 30 18:37:44 2005

 Thanks for those leads, off home now :-)
dsp
- Tue Aug 30 17:28:02 2005

 Dunno off the top of my head. Possibly. http://www.netfilter.org/ but this does: http://www.linuxvirtualserver.org/index.html
tom
- Tue Aug 30 17:16:45 2005

 Tom: a small startup may not be able to afford such luxuries. But would need a good-enough firewall. Do you know if 'IP Tables' supports dynamic load-balancing? e.g. single IP mapping to multiple IPs?
dsp
- Tue Aug 30 17:10:41 2005

 Nigel: Microsoft published their source-code for the open-source community to port to other platforms. They could not do this themselves because the press would accuse them of being Java Wannabees. The mono project has implemented the critical MS base libraries allowing C# programs to be ported to nix. If you want to quickly scale a web application this gives you a low-cost option.
dsp
- Tue Aug 30 17:09:07 2005

 Well, IP tables is capable of being a full firewall too. NAT and routing are also ok. I guess the question is cost versus effort really. If you want it cheap, then build a firewal yourself. If you want someone to beat up if the attacks get through, buy one!
tom
- Tue Aug 30 17:06:16 2005

 But dsp, isn't Mono a C# project and therefore tying in to Microsoft platforms at some level? I notice the spec gives a fine list of OSs it supports. Are you interested because you write a lot of .NET framework stuff? Why not go to Linux for your web-farm? Sorry if I sound naive, or am missing a vital point... I'm not at you guys level of programming etc. so please forgive any daft questions... :(
Nigel
Wrexham, On the way out... - Tue Aug 30 17:05:44 2005

 It's the kernel level firewall built into Linux these days.
tom
- Tue Aug 30 17:04:57 2005

 The web servers may not be linux, these may be Windows.
dsp
- Tue Aug 30 17:04:43 2005

 Is 'IP Tables' a piece of software?
dsp
- Tue Aug 30 17:04:07 2005

 See: http://www.levenez.com/unix/history.html for the history of unix. We printed this out and it ran across three walls of the room we were in. Time well spent obviously.
tom
- Tue Aug 30 17:03:34 2005

 You could have each server firewall itself if you don't need address translation. Ip tables is fine.
tom
- Tue Aug 30 17:01:51 2005

 Yup if memory serves.
tom
- Tue Aug 30 17:01:14 2005

 You could certainly use most 'proper' linuxes to host a webfarm or run the firewall in front of them. I'd probably go for a custom build firewall distro though. IPCop used to have a good reputation. (still??)
tom
- Tue Aug 30 17:00:56 2005

 RL1 presumably is a single process?
dsp
- Tue Aug 30 16:59:09 2005

 Ideally with support for some kind of Network Load Balancing. Looking to build a load balanced web farm without buying expensive switches and firewall.
dsp
- Tue Aug 30 16:58:10 2005

 NetBSD isn't so hard. I mean, it's only taken three hours to get apache running again.
tom
- Tue Aug 30 16:58:07 2005

 In fact, the whole thing is controlled by a file (in linux) which tells the server which runlevel to load at boot time. Run level 3 is multiuser (like Suma3) and runlevel 5 is GUI. Oddly, 5 is also multiuser in nature. Also, you have to be careful. RL5 on Linux is GUI, on Solaris it is poweroff!!!
tom
- Tue Aug 30 16:57:33 2005

 Tom: Does NetBSD or other distro that you know of contain a commercial quality firewall capable of supporting a heavy traffic web farm?
dsp
- Tue Aug 30 16:57:22 2005

 LOL! As Nigel says, most Unices can be run without a GUI. I think the only exceptions I can think of are OSX and NextStep. But basically, these could be run in commandline mode if you were mad.
tom
- Tue Aug 30 16:55:45 2005

 Sorry, no php or mysql here, dsp... (Ihink that's evident from my previous posts) We were always pretty restricted in our "creativeness". I only use Linux at home now... Tom's now a hero because he uses BSD... No one told me he was "hard" !!!
Nigel
Wrexham, ... - Tue Aug 30 16:53:08 2005

 Sorry, got carried away there.... FreeBSD is free... Linux can be run in text-mode only. Infact you can boot to it from a single floppy if you're a masochist... GTK's good too... Yes, Doctor? It's time to go back? Oh, ok then..... :/
Nigel
Wrexham, ... - Tue Aug 30 16:44:09 2005

 Rather excitingly, the Mono project is a C# implementation that runs on unix/linux. Hmm... http://www.mono-project.com/
dsp
- Tue Aug 30 16:40:44 2005

 So if I started some projects that required some unix/linux sysadmin work could I call on you guys? Any experience of PHP and MySQL?
dsp
- Tue Aug 30 16:39:47 2005

 I mean a PC that boots up with linux or a derivative. I think I detected some linux-snobbery from Tom, is NetBSD not the same thing as linux? Is it another strain of unix?
dsp
- Tue Aug 30 16:37:35 2005

 dsp: Of course!!! Mind you I'm talking big-boys Linux... You know UNIX. When I was "active" sysadmin it was SCO UNIX and AIX from IBM. All text-only! I really think Linux has done the world a service because it has proved a GUI can make an OS just as usable as Windows etc. More improtantly the X-Window libraries. NetBSD (you little devil Tom!) is serious stuff but free.... An all-important factor I feel!! Yes please, piccies of your servers!!!! (Sorry- bit geeky there!)
Nigel
Wrexham, ... - Tue Aug 30 16:36:32 2005

 Dsp: I am not a buff or anything, but I think that you can choose what form of linux you like, if you want the cold linux prompt I believe the computer can be talked into prompting it! But maybe I am misunderstanding your question.. what do you mean by linux box?
Lox
- Tue Aug 30 16:28:56 2005

 Tom and other linux buffs. Do most 'production' linux boxes run without a GUI ?
dsp
- Tue Aug 30 16:21:15 2005

 I may post pictures.
tom
- Tue Aug 30 16:03:17 2005

 Not at work. The wiki webserver is an old Dell box in my roof. I wish more people would use NetBSD because it's got so few vulnerabilities.
tom
- Tue Aug 30 16:02:54 2005

 Tom: woooo I thought that Linux was hard!! I have to reset my scale... Do you use NetBS at work?
Lox
- Tue Aug 30 15:58:01 2005

 John: My japanese mother (hostmother) used to use the dictonary to read the newspaper sometimes. She has a uni degree and everything, but still there are some kanjis that she cannot recognize!
Lox
- Tue Aug 30 15:57:08 2005

 Lox: it is running http://www.netbsd.org which is far more hardcore and difficult than this wuss linux stuff you speak of!! ;-)
tom
- Tue Aug 30 15:45:23 2005

 The server is back. AND the image processing software is nicely updated: http://www.loosefruit.co.uk/juice/
tom
- Tue Aug 30 15:44:44 2005

 On our recent trip around Hokkaido and the North of Japan, it transpired that Chie did not always know how to pronounce Japanese placenames based on the kanji alone. After this revelation I breathed a sigh of relief!
John
- Tue Aug 30 15:33:30 2005

 I think bukuro and fukuro are two ways of reading the same kanji - the hiragana for "bu" and "fu" are very similar as you no doubt know (bu is a modified form of fu). According to Chie the "ike" part means pond. Anyway, more important than all of that there two really good whisky bars there! Oh and a restaurant I really like too... and I imagine I have only scratched the surface so far - there is no doubt still a lot more to discover!
John
- Tue Aug 30 15:25:05 2005

 Is the wiki running under linux Tom?
Lox
- Tue Aug 30 14:00:47 2005

 The wiki server is down at the moment though - trying to add a better graphics library. But the server runs on NetBSD so this is a struggle. And Apache won't start due to an unavailable library. Doh.
tom
- Tue Aug 30 13:56:12 2005

 Thanks tom!
Lox
- Tue Aug 30 13:51:50 2005

 Lox: http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/MediaWiki_FAQ#Usage
tom
- Tue Aug 30 13:29:27 2005

 Mmm interesting, in Japanese Fukuro means bag as a matter of fact. maybe the "Bu" part might have somethign to do with pond... MARVELLOUS language I love it! Anyways can you get drunk in this palce?
Lox
- Tue Aug 30 13:20:58 2005

 Yes Lorenzo - apparently the locals in Ikebukuro call it "Bukuro" for short, and I have seen fit to add a "The" on the front for a bit of extra status. Apparently the name means something like "pond shaped like a bag", as once upon a time there were lots of ponds there and one of them was, err, shaped like a bag.
John
- Tue Aug 30 13:13:51 2005

 Lox: I think the "Monkey" sounds are from a cult TV series of yesteryear. Think it was an off-beat bit of madness! Maybe wrong though! :)
Nigel
Wrexham, ... - Tue Aug 30 13:00:04 2005

 John: Not sure about these Monkeys, I have never seen them before, I am sure that your "I am a cat loving veggie" sound (when the mail comes) would piss off even the calmest and nicer meditation scholar...
Lox
- Tue Aug 30 11:26:07 2005

 Yes, I've always fancied a kind-of Jeeves type voice. A sort of coughing politely through rolled fingers "ah...hemm. A telegram for you Sir!". Not found one yet. Suppose I could try recording one myself. Trouble is, doubt I'd have the "gravitas" to carry it off.
Nigel
Wrexham, ... - Tue Aug 30 11:24:54 2005

 Tom: Thanks! I am now trying to understand how to have a picture with link... Is there an help page that I can check for syntax?
John: Well Tokyo is like a second Florence to me! But it's soooo big that there is NO CHANCE that we will know the same places, so I'll wait eagerly to go "Bukuro"-ing with you! (I assume they are in Ikebukuro these places, right?).
Lox
- Tue Aug 30 11:24:37 2005

 I have modified my install of Windows with a number of sound effects from that classic TV series Monkey. I think it's great now whenever I receive an email etc, however it appears to be pissing Chie off somewhat.
John
- Tue Aug 30 11:11:08 2005

 Mmmmm Caol Ila Cask Strength.... sweeeeeeeet. (actually not that sweet, more salty, but saaaaaaaalty wouln't have quite the same effect).
John
- Tue Aug 30 11:08:56 2005

 Lox - excellent! It would be really cool if we could go out on the town together in Tokyo - I know a few places now, and I guess you must know some places too... I can take you to my favourite hangouts in "The Bukuro"!
John
- Tue Aug 30 11:07:02 2005

 Looking good lox. you worked out how to add pictures too!
tom
- Tue Aug 30 10:59:20 2005

 john: Will let you know exact schedule do not worry. I have to be in Shinjuku at the hotel but we can hang out during weeekends and evening (if you like).
Lox
- Tue Aug 30 10:54:47 2005

 John: I guess a web-cam might be "de rigeur" when your working for MS! (Get Bill looming up at you, checking your coding...:p) A couple of my friends and family have been nudging me into getting one so I caved in. (Apple iSight for those interersted...) As I say not sure about how it all works. Last thing I want is my own ugly mug staring back at me from a window! Can use something called "iChat AV" I think... :/
Nigel
Wrexham, ... - Tue Aug 30 10:33:57 2005

 Nigel - thanks for the reminder! I keep thinking about getting a webcam but keep forgetting! I have a good internet connection at the moment (at Chie's family's house) so I ought to get pretty good performance out of it I would have thought.
John
- Tue Aug 30 10:14:52 2005

 Lox - did I mis an earlier message...? Are you going to be in Tokyo at the end of October / start of November then...? I am provisionally going to be starting work on 1st October, so assuming everything is OK we will probably me moving to Tokyo then. Yes I guess we will get an appartment, although possibly for the first month or so it may be one of those "weekly mansion" things until we find something a bit more permanent.
John
- Tue Aug 30 10:12:37 2005

 John, you are booked from the 26th of OCTOBER till the 4th of November !!! You MUST come out with us! Are you going to have a flat in Tokyo? Where? Is Chie coming too (I assume)?
Lox
- Tue Aug 30 09:56:32 2005

 Nigel: Setting the webcam is easy, the internet connection will affect a lot the quality and lag of the image. I think that in the near future we'll be able to have good quality but for now it's not the end of the world... BETTER THAN NOTHING of course. If you set this thing up we could make a group on Yahoo or Skype, they both allow conferencing as far as I know!
Lox
- Tue Aug 30 09:55:33 2005

 Hi all! Lox: the wiki is great - I'm now hungry all the time! John: Now you're staying in Japan for the foreseable, why not get a web-cam? Or something for conferencing with your mates? (Not necessarily the board though, I understand) The reason I mention it is because I've just ordered one. Not sure about software and setup yet as I've never used one before but I'm hoping it'll help me keep in touch with family and friends etc... :)
Nigel
Wrexham, Working... - Tue Aug 30 09:45:16 2005

 You're going to be in London? Great news! Let's go for a dri... oh... bugger... I'm in Japan aren't I?
John
- Tue Aug 30 09:26:56 2005

 Ciao John and Dsp... I am actually coming to london on thursday+Friday... How's the weather in England?
John+Dsp: what do you think of the wiki? Any ideas on how to improve it?
Lox
- Tue Aug 30 09:24:24 2005

 Hello boys and girls!!
dsp
- Tue Aug 30 09:01:27 2005

 Morning Lorenzo (actually late afternoon here though)!
John
- Tue Aug 30 08:33:18 2005

 Morning everyone!
Lox
- Tue Aug 30 08:28:46 2005

 Lox, I've considered it. I've had low car pasta sauces of various types. The alfredo sauce I've had is good...the rest have been unimpressive, but I'm sure I can just rework a traditional recipe and make it low carb. I'll probably be posting less frequently for a while. School's in session and I'm swamped already.
Travis
- Mon Aug 29 23:27:40 2005

 Tonight I have added a new recipe, this time I decided to make a main dish, the veggies will hate me, but I like my meat... :P
Lox
- Mon Aug 29 20:36:12 2005

 A friend of mine who knows linux better than me said that it's easier to build a computer TO install Linux on, than to install Linux on any computer... My problems are mostly due to drivers milling or not working... Still for the use of that laptop that's more than enough as I need to go on the internet, dowload stuff, surf and check my mail..
Lox
- Mon Aug 29 20:35:13 2005

 Hi Lox. Yes, mostly. I still have a Windows PC which we will use until I have found the necessary equivalents in the MAC world to my Windows applications. The Windows PC also has a Linux partition on it too!! :P
Nigel
Oswestry, ... - Mon Aug 29 20:27:31 2005

 Nige: Did you move completely to Mac? I am still struggling with linux, I have tried to install an AVI player but it doesn't work... gosh it's hard but I am going to make it work!!!
Lox
- Mon Aug 29 17:19:15 2005

 Been up a ladder painting windows today, so now it's time to rest and perhaps partake of a beverage to celebrate! Jonh: Glad yu are happy with your choice. Remember what I said before... They don't own you. It's their priviledge to have you along! WellI've been MAC'ing it up here. Getting new software to do what my WinXP packages did previously. Quite good fun (don't tell MS John!). Rooting about and finding equivalents. Home accounts was hardest, but done now... Cheers!
Nigel
Oswstry, ... - Mon Aug 29 17:11:28 2005

 John: what do you think of the wiki? Any chance to have your contribution as well? Maybe evey re-arranging the graphical part of it..
Lox
- Mon Aug 29 13:32:02 2005

 Good news then! Especially because it means that when I am coming to Tokyo we are going to hang out together!!! I think that you made the right choice, time will tell of course, but these kind of experiences are always good in my opinion. Now you have to get me in this well known software company, they will need a useless salesman like me!!
Lox
- Mon Aug 29 13:31:22 2005

 Lox - I was in Tokyo over the weekend - sorry I forgot to mention before I left... Thank you for worrying! I signed the contract with that software company on Friday, so I guess the decision is made then! Had two great nights out in Tokyo Friday and Saturday, and am starting to quite like the city... So maybe it wasn't such a bad decision after all!
John
- Mon Aug 29 12:42:47 2005

 John: Where have you been?! I was worried! I guess I need to take a peek at your blog! Remember to add some veggie recipie to the wiki!
Lox
- Mon Aug 29 09:45:32 2005

 May I add that it was Sir Mac a Rony to invent the world famous pasta shape (Macaroni), later italianized into Maccheroni. AH, I also would like to remind you that pasta trees grow only in England, I think that there is no dispute on who invented pasta...
Lox
- Mon Aug 29 09:44:40 2005

 It makes perfect sense to mix curry and pasta like that, given that it is a well known fact they were both invented by the English.
John
- Mon Aug 29 09:38:16 2005

 Kev: Added a note about the milk, by the way I have used demi-skimmed milk. I love cream but it's very fat and this time I went for a "healty" recipe, but you can use it, provided that you use very little, you don't want the pasta to drown in cream. As for curry, I have deliberatly mixed a typical italian dish with indian here, so it's a "a la Lorenzo" creation really, curry is not much used here in Italy.
Lox
- Mon Aug 29 08:54:46 2005

 Errr, how about no?
John
- Mon Aug 29 06:42:49 2005

 Great site, well done! Visit my site phentermine online pharmacy
Suzy <suzy_k@osthost.com>
de, - Mon Aug 29 06:21:19 2005

 Lox I think your thumbnails are ok, its just the pictures look similar when scaled down. Also I think I will definitely have to try this pasta curry out, it sounds very strange to me, pasta *and* curry. Is this a common thing in italy? Just a quick point about the milk, are you using full fat, I think in the UK semi-skimmed is more popular and might make the sauce too thin ( but I am not sure about this and would have to experiment ), I suppose single cream is ok to use as a substitute for milk ?
Kev
- Sun Aug 28 23:40:41 2005

 I have added a second recipe... Though the pictures might look the same on the thumbnails they are different I SWEAR! Still have to study the syntax for the pages a little, TOM is there any help file that I can read to learn how to work some magic on the wiki? (magic=put pictures with links!)... :P
Lox
- Sun Aug 28 22:50:17 2005

 Travis: Have you considered the low-carb pasta? In Italy is not common but I have seen it abroad. Either than that you can try with rice, but I don't know if it would be nice with that recipe... Usually I only have a plate of pasta and nothing else, that should cut the carbs a bit!
Lox
- Sun Aug 28 22:41:24 2005

 Nice and verry interesting site. Welcome to my site carisoprodol generic
Linda <linda_w@freemail.com>
CZ, - Sun Aug 28 22:23:15 2005

 Lox, that looks damn good. I'd have to find a way around the pasta b/c there are too many carbs in it, however.
Travis
- Sun Aug 28 15:47:57 2005

 Certainly will Lox! I've got to go and buy a Lime, but daft though it may sound I'll enjoy pretending to be an expert when I go to the shop... :) The photograph with you receipe certainly helps... Right, time for a coffee I think!
Nigel
Oswestry, ... - Sun Aug 28 11:29:04 2005

 Nigel: Let me know how it comes out once you 've made it (or once someone else made it for you).. :P
Lox
- Sun Aug 28 10:48:08 2005

 Well the household is now totally converted to Apple Mac. The main machine for the kids and Memsahib is an eMac. Considering it's the poor relation of the Apple range, it's not bad at all. Works with the network flawlessly - in fact needed no setup at all. Just worked!! Oh dear... I'm a convert... :)
Nigel
Oswestry, ... - Sun Aug 28 10:45:54 2005

 Mouth-watering receipe their Lox!! I'm gonna try that one for sure... Keep up the good work! (From someone who can't cook to save his life, but appreciates the skills of others!)
Nigel
Oswestry, ... - Sun Aug 28 09:48:26 2005

 Your site it`s very good! Welcome to my site. [url]http://sportsbetting.t35.com[/url] [url]http://sportsbetting.741.com[/url] [url]http://ua9oml.000freehosting.com[/url] [url]http://sportsbetting.00freehost.com[/url] [url]http://ua9oml.f5k.com[/url]
5656
- Sun Aug 28 02:44:40 2005

 Kev: Very good point actually! I have replied and updated the recipe! I still have some problems using the wiki, for example I cannot find the correct syntax to publish a picture with a link... Oh well the general look would require some re-styling too, maybe Rob or John or Tom could work on that part... Well, let's get it going first! Start adding recipes you lot!
Lox
- Sat Aug 27 22:40:26 2005

 Erm.. added a discussion point to your entry Lox, but its not obvious that is the case from the wiki.... http://www.daemonchild.net/wiki/index.php/Talk:LIME_TUNA_PASTA
Kev
- Sat Aug 27 21:40:43 2005

 Guys and Gals, I have added the first recipe to the WIKI that Tom set up. I am sure that we can make it look better so please take a look and start editing, it could be a nice idea as most of us like cooking!
Here is the page!
Lox
- Sat Aug 27 20:39:46 2005

 Depeche Mode, the greatest living band, have released their new single: Precious. It's available for download on iTunes. Just thought I'd let you lot know. They were the first concert I ever attended and continue to amaze.
Travis
- Sat Aug 27 19:46:01 2005

 Tom: Stalflare account is still there, you can kill it if you want! During the weekend I will port the first recipie! (I have to go shopping for some ingredients so that I can post the pictures too!)
Lox
- Sat Aug 27 12:35:07 2005

 Yup - looks like you need to be the admin user. Deleted and set up ready to go!
tom
- Sat Aug 27 11:55:43 2005

 Tom: I managed to create links and I guess that I get the way it's working now, but I was wondering how can we delete the test entries now? Moreover I have created a useless account (stalflare) can it be deleted too? I guess it's possible but I haven't got admin rights... Sorry for the mess! :)
Lox
- Fri Aug 26 22:45:30 2005

 Tom: Marvellous I'll give it a go, fiddle a little and then this weekend I will add the first recipie! (but no picture alas)...
Lox
- Fri Aug 26 22:33:01 2005

 Lox: just add yourself a user and hopefully you can start editing pages. If you need to create a new page, just create a link and then it will build new pages when required. Anyone of you can have the admin login of course!
tom
- Fri Aug 26 19:58:57 2005

 Nigel, I'll give it a look when I return this evening. Jeff: Classes begin Monday for us. Are you back already? And I should ask. I have a friend or two at UT. You know any Law students in grad school?
Travis
- Fri Aug 26 18:58:30 2005

 Hey everybod! Love and stuff from sunny Texas. Congrats Dr. John! You your name sounds like some jaded blues singer!
Jeff
UofT - Fri Aug 26 16:56:43 2005

 Well, it's time to shut up shop for a week. See you all next month!!! Have a good weekend everyone.
Mad Mumsie
- Fri Aug 26 16:55:15 2005

 Tom:whattsup? Anyways I'd go for the wiki on your site if it's not too much trouble for you, of course. We would need to update the main page with some link and off we go! I have already a recipie to add (tuna/oil/lime pasta sauce)!
Lox
- Fri Aug 26 16:41:24 2005

 Oh dear!
tom
- Fri Aug 26 16:33:55 2005

 Lox: We could use the wiki on my server for now and then move it to the Maison when (if!!) it ever gets PHP and mySQL. To be honest, it just needs php because I can host the mySQL database.
tom
- Fri Aug 26 16:33:15 2005

 AAAAhhhh there you go, "confirmation".. Thanks!
Lox
- Fri Aug 26 16:31:08 2005

 Lox, same as here, except the communion bit (confirmation) is usually a bit later here.
Mad Mumsie
- Fri Aug 26 16:24:48 2005

 Jimmy: When do we play the adventure then? Online maybe?
Jill/Dsp: Usually here you get baptised when you are 6 months old and then you get COMMUNION (sorry my knowledge of sacraments in english is poor, though it's not better in Italian!!) when you are 6 to 8 (usually..).
Lox
- Fri Aug 26 16:12:25 2005

 Ahhh... Then my apologies Jimmy! Thanks Kev! In that case I look forward to it!!! There was something "expanding" about a text adventure. Or do I mean "exasperating" ?!?
Nigel
Wrexham, ... - Fri Aug 26 15:40:24 2005

 Nope Nigel, when Jimmy says he is developing a Text adventure he really means it. He's been banging on about it for years! I have a feeling it will not be your average common-or-garden text-adventure though!
Kev
- Fri Aug 26 15:19:14 2005

 INVENTORY : Tea, biro, telephone, computer. LOOK : You see a tired face looking back from the reflection in your monitor. The refresh-rate is too slow and flickers. HELP : There is no help in this location..... :)
Nigel
Wrexham, ... - Fri Aug 26 14:55:50 2005

 go north
dsp
- Fri Aug 26 14:46:20 2005

 Ha! Now dsp is playing! Good! The Jewish connection though is probably a bit too subtle for "strangers" like me!! I was christened, but no nasty ceremonies since... :/
Nigel
Wrexham, Not doing much work at the mo!!! - Fri Aug 26 14:31:25 2005

 Travis - I have the sneaking suspicion Jimmy might just be "fooling" with us :) I don't really programme Spectrums or BBC Masters at all these days. However if you like text adventures, why not visit - www.worldofspectrum.org - or similar. Download an emulator then choose a text adventure to download and play. You might enjoy it! :)
Nigel
Wrexham, ... - Fri Aug 26 14:28:28 2005

 Lox: In Italy I thought you were christened/baptised early on, then about halfway through child hood You have a barmitsva (?)
dsp
- Fri Aug 26 14:22:42 2005

 What exciting lives you've led.
Mad Mumsie
- Fri Aug 26 14:17:31 2005

 Jimmy, are you serious? Pass that bad boy along when you've completed it. I have only played one in the past decade probably. And it was open to the public (similar to Rob's that he had on his site) and most of the options were...far from serious.
Travis
- Fri Aug 26 14:17:20 2005

 Ok, this is how sad *I* am... LOAD was on the "J" key, LIST was on "K". The trick answer is of course, that the semi-colon was "Symbol-Shift+O". Standard "O" was POKE... :)
Nigel
Wrexham, ... - Fri Aug 26 14:11:47 2005

 Yes Jimmy, and what was on semi-colon? Halcyon days. Go with that text adventure!!
Nigel
Wrexham, ... - Fri Aug 26 14:07:33 2005

 ... *and* I've been developing a text adventure ...
Jimmy
- Fri Aug 26 13:27:27 2005

 I can't free myself of the supicion that the "Load" command was on the "J" key ...
Jimmy
- Fri Aug 26 13:19:03 2005

 Hi Lox. In this country baptism and christening are one and the same (or they were in my day - no comments from RL here please) The next event would be confirmation sometime in the teens.
Mad Mumsie
- Fri Aug 26 13:18:56 2005

 Is Abigail baptized too? In Italy is very common to have baptism very early and christening when you are 6/8 year old... Of course me beign totally heretic I have had both of them when I was 15... :)
Lox
- Fri Aug 26 13:17:52 2005

 Tim: Hope all goes well tomorrow. Have a good day.
Mad Mumsie
- Fri Aug 26 13:12:50 2005

 Spent the week as mr family man - today we're doing all the house work we should have done this week. We've had a lazy one. Plus tomorrow is Abigail's christening, which will be nice - hopefully.
dsp
- Fri Aug 26 13:06:49 2005

 John hasn't posted yet, maybe he's in Tokyo for MS...
Lox
- Fri Aug 26 12:32:30 2005

 Nigel: Sort of working... I had to re-open the company aftert the holidays together with a bunch of other people. This means a lot of paper to sort but not much to do in the end... Oh well from next week we are going to be all together again...
Lox
- Fri Aug 26 12:30:30 2005

 Tim: I hope you've been gainfully employed, and haven't just wasted your week.
Mad Mumsie
- Fri Aug 26 11:36:15 2005

 Hiya, I am not working. Today is the last day of my week off and bloody hell has it gone quickly. Luckily Monday is a bank holiday.
dsp
- Fri Aug 26 11:26:14 2005

 Hi Lox. Yep at work as we speak. It's busy but not too bad. You working?
Nigel
Wrexham, Work - Fri Aug 26 11:24:30 2005

 Surely doesn't apply to this site but I have found this over the internet.. http://freespace.virgin.net/hamish.sanderson/cgi_wiki_example.html
Lox
- Fri Aug 26 11:20:16 2005

 Everyone at work? John has probably gone to Tokyo, no posts from him yet.
Lox
- Fri Aug 26 11:18:58 2005

 No Lox, other end of the country, we're visiting "small person" for a couple of days, then down to Dorset near Lyme Regis (borders of Dorset/Devon) Hope the sun shines some of the time.
Mad Mumsie
- Fri Aug 26 10:46:07 2005

 Where to Jill? More Scottish action for you?
Lox
- Fri Aug 26 10:25:41 2005

 Yeeeeeeeeeees! and I'm off all next week. Whooopeee.
Mad Mumsie
- Fri Aug 26 09:51:05 2005

 Morning all. I'll just affirm the generally held view that we Brits always state the obvious... but.. It's Friday!!!
Nigel
Wrexham, ... - Fri Aug 26 09:32:19 2005

 Wow Tom, that's a nice one! We could host it outside the maison, though having everything under one roof is always the best thing I believe, as all the techy people have admin rights on this server, and problems can be solved quickly...
Lox
- Fri Aug 26 08:13:24 2005

 The 'daemonchild' main site is a test site I've been playing with to help me upgrade some Drupal sites BTW. You can safely ignore it!
tom
- Thu Aug 25 21:32:11 2005

 I can host a MediaWiki (see link below)...
tom
- Thu Aug 25 21:30:08 2005

 http://www.daemonchild.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
tom
- Thu Aug 25 21:29:36 2005

 There's bound to be something out there that we can run!! As for Jon, I was wondering where has he gone. It's a long time that we don't see a post from him...
Lox
- Thu Aug 25 20:29:21 2005

 Ooops - major clanger - that wiki I was on about requires PHP. D'oh!
dsp
- Thu Aug 25 20:19:52 2005

 Shame I've never encountered this...Ellis fellow, even over the net. I remember the "Ellis, Ellis, Where the Hell is Ellis" article or something of the sort. The saga continues...
Travis
- Thu Aug 25 20:14:28 2005

 Jon Ellis... WHERE ARE YOU??????? YOU... YOU... you... (in an echo effect stylee)
dsp
- Thu Aug 25 20:11:10 2005

 Looking at Lox's basic reminded me of Jon Ellis' special gift for over the shoulder realtime syntax checking. "You missed a semi-colon."
dsp
- Thu Aug 25 20:09:31 2005

 I was close, its pmwiki: http://www.pmichaud.com/wiki/PmWiki/PmWiki I'll have a play at getting it going.
dsp
- Thu Aug 25 20:07:08 2005

 Hiya the maison does support server side scripts. Perl, CGI and ASP (not PHP unfortunately). There is a perl based wiki whose name eludes me for the moment, something like plwiki, I'll check and get back to yous.
dsp
- Thu Aug 25 20:03:08 2005

 Did you know? www.rtrussell.co.uk This chap is a marvel! His compiler (because it *is* a genuine compiler!) turns out Windows exe's at such a small size it's a wonder! No dll's either. :)
Nigel
Wrexham, ... - Thu Aug 25 16:20:11 2005

 I have one of thoose too!!!!!! I remember the face of the guy who invented it (Sir.Whatever), at that time it was a marvel! Then I moved to happy 286, never touched a commodore (quite proud of it)...
Lox
- Thu Aug 25 16:09:15 2005

 Ha! Good man!! You'll have to do what I do and run a Speccy Emulator. I also use a BBC Master one too, whose BASIC is more useful.... Yes I know... I'm sad!! :)
Nigel
Wrexham, ... - Thu Aug 25 16:07:28 2005

 No on the "L" key I had "Load", PRINT was on "P", G for GOTO and so on.. I loved that computer... I was 6 when I was using it.. Shame that I didn't continue, but don't get me started or the Pandora'sVase full of all my voes might re-open tonight!!!! :(
Lox
- Thu Aug 25 16:02:26 2005

 I seeeee.. but surely the server administrator can be talked into granting permission... Well I am not sure about the actual contract that has the maison, so maybe server side scripts are not in the package, maybe...
Lox
- Thu Aug 25 16:00:18 2005

 Ahhh..... Poetry, pure poetry! Mind you, if it's Speccy BASIC it should be "PRINT" not "print" . Was it on the "L" key?
Nigel
Wrexham, ... - Thu Aug 25 16:00:05 2005

 Hi Lox. Yes, I think there's an issue which seems to get the techy-guys around here (read Tom, dsp, Rob and John) annoyed. It's that they can't access server-side scripts like php! Might be wrong but I think that's the gist :)
Nigel
Wrexham, .. - Thu Aug 25 15:56:02 2005

 10 print "'fusion-wiki"
20 print ""
30 print "A collection of recipies of the maison"
THERE, this is all the basic that I can muster, after all my Basic comes from the ZXSpectrum!!
Lox
- Thu Aug 25 15:54:38 2005

 Ah Travis... Now you're talking... Adventure writing in BASIC... Nigel goes all whistful and starry-eyed... :)
Nigel
Wrexham, Working.... honest!! - Thu Aug 25 15:51:21 2005

 That's a shame... Wikipedia was the inspiration behind the idea of having a 'fusioncusinepedia.... Oh well... Is it because the server doesn't support SQL and such? Can't we get them to adopt it?
Lox
- Thu Aug 25 15:50:10 2005

 Lox, I think it's a fantastic idea. I, however, have almost no useful computer skills...unless you want some cheap HTML or a choose your own adventure in BASIC.
Travis
- Thu Aug 25 15:44:54 2005

 Lox, it could be done very easily using MediaWiki (that powers Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page ) but then, oh dear, we'd need php/mysql on the server. Nevermind.
Rob Lang
- Thu Aug 25 15:00:10 2005

 Lox, you've already got the very best recipe! - ROCK CAKES.
Mad Mumsie
- Thu Aug 25 14:55:21 2005

 I have an idea!! It would be very nice to implement a sort of maison-receipe-wiki-pedia... A sort of wiki where we write about our recipies, with the chance of other users to add their comments and so on (a wiki). It would be real nice! I was trying to add a sub-blog to my page where I wanted to add the recipies that I make + pictures, it would be a very nice thing, considering also that John's Dad NICK is a MASTER CHEF (truly he's better than my mum and granny put together!!) and he might give us some advice/recipies.. (for example I still make that nice wild porcini mushroom cream soup)... I am also sure that Jill has a lot of recipies to share as well! What do you think guys? Could it be done?
Lox
- Thu Aug 25 14:07:11 2005

 Also, I've discovered that I'll be serving as Teaching Assistant for two classes this term: Mythology (which sounds cool) and World of Egypt (which sounds pretty uninteresting). With 3 full classes and 1 pedagogy class, this will be a busy semester. I still have to defend my thesis. Yikes.
Travis
- Thu Aug 25 14:00:10 2005

 John, please pass along my thanks to Chie. I saved enough chicken and plum sauce that I can make some more today. I'll be sure to put her suggestions into action.
Travis
- Thu Aug 25 13:58:22 2005

 John: Could you ask Chie and her mother (sorry I forgot the name!!) their receipe for Tonkatsu? I have a lot of Panko (breadcrumbs) bought in Japan so I was kind of planning a Katsu-party!
Lox
- Thu Aug 25 12:15:41 2005

 John: No fortunately not. It's just bloody cold and raining..

Tim: Thanks a lot, that would be great! I mean it's already great as it is...
Lox
- Thu Aug 25 12:14:15 2005

 I was going to add that it needed to be dipped in flour first, but being a guijin I didn't think it were my place to do so!
Kev
- Thu Aug 25 11:12:38 2005

 Lox: i am working on a web interface that allows you to configure all that you mentioned. Its quite a way off - all in my head at the moment.
dsp
- Thu Aug 25 09:52:17 2005

 Travis - Chie says you need to dip it in flour first to get some of the water out, before coating it in batter.
John
- Thu Aug 25 09:52:08 2005

 Morning boys and girls. Can't believe its thursday already. Thankfully I've done no DIY all week - unless you count changing light bulbs.
dsp
- Thu Aug 25 09:50:10 2005

 Lox, yes it is nothing clever - just yesterday's messages... I will add a link to it at some point. Incidentally are you being affected by the floods at all? Obviously you're not quite in Switzerland, but I wondered if there was any knock on effect - transport or communication problems.... or a desperate shortage of Toblerone?
John
- Thu Aug 25 09:41:08 2005

 Morning all: The sun is shining in London. 2 more days and I'm off for a week. Super. We will be "Boo" visiting, then a few days in Dorset.
Mad Mumsie
- Thu Aug 25 09:37:45 2005

 Ciao John, the day is gloomy here, I am bored and I have a lot of things to do at work, but no actual intention of doing them today... I don't think I understood the changement that you've made to the board... Is it just a page with "yestrday" posts? If that was the case I am sure that you can add a link on the daily page so that people can look at the previous day..
Lox
- Thu Aug 25 09:31:48 2005

 Well good morning all (apart from me and Travis!) how are you all doing today? I made a change to the daily board yesterday which copies the previous day's messages here.
John
- Thu Aug 25 09:23:55 2005

 Made some tempura. I'm a novice and my technique needs improvement...but it was very good. Problem with the batter not staying on my chicken. Also made a plum sauce that was fantastic. And it was all relatively low carb because of some adjustments I made.
Travis
- Thu Aug 25 02:43:00 2005

 BED TIME!
tom
- Wed Aug 24 23:40:04 2005

 Tim, are you updating the engine on the Dsp bot? Whatcan it do now? Posting through e-mails? Actually a bit of a personal question, do you have by any chance added that feature where the system saves the images that I upload in a separate folder each time? Plus I don't need the thumbs anymore to be generated automatically, so if that poses a problem you can disable it... Oh dear maybe I am asking too much.. :P
Lox
- Wed Aug 24 23:33:06 2005

 
How does PRE data get formatted with new lines.

These questions are rhetorical.

Does the stylesheet put an extra line break or is it the CR and LF get formatted?

Who know?

Who cares?

dsp
- Wed Aug 24 23:11:59 2005

 <dsp>What did you make of Lost?</dsp> 
I like the whole disabled guy story line. 

Very clever!!

I liked him a lot.

He's done very well not to mention it for two episodes.

dspBot
- Wed Aug 24 23:10:22 2005

 Now all we need is a 180-degree rotating view please, Lox!! Excellent!
Nigel
Oswestry, ... - Wed Aug 24 23:04:08 2005

 <dsp>Nice one Lox, I hadn't seen that one! Nice superman pose!</dsp>
dspBot
- Wed Aug 24 22:34:28 2005

 <dsp>dspBot Testing</dsp> 
Howdy boys and girls, hopefully this email body will be display on the board.

Along with all its fancyness like these bullet points:

  a.. One

  b.. Two

  c.. Three

Nice one.

Bye.

dspBot
- Wed Aug 24 22:29:29 2005

 Thanks Tim, how about this one?


Lox
- Wed Aug 24 21:36:39 2005

 Lox! I am so impressed with this photo!

dsp
- Wed Aug 24 20:18:52 2005

 Nice and verry interesting site. Welcome to my site online rx
Linda <linda_w@freemail.com>
CZ, - Wed Aug 24 19:26:56 2005

 Hi all, I have updated the blog with all the detailed blog of the summer, plus uploaded some new pictures... Just in case you are interested.. :P Comments welcome!
Lox
- Wed Aug 24 18:35:02 2005

 Lox, I've had churros several times. I'm not a big fan. Getting ready to head out and scour the stores.
Travis
- Wed Aug 24 16:53:07 2005

 John, if you're still up, going read the comment in your latest blog.
Rob Lang
- Wed Aug 24 16:06:38 2005

 Whooopsss... I repent me sins and will update my memory block to use 'fusion cusine! As a matter of fact I have a picture of a Korean dish in front of me. If I didn't know that it was meat based I'd say that it looks like a bowl of Corn Flakes! Does it qualify for 'fusion cusine?
Lox
- Wed Aug 24 15:35:39 2005

 Lox, I think we've agreed it's 'fusion with an apostrophe.
Jimmy
- Wed Aug 24 15:32:41 2005

 Well you can have "Salsa" then (though it's Mexican and will completely kill the shabu shabu)... Spanish population.. maybe you can buy Chorizo, or Churros (sort of flapjacks with lots of sugar, pretzel-shaped)... Not sure about a Hispa-Japanese fusion thingy...
Lox
- Wed Aug 24 15:19:33 2005

 Yeah, Lox. That's certainly more accessible. I'll go have a look at some of the local stores, see what they have to offer. I don't know how significant the Asian population is here (and I'm still pretty new to the area), but we do have a significant hispanic population.
Travis
- Wed Aug 24 14:55:46 2005

 I am sure that you can replace ponzu with Worcestershire sauce... maybe...
Lox
- Wed Aug 24 14:33:06 2005

 John, thank you (and Chie and Lox) for the suggestions. I'm taking a look at the BBC food guide at any rate. And I'll do some searching on my own. I'll get back with the results.
Travis
- Wed Aug 24 13:56:01 2005

 And maybe "Fuse-On" Cuisine, a very handy type of food preparation which automatically goes cold/flacid/mouldy after a certain time to prevent overeating...
Nigel
Wrexham, ... - Wed Aug 24 13:15:20 2005

 Jimmy, fabulous. Simply hilarious!
Rob Lang
- Wed Aug 24 13:14:49 2005

 Of course, it would run the danger of being confused with:

... but -hey- it seems like a small price to pay!
Jimmy
- Wed Aug 24 13:07:12 2005

 Baked Alaska... Very confusing...
Nigel
Wrexham, ... - Wed Aug 24 13:01:42 2005

 Baked Alaska...
Nigel
Wrexham, ... - Wed Aug 24 13:01:30 2005

 John- I've got it: a whole new genere of food. It's a bit like Fusion Cuisine but (with the simple addition of an apostrophe) becomes 'fusion Cuisine. It is, of course, an abbreviation for Confusion Cuisine, and covers all foods that are -well- confused. Like marmite ice-cream, and green-tea salt. Stuff like that. You know. Or something.
Jimmy
- Wed Aug 24 12:53:02 2005

 FOR A=1 TO 10; PRINT "This is not working!!! Bang! Ouch!"; NEXT A. Hoho! :)
Nigel
Wrexham, Work... - Wed Aug 24 11:24:53 2005

 Write some code?
tom
- Wed Aug 24 11:00:03 2005

 John I wish I could be in your position in this very moment... I have had enough of this job, I can't find enough corners to bang my head on!! :(
Lox
- Wed Aug 24 09:48:22 2005

 I have turned my computer off about four times already today, and each time after sitting around and realising I have nothing else to do I come and turn it back on again! I'm bored!
John
- Wed Aug 24 09:13:39 2005

 MM: I'm pretty sure there is some kind of green tea dip...
John
- Wed Aug 24 08:38:48 2005

 Aha yes - I have found it - Emily was around this neck of the woods in May 1999.
John
- Wed Aug 24 08:37:28 2005

 Morning everyone - John do they do a green tea flavour dip?
Mad Mumsie
- Wed Aug 24 08:33:45 2005

 Just found this article on the BBC news website - I used to know this bloke's daughter (see here) - in fact if I recall correctly she used to post on the message board a few years back.
John
- Wed Aug 24 08:33:21 2005

 Buongiorno gente (people)!!! How are you all? I have seen John's digression on shabu shabu and tempura (incidentally two of my favourite dishes), I have seen ponzu in Italy before, but it's not made with soy sauce, it's more of a vinegar based dip. The house experienced a shortage of water for some reason that I don't know why, so I had to brush my teeth with mineral water!
Lox
- Wed Aug 24 07:59:20 2005

 Ok perhaps it was just a rift in the space-time continuum between the UK and Japan then!
John
- Wed Aug 24 07:15:12 2005

 Morning all! The site is responding fine here - 07:04 BST !! All this talk of food makes my two Weetabix and Alpro seem a bit tame :(
Nigel
Os, ... - Wed Aug 24 07:05:15 2005

 Or maybe to do with my internet connection...?
John
- Wed Aug 24 06:20:09 2005

 The site seemed to stop responding there for a while - I hope it wasn't as a result of my changes to the message board script!
John
- Wed Aug 24 06:19:19 2005

 As far as tempura goes, if you're making the batter yourself I seem to recall it being quite important to have cold water (i.e. from the fridge, or even with ice). Not sure why, but for some reason it works better.... Oh and Chie said don't mix the batter too much - something to do with gluten getting sticky. As for ingredients I really like sweet potato, shiitake mushrooms, little strips of ginger, little strips of nori and some sort of cheese (like brie or camembert perhaps).
John
- Wed Aug 24 05:00:30 2005

 Chie seems to think there aren't any recipes for shabu shabu! Is that the thing where you put thin slices of meat into boiling water and cook them yourself? I guess it's all down to the quality of the meat then! Oh and maybe the dipping sauce - Chie says it can be either goma (sesame seed) flavour or ponzu - a kind of citrusy soy sauce stuff. Not really seen ponzu outside Japan before, but perhaps the states has better supplies of Japanese food than in England...?!
John
- Wed Aug 24 04:56:01 2005

 Ah looks like you pipped me to the post there Travis! Your spelling looks fine to me! Hmmmm tempura - other than a quick Google around, it might be worth having a quick look on The BBC food website - I often get recipes there... Although they are probably not so great for Japanese food.... but if you change your mind and decide to go for Yorkshire pudding instead then it's probably spot on!
John
- Wed Aug 24 04:52:33 2005

 I am almost frightened to post this message, as it will be the first one after midnight, and I have terrifying visions of the message board going up in smoke...
John
- Wed Aug 24 04:48:21 2005

 I'm getting tempura and shabu shabu (sorry 'bout spelling) confused. Any good recipes online?
Travis
- Wed Aug 24 04:45:16 2005

 Following Kev idea I should then put parmesan chees on tempura, and grated salami on sushi.... Mmm interesting... We are getting into "fusion cusine" here...
Lox
- Tue Aug 23 23:48:54 2005

 tom: ... fruit doesn't need packaging ..., jimmy very funny website, JH: good daily link it makes it much faster and easier to read :) also I like the marmite trick, perhaps you could work it into some miso soup without anyone noticing for real, rather than just a comedy website entry!.
Kev
- Tue Aug 23 19:31:36 2005

 wow, lots of activity totday and I missed it all because I was so busy. So to catch up.. I drink green tea( with a twist of orange) every day and I quite like it, Yes JH I also get FF moaning about the page loading slowly ( although you won't have to worry about mozilla when you start your new Job :)
Kev
- Tue Aug 23 19:31:27 2005

 Oh so different! Green tea has the temerity to look like "normal". jasmine is all twiggy.... :) Don't taste anything like each other either.... But I'm not biased...!! :)
Nigel
Os, ... - Tue Aug 23 19:27:55 2005

 Is green tea the same-as or different-to jasmine tea? Is it the default stuff you get at the chinky?
dsp
- Tue Aug 23 18:38:08 2005

 Huzzah, John. I like it. I've never had a problem with slow loading, but it makes seeking out the beginning of an active posting day much simpler.
Travis
- Tue Aug 23 17:36:50 2005

 Is green tea the same-as or different-to jasmine tea? Is it the default stuff you get at the chinky?
dsp
- Tue Aug 23 16:38:54 2005

 Mmmm green tea flavoured salt sounds like a great invention to me!! :)
Lox
- Tue Aug 23 16:38:02 2005

 Good work John! with this daily board you are really saving our bandwidth. Looks like wanadoo can stick their 'move up a tariff' letter right up their pipe.
dsp
- Tue Aug 23 16:29:49 2005

 No, the annoying thing about green-tea is that everyone tells you it is soooo much better for you than good, old brown tea. Sooo many more anti-oxidants... They seem to forget the simple fact that it tastes so ... so .... horrible! Anyway I drink enough "normal" tea, along with it's minor anti-oxidant level, that I haven't shown a spot of rust for ages... :/
Nigel
Oswestry, ... - Tue Aug 23 16:23:12 2005

 I don't totally dislike the flavour of the thing in itself - I don't mind drinking it every now and again. It is the frightening proliferation of it that winds me up! Me, I am a big fan of Marmite. That doesn't mean I want Marmite flavoured ice cream though!
John
- Tue Aug 23 15:56:36 2005

 Of course that should be Co-op!
Mad Mumsie
- Tue Aug 23 15:52:01 2005

 John: I'm getting a feeling here, across the miles, that green tea is off the menu. Should we have a whip round and send you a packet of Co-ope Divi.
Mad Mumsie
- Tue Aug 23 15:51:35 2005

 I am going to spend the rest of the evening "modifying" food I find lying around the house with Marmite - that'll learn 'em!
John
- Tue Aug 23 15:47:20 2005

 I am developing an irrational hatred of green tea, which I am sure is symbolic of something or other. It's just bloody everywhere - it is like a disease. You go to a sushi place, and they give you bloody green tea, whether you want it or not. In hot weather people don't drink water, they drink cold tea - vending machines are bloody full of it, sometimes they have twelve different types of tea but no water. Desserts are no safe haven from the green tea plague - there are endless sticky rice cakes, and even powder covered dumpling things with green tea flavour. You can even get green tea haagen dazs here - in fact in most shops it is the only flavour of haagen dazs they sell. Even salt is tainted - I have been given green tea flavoured salt for dipping tempura in. FLAVOURED salt? Why do you need to bloody well FLAVOUR salt? It already has a flavour - SALT FLAVOUR! IT DOES NOT NEED TO TASTE OF GREEN TEA!
John
- Tue Aug 23 15:42:17 2005

 Think that when you'll become a shajkaijin ("man of the society", i.e. you'll get a job) you'll be drinking green tea every 5 minutes, at every business meeting, talk with your boss, green-tea-break, lunch in the canteen and so on... :P (maybe I am exxagerating it a little...)
Lox
- Tue Aug 23 15:30:58 2005

 NOT (Shoddy)
tom
- Tue Aug 23 15:23:54 2005

 Nice work John. You're a star.
Rob Lang
- Tue Aug 23 15:20:51 2005

 Mmmm cup of tea... I'm not a big tea drinker when back in England, but I have found myself craving a cup of "proper" tea here - not that sewagey green crap they drink here like their lives depend on it or something.
John
- Tue Aug 23 14:59:30 2005

 Marvellous John, loads up like a bullet!
Lox
- Tue Aug 23 14:51:14 2005

 No John, it's that time of day when everyone is thinking of a cup of tea, or only 2 hours 15 mins to go, or is the sun going to shine all next week, including the bank holiday, or why is that stupid wasp trying to get in my window, and succeeding, only to try and get out again, and not succeeding.
Mad Mumsie
- Tue Aug 23 14:43:44 2005

 Oooh - gone a bit quiet, I haven't broken it have I?
John
- Tue Aug 23 14:35:39 2005

 I've changed the response to the add page to go back to the daily version of the board rather than the monthly one for now... let me know if any of you have any objections!
John
- Tue Aug 23 14:08:17 2005

 Just spotted it.
Mad Mumsie
- Tue Aug 23 14:06:11 2005

 John: will there be a link to it from the main page? Or have I missed it!
Mad Mumsie
- Tue Aug 23 14:04:26 2005

 There's a link to the daily version from the main page now, although the monthly one is still the default... Hopefully this ought to mean now you only need to check the full version once a day perhaps, and then for the regular reloading you can switch to the daily one. I think the internet as a whole ought to be a lot faster now without all that unnecessary traffic!
John
- Tue Aug 23 14:04:19 2005

 Looks good! (Fast!) Great idea... Bet there aren't many other software developments that go from conception to realisation so quickly!!
Nigel
Osw.., .. - Tue Aug 23 13:59:40 2005

 Well I think I may have done it then...
John
- Tue Aug 23 13:52:34 2005

 One of those test messages again...
John
- Tue Aug 23 13:50:18 2005

 And while I'm here... Any thoughts on this device - http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0002ZDQLI - ???
Nigel
Os, ... - Tue Aug 23 13:32:11 2005

 Hi all. I couldn't believe how bad 56k was when forced to go back there. Awful! I'm on 1MB BB at the mo and it's good at times (some ftp blazes) other times it slows badly - but it's better than a dial-up! The "Day" page is a good idea John/Tom/Kev/Lox/dsp. The cache on the network at work can do some strange things unless you stay in the same place and "refresh" often. One minute I'm reading todys, another, last weeks!
Nigel
Oswestry, Working at home.... !!! - Tue Aug 23 13:29:54 2005

 S h o d d y.
tom
- Tue Aug 23 13:28:50 2005

 Oh actually it only does the most recently posted message! Back to the drawing board a bit there I guess...
John
- Tue Aug 23 13:17:13 2005

 OK I've added a "today only" page - although at the moment it is only useful up until midnight tonight! (when it turns into a pumpkin)
John
- Tue Aug 23 13:16:15 2005

 It's also not a good idea to open that in a Clients office!!
tom
- Tue Aug 23 13:15:09 2005

 I'm testing...
John
- Tue Aug 23 13:10:56 2005

 Guys- have you seens this? It's well funny... http://www.milbestlight.com/swf/game/game1.swf
Jimmy
- Tue Aug 23 12:59:58 2005

 I wanted an some food recently while out and about. I stopped at a service station and went to get some fruit. It was in PLASTIC bags. Nature doesn't need more packaging!!
tom
- Tue Aug 23 12:55:34 2005

 Thanks Jimmy. Good. :-)
tom
- Tue Aug 23 12:54:24 2005

 It would be nice to have a short version of the board (2 days?), but have the archives remain in a month by month version. You could write to two places at once I suppose? Damn.. no, because you'd have to filter the html for spam in two places?
tom
- Tue Aug 23 12:54:01 2005

 Actually, I was thinking that very thing this morning, while peeling a banana.
Jimmy
- Tue Aug 23 12:53:32 2005

 Fruit doesn't need packaging
Jimmy
- Tue Aug 23 12:52:54 2005

 Sanity check. What do you get? http://82.31.87.83/
tom
- Tue Aug 23 12:51:13 2005

 Dsp: I have a 56K modem at home but windows does a good job at caching the page because it loads quickly.. As for the tips on beign a good salesman... First of all you have to like what you sell. I couldn't sell a crap product, mostly because I would not buy it. So I guess tip N.1 is this one. Then you have to like interpersonal contacts I guess, if you are a crap communicator you won't go far. I also treat my clients as if I was the buyer, very honestly, because I cannot trust a salesman that told me lies to sell (believe me there are plenty of thoose). All in all I think that you can be a salesman, out of all the people in the house I think that you and Rob could do it blindfolded!
Lox
- Tue Aug 23 12:28:03 2005

 I am going to have a go now to see if I can write a quick and easy mod to the board to get a daily view in addition to the standard monthly one... Please go on using the board, I will try not to break it in the interim!
John
- Tue Aug 23 12:11:04 2005

 I think that the board is slow because towards the arse end of the month it becomes over 100KB in size. Nigel would really have felt that on his 56k modem. Praise the lord for broadband. Haleighluya!
dsp
- Tue Aug 23 12:01:13 2005

 Lox: What are you top tips to being a salesman?
dsp
- Tue Aug 23 11:59:13 2005

 I would love my own business but for the forseeable future it would need to start as a sideline. The most significant skill I lack is sales experience. I have considered for some time the possibility of changing jobs into a sales role for a couple of years to build my confidence in that area.
dsp
- Tue Aug 23 11:56:26 2005

 Does anyone else get a weird message from time to time from firefox about a script running on the board being very slow...?
John
- Tue Aug 23 11:56:25 2005

 Yea I noticed it was a bit slow - we could probably do with a daily, or weekly, or last three days version or something.
John
- Tue Aug 23 11:54:51 2005

 Nice idea Kev. I agree that the board is getting a little slow.
Rob Lang
- Tue Aug 23 11:23:38 2005

 Good idea.
tom
- Tue Aug 23 11:08:06 2005

 anybody else notice how slow the board is now, I think it might be to do with all the pictures, maybe it needs to roll a couple of times month to make it faster?
kev
- Tue Aug 23 11:04:25 2005

 Yep I suppose it is different if you've got kids etc... For the rest of us it is just a state of mind - the corporate world makes you think you can't survive without a job, and so you become convinced that you can't leave one job until you find the next. If you don't have dependents, a mortgage etc, and so long as you have somewhere you can stay rent free (e.g. your parents) the option of taking a "career break" - like me and Kev - is always there!
John
- Tue Aug 23 10:57:44 2005

 Can we have a script that prints the time in several keys cities (eg, London, Rome, New York, Tokyo, Scunthorpe etc) along the top of the message board. Just for fun.
tom
- Tue Aug 23 10:56:17 2005

 Unemployed would be great. But I can't afford it.
tom
- Tue Aug 23 10:55:01 2005

 Goood morning all. Effectively time-zone-wise we are pretty much covered. When is it my turn to be unemployed by choice? I am now thinking to set up my own business, I have been playing with the idea for quite some time, but I can't seem to have the guts to make the step. Anyone has ever had a similar situation here?
Lox
- Tue Aug 23 10:13:38 2005

 Morning all: Well John, at least that way you get sensible answers.
Mad Mumsie
- Tue Aug 23 08:49:53 2005

 Yep, I thought that timezone coverage thing was pretty great too. Ideally we could do with more than one person in each timezone area though, a lot of the time I'm awake but only really capable of talking to myself!
John
- Tue Aug 23 08:43:03 2005

 I like the idea of one of us being voluntarily out of work at anyone time. When is it my turn? It also occurs to me that the sun never sets on the message board. Its timezone-tastic. What with Texas, Italy, England and Japan. Have I missed anywhere?
dsp
- Tue Aug 23 08:35:18 2005

 That would be yes. Believe it or not, I am lucky because Clare has let me have a lye in.
dsp
- Tue Aug 23 08:32:07 2005

 Good grief Tim you're up early, considering you're off work! Is this a side effect of having children per chance?
John
- Tue Aug 23 08:16:04 2005

 I Lox. I'm off this week which is great. No holidays planned though.
dsp
bed, - Tue Aug 23 07:38:36 2005

 Dsp: Did you actually work all summer Tim? I was reading the previous messages and it looks like you were online all August... Didn't you take Abi to some cool seaside place?
Lox
- Mon Aug 22 18:48:19 2005

 This explains a lot: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/08/19/bofh_2005_episode_24/
tom
- Mon Aug 22 17:20:21 2005

 Mr. Lang, upon my most recent birthday, I received a boxed set, special edition of Pulp Fiction. It was nice. But surely you has been educated good. You're English, after all.
Travis
- Mon Aug 22 16:41:33 2005

 Kev, get this: http://www.mrceri.co.uk/countdowntimer/Default.aspx from the people who brought you the 'Poo timer'. http://www.mrceri.co.uk/downloads/SalaryTimer.zip
tom
- Mon Aug 22 16:33:08 2005

 Wot d'you meen, sun, you speled edukated rite.
Mad Mumsie
- Mon Aug 22 16:15:03 2005

 T-Boy: Pulp Fiction. Erm, sorry, no idea. I is not as educated as you.
Rob Lang
- Mon Aug 22 16:01:22 2005

 By coincidence, I'm reading Hamlet right now. I haven't read much Shakespeare...any suggestions for a follow-up?
Travis
- Mon Aug 22 15:01:57 2005

 T-Boy, no idea about that and I did get Shakey into a lot of foul mouthed trouble!
Rob Lang
- Mon Aug 22 14:44:16 2005

 Anyone else have fun using obscenities on the Shakespeare bot? I know I did. On a related note, anyone know much about the uncanny valley?
Travis
- Mon Aug 22 14:24:06 2005

 Rob: Incidentally a client of mine has that Sony Robotic Dog (dunno the name). It barks every now and then, walks around the place and generally pisses people off...
Lox
- Mon Aug 22 14:08:19 2005

 Tom:, the QRIO is designed to spook people out.
Rob Lang
- Mon Aug 22 13:38:05 2005

 Gave Shakespeare a go. Very silly. As for general-purpose language processing, current computers don't stand a chance- they're just gonna get spanked.
Jimmy
- Mon Aug 22 13:37:55 2005

 Kev have you devised some kind of countdown mechanism yet? How many days left...?
John
- Mon Aug 22 13:22:52 2005

 3 months ?? thats an awful lot tom, what happens if you want to leave, can you negotiate it down? - I assume is a perm position - thats a long time for new employers to wait!
Kev
- Mon Aug 22 13:00:07 2005

 My notice period is three months would you believe.
tom
- Mon Aug 22 12:17:07 2005

 http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/QRIO/ some people talk to computers and make them talk back...
tom
- Mon Aug 22 12:16:44 2005

 John: It's true, but in order to tell your house-bot to switch on the light at 30% intensity it doesn't need a huge database of contextual info. I don't think that we can have proper conversations with machines yet, but I think that it's about time that very simpe actions are carried over just by telling them... "TV, channel 1 please", or "Washing Machine, program 4, 40 degrees Celsius" or even "Computer, Mp3, Mark Knopfler selection, random order".. something like that would be a good start...
Lox
- Mon Aug 22 11:34:14 2005

 Lox - actually speech recognition, natural language processing etc is not really an area of computing I know a great deal about. I'm going to stick my neck out though and say that I think we are still a long way from proper full scale vocal interaction with computers. If you think of the difficulty two humans who speak the same language but with different accents can have in communicating, then you can begin to understand the scope of the problem. Look at the sorts of conversations we all have here - there is so much context required to make sense of a lot of it. Even two humans who are complete strangers have a lot of shared contextual information that helps them communicate - maybe they have watched the same films or listened to the same music or whatever...
John
- Mon Aug 22 10:40:48 2005

 I think it is great that Kev will be carrying on with the bumming around torch after I return to employment.... Maybe we can arrange it so that at least one 'Maison regular is unemployed (by choice!) at any point in time. Not sure what actual benefit this would provide, I just sort of like the idea.
John
- Mon Aug 22 10:36:12 2005

 John: Tried the bot and did the survey,it's an interesting project. You can see that the academic world is shifting towards speaking computers a lot, does any of you work in such projects? How long before we can interact vocally with the machines? I remember that there were some problems linked to the processing power, but I cannot see that being a real issue nowadays...
Lox
- Mon Aug 22 10:34:38 2005

 Lox: I dunno for sure - they sent some visa information with the offer letter, and that seemed to suggest it would take 4-6 weeks. I'm not totally adversed to the idea of another month or so bumming about so I don't mind too much to be honest!
John
- Mon Aug 22 10:34:12 2005

 Kev: I understand, I am more or less in the same position, been up north for 4 years and wanting to go back to Florence asap. My only problem is that I cannot find the courage to leave everything to go back. I'd like to have something lined up before I quit...

Mad Mumsie: She is marvellous!! Thanks for the picture, incredible eyes!

John: I thought that if you had a job offer the visa was an automatic procedure really, why do you say that it will take ages? It took 2 weeks for me to have the "alien registration card" and the student visa (2 years)..
Lox
- Mon Aug 22 10:31:30 2005

 Thanks Kev and Jill - your time is much appreciated!
John
- Mon Aug 22 09:22:25 2005

 Had a quick go on the ol Will Shakespeare site and it was quite good although I did manage to get a "You have an error in your SQL syntax" exception which was fun when I quizzed Will about it :)
Kev
- Mon Aug 22 09:17:32 2005

 Good morning everyone. Nice to see some of the old names back, hope you all had good holidays. John: will go to the site later in the day. Lox: you asked for a picture of "my little girl". Scroll down to 11 August - Bethan at her 2nd birthday party.
Mad Mumsie
- Mon Aug 22 08:35:31 2005

 Hey boys and girls, if you have a spare minute or two, do you think you could go and take a look at ShakespeareBot.com, and fill in the survey (it is very short). It's a final year project of an old school friend of mine who needs as many people as possible to fill in the survey.... Thanks!
John
- Mon Aug 22 06:55:10 2005

 As an interesting coincidence my potential next employer have suggested a start date of September 15th - exactly 6 months to the day since I left my last job... and furthermore March 15th is my birthday, so I suppose September 15th is therefore my half birthday. In reality I don't think they'll be able to sort the visa out in this timeframe, but still I like things being sort of neat and fitting in this way.
John
- Mon Aug 22 02:13:17 2005

 Tim - incidentally my notice period was two months as well - it seems to be the norm at Softel. So I handed in my resignation on January 15th, and wasn't able to leave until March 15th.
John
- Mon Aug 22 02:10:29 2005

 Kev, I can't say enough just how chuffed I am that you're getting out! I'm really sorry I didn't respond earlier - I know how it feels when you resign, you really need everyone to go "woohoo!" a bit. So sorry about that - I had just left the day before you posted your announcement to go travelling for a couple of weeks, and have only had internet access for very brief spells in internet cafes etc during that time... Anyway, again, congratulations, I think it is great!
John
- Mon Aug 22 02:09:34 2005

 Brave man, Kev... I admire you. I remember when I took the job I'm in (well the organisation I'm with, more accurately) it was just "temporary" to get out of my previous self-employment.... That was 12 years ago... It takes guts to give it up after a long period and take a gamble... Well done old man! Last time *I* was in Norfolk was on holiday, on the good old Norfolk Broads, about six years ago... :)
Nigel
Oswestry, ... - Sun Aug 21 23:13:53 2005

 Lox: I really resigned to move away back to East Anglia. I actually quite like my job, but I will have been there 10 years next May and I feel I need to do something else, and as to how does it feel, well its feels really great - but odd at the same time, once everyone at the office knows your leaving it becomes sort of strange, like they think you must hate working there now and there is defintely an atttitude of "...well your leaving so theres no point..." even though I have still got 1 1/2 months left.
Kev
- Sun Aug 21 23:00:49 2005

 dsp: well the company I am at, insist we get paid in advance after 6 months. although I could have left after 1 month and just not get paid at all, but that would have probably left the team I am working in a bit in the poo. Also I don't have any job lined up I am going to move back to Norfolk and stay with the parents for a few months before looking for work in that area.
Kev
- Sun Aug 21 22:55:47 2005

 Kev: how come your notice period is longer than 1 month? Are you a key person?
dsp
- Sun Aug 21 20:03:38 2005

 Kev you resigned?!?!?! How does it feels? Why did you decided to leave, and most importantly have you something lined up already?
Lox
- Sun Aug 21 19:11:39 2005

 yep john, quitted 2 weeks ago now - only 6 weeks to go :). Its all rather strange at work at the moment!
kev
- Sun Aug 21 17:53:55 2005

 I have just had a flick back through the board, and realised I have missed quite a lot while I was travelling the past couple of weeks, including, perhaps most significantly - KEV!!!! You've resigned?!?!?! Fantastic news mate, I am very pleased for you!
John
- Sun Aug 21 17:11:48 2005

 Ah now... Employment legislation... :) Well it seems that the 3-months is a generally held period after which, one - it is not easy to give someone te boot,, two - recriminations benefit-wise start to kick in (in the UK I mean unemployment benefits etc),,, three - you start getting employee rights! I must admit I didn't know it extended to Asia/Far East, but it may. Before 3-months both employer and 'ee can pretty much do as they wish. Agencies work the same...
Nigel
Oswestry, Hot... - Sun Aug 21 15:33:15 2005

 Lox: try http://pnotepad.org its quite a good free editor, has scheme colouring which means you can type html and it will colourise the different tags.
Kev
- Sun Aug 21 15:26:43 2005

 Plus your mates might benefit from an unofficial tip on acqusitions and stuff like that... :)
Lox
- Sun Aug 21 15:20:00 2005

 In the end John you have nothing to loose, at the moment you are biding your time, so you might as well try it. Then if it doesn't work out (I cannot see this being a problem as I am positive that you can kick their arses anytime, "work prowess" speaking), or if you feel that you like England better, then you can decide what to do.
Lox
- Sun Aug 21 15:18:59 2005

 John, like dsp says, definitely give it a go, at the very least you will have experienced working for the "Mai-crow-sophed". At the very least you will have experienced working for the "Mai-crow-sophed" :)
Kev
- Sun Aug 21 15:17:46 2005

 Thanks for all the advice guys. I think Tim is right, I really ought to give it a go, even if only for a few months. During the interviewing process we'd discussed the potential language problems given that the team I'd be part of work almost entirely in Japanese. So the offer includes the usual trial period (3 months) which I get the impression they may actually enforce if the language problems prove to be too much of a burden. I assume the trial period os a two way street though - if I'm not happy I would have thought I can leave after three months with no recriminations.
John
- Sun Aug 21 14:25:20 2005

 I am getting the impression that if I hear of any strategic acquistions in the pipeline, I should tip Tim off.
John
- Sun Aug 21 14:19:54 2005

 Arse: sorry for the repeat posts the pocket i.e. re-posts when you browse you history. John: you could fix that bug on your first day to impress your new masters.
dsp
- Sun Aug 21 14:16:37 2005

 But most of all, if your hear of any strategic acquisitions in the pipeline; tip me off!
dsp
- Sun Aug 21 14:14:41 2005

 But most of all, if your hear of any strategic acquisitions in the pipeline; tip me off!
dsp
- Sun Aug 21 14:12:16 2005

 Little help: I am looking for a version of notepad that has a bit more "html" to it, and maybe even a spell checker... do you have any ideas? Or maybe some of you are already using one!
Lox
- Sun Aug 21 13:15:11 2005

 As for the Maison beign a security threat I am sure that John will be able to bullshit his way in MS convincing Bill that this site is worth millions and we'll soon have a massive offer from some side company to simply keep it going!! :)
Lox
- Sun Aug 21 11:14:19 2005

 Ciao John. Tim is right, and also Nigel strikes a good point. Actually the "I want to live in Japan" point is a major one. Until now it has been a sort of sabbatic year for you, as you weren't working, surely the work part is going to change your prospective as working in Japan is not like working here in Europe. The ego part, if I analyze myself a little, was also the one that got me to decline the offer from switzerland, I didn't feel "wanted" by thoose people and that turned me off, together with all the monetary problems. It's a tricky choice, but maybe trying a 6 months run might be a good idea, at least it goes on your CV and it might look good when (if ) you decide to go back to England.
Lox
- Sun Aug 21 11:12:46 2005

 Morning all! Well I know how you feel John. After all that effort to get the offer you do need to feel "wanted", not just tolerated. dsp is being sensible and what you say, dsp, is right. You do hear great stories of share-options and secret projects. I seem to get the feeling MS are currently directionless, torn between shipping s/w boxes and tricky licensing deals. Formy ten-pennyworth, it's down to wether you want to stay in Japan... May the Maison be with us!!! (even for an outsider!) :)
Nigel
Oswestry, ... - Sun Aug 21 10:19:53 2005

 But most of all, if your hear of any strategic acquisitions in the pipeline; tip me off!
dsp
- Sun Aug 21 07:23:38 2005

 John: cream quickly rises to the top. Take the job and give it 3 or 6 months. Commit to leaving if you are unhappy at the end of this period. You will be open to countless internal opportunities that an outsider would never hear of. Plus, make sure you network with other ex-pats at every opportunity, lifts, corridors, stairs; there are bound to be many (ex-pats that is). Before you know it, you could have tranferred onto you dream project.
dsp
- Sun Aug 21 07:21:18 2005

 This marks the end of Maison if you accept...we'll all be eliminated as security risks. Damn! And my life was going pretty welll there for a while. Still, congrats and good luck in deciding. At least you'll live on.
Travis
- Sun Aug 21 03:39:49 2005

 Yes - "Mai-crow-sophed" have now officially offered me a job, so I ought to be really pleased I suppose... If I am going to accept it I have to tell them within the next few days. I am feeling a bit subdued at present though, for two reasons. First I'm not yet absolutely sure if I actually want to live in Japan - up until now it has just been a holiday really, but obviously living and working somewhere is a different matter. Secondly the offer was a bit disappointing - it is not just the money but the overall tone of it. I am very vain and I really need my ego massaging by a future employer a bit, especially when I am stepping into uncharted waters. At the moment the offer feels more like "Oh alright then, if you really want then I suppose we could give you a job", whereas what I really want to hear is "John, we are going to cry if you don't come and work for us, your PhD and past work experience are simply invaluable to us, you are just too great for words."
John
- Sun Aug 21 03:06:34 2005

 Hi everyone!! I am back from the Cote d'azure holidays! Any breaking news that I missed during these two weeks? How did John got along with the intrview thing? Will post pictures and blog soon! Ciaociao
Lox
- Sat Aug 20 14:50:48 2005

 I am finally now back in Hiroshima after almost two weeks travelling around the North of Japan... I will now attempt to get back up to date with emails, my journal thingy etc...
John
- Sat Aug 20 11:27:50 2005

 Yes, you're right Travis. Taking these things too seriously is a pointless activity, because as you say, it was probably the way others in their peer group speak generally. My annoyance is more to do with the casual way this behaviour has to be accepted nowadays. Oh, and :)
Nigel
Oswestry, Before setting off for work.. - Sat Aug 20 07:30:23 2005

 Nigel, I understand that it was meant as an insult, but I'm thinking in the grand scheme of things, it was likely just a young person using whatever vulgarity was on his tongue (or mind) at the time. I wouldn't say it to someone I didn't know unless he did something serious, but I won't lose sleep over it.
Travis
- Sat Aug 20 01:42:23 2005

 Travis, you're being too generous! Used in the way it was with you, it was an attack. I witnessed a similar one while queuing in a local Post Office this lunchtime. People seem more prone these days to this method of brutalising. It shows a lack of decency and restraint. Gets me annoyed too - as you can tell! It's the verbal equivalent of throwing a brick over a garden wall and running away. You might hit dirt, you might hit a person. Grrrrr!
Nigel
Oswestry, ... - Fri Aug 19 22:15:26 2005

 I suppose it's like a lot of words that the young crowd spews out without any meaning...just a way of parlance...but if my mom/dad or grandparents were to say it, it would surely carry some force then. Thanks.
Travis
- Fri Aug 19 18:27:44 2005

 Travis, I would be very surprised if your granny even knew the word, and I certainly wouldn't use it unless GREATLY provoked!!! and then it would probably only be under my breath.
Mad Mumsie
- Fri Aug 19 16:23:15 2005

 I guess it all depends who calls it you. If it was Mad Mumsie or my granny I'd be pretty gutted. If it was some potty-mouthed chav it probably wouldn't.
dsp
- Fri Aug 19 15:56:00 2005

 Travis, not a very nice expression!
Mad Mumsie
- Fri Aug 19 15:26:26 2005

 Maybe a strange question...but how "harsh" a word is "wanker"? I was recently called one on a message board and wasn't bothered in the least...just intrigued. Yeah, I know what it means. Just doesn't seem to have any bite to it, though it seemed the author intended it to be pretty harsh given the caps and exclamation points in the post.
Travis
- Fri Aug 19 15:16:29 2005

 Tom: A good friend of mine has walked the whole of the Ridgeway. It took quite a while, doing about 10/15 miles every 2 or 3 months.
Mad Mumsie
- Fri Aug 19 14:19:51 2005

 This weekend, I *was* due to go walking on the Ridgeway. But this has been canned. So I shall be doing DIY.
tom
- Fri Aug 19 14:00:17 2005

 Sounds like a good plan, DSP. I still have one week until my classes begin and I don't know what class I'm serving as a Teaching Assistant for. I'll probably do sod all as well, as I've tried to do this week.
Travis
- Fri Aug 19 13:53:42 2005

 Ha! Good point! Why didn't I think of that? As I'm working in Wales you'd have expected me to make free with the double L's !!
Nigel
Wrexham, Wales... - Fri Aug 19 10:11:43 2005

 Yeah, I'll probably end up doing lloads.
dsp
- Fri Aug 19 10:10:14 2005

 Like the game-plan dsp, however I notice an almost-anagram of "sod all" is "loads" (What's a spare "L" between friends?) Sadly I'm working tomorrow.Then if it doesn't rain too much I've got some decorating to do... :(
Nigel
Wrexham, work... - Fri Aug 19 10:01:16 2005

 Good morning everybody!! Happy Friday! (yay!) And happy weekend! Can I just mention that I have booked next week off and plan to do absolutely sod all! (The opinions expressed do not represent those of Clare who probably has different ideas)
dsp
- Fri Aug 19 09:46:34 2005

 Who's "Jev" Sorry Kev!
Nigel
Wrexham, ... - Thu Aug 18 15:57:58 2005

 So, would you choose Jev or Nigel to do your web-page testing? I'd stick with Kev, if I were you ... :)
Nigel
Wrexham, Working... - Thu Aug 18 15:57:13 2005

 on firefox and Mozilla I don't see a light grey bar like on IE 6 and on Opera8 the navigation menu is at the top where the others are in the centre.
Kev
- Thu Aug 18 14:31:29 2005

 Ah! Think I missed the point before... :) Yes, the menu works then, but is too "subtle" for me (assuming I *am* viewing it correctly on this severely restricted browser...) Have to say it has that nice stylish "minimalist" air about it - rather like Bang & Olufsen etc. Dare I say it ... "Very Mac-like" ....(Tee-hee ;)
Nigel
Wrexham, ... - Thu Aug 18 13:56:42 2005

 Yeah. I was beginning to think that too. Light grey goes to black.
tom
- Thu Aug 18 12:58:03 2005

 Tom: As a self-appointed usability expert, I would recommend showing the light gray text all the time, and hilighting it when you roll over. Its not immediately apparent that you should move your mouse over those dots. Just my $0.02
dsp
- Thu Aug 18 12:52:44 2005

 Morning everyone. I think the messages yesterday were far more interesting.
Mad Mumsie
- Thu Aug 18 11:26:37 2005

 (Tom: Using IE 5.5 here at work - all I get is the 5-spot horizontal menu bar without text and the "TomRowan" graphics hot-spot to your CV.)
Nigel
Wrexham, Work - Thu Aug 18 11:10:21 2005

 Yes, Kev - wireless is okay, but I was thinking of a plain adsl modem/switch I can leave on permanently. The wireless bit is only for local access so I can turn the AP off. dsp: Yes, I have the BT Voyager 2000. Tho' mine runs very cool with a separate "brick" PSU. The 2100 I bought from eBay runs very hot in comparison - it's "g" as opposed to "b" and has a 4-port switch :( Yes, Tom I want SPI. After my prev experiences I want to leave on the modem - all else I can turn on/off as required.
Nigel
Wrexham, Work.. - Thu Aug 18 11:05:27 2005

 http://tom.rowan.me.uk/ Please have a look. Is it broken in your IE too?
tom
- Thu Aug 18 10:56:21 2005

 Presumably the power supply is external? The ones with internal NEED a fan.
tom
- Thu Aug 18 10:40:31 2005

 Bloody hell. I never realised until you mentioned that. Just put my foot on our always on ADSL modem/router and its boiling. FYI: Its a BT Voyager 2000 WiFi router. Hang on a minute, I'm getting this strange feeling of Deja Vu.
dsp
- Thu Aug 18 10:31:11 2005

 The problem with these tiny little boxes for home use is that they have a) tonnes of components stuffed into a small space and b) no fan for quietness. They will always get hot. I presume that a metal case would give better heat dissipation?
tom
- Thu Aug 18 10:26:11 2005

 Nigel: Do you mean a Broadband Modem/Router i.e it has an inbuilt firewall ? Presumably you require a wireless connection ?
Kev
- Thu Aug 18 10:24:14 2005

 Ok, techie-type question... Anyone have an "always on" ADSL modem they can recommend? Prime consideration is coolness of unit and power (and I mean "lack of heat" rather than good looks!)
Nigel
Wrexham, Work... - Thu Aug 18 10:08:37 2005

 Nigel, oh no...I'm poor. And I don't fundraise. So it has cost me $40. I could do so much with $40,000...I'd never make a movie for $40 million. Waste of cash. DSP: "We" is me + my friend, Joel, who did his MA in Philosophy w/ me, is now an English student, and is a former cinematographer for skateboarding/bike riding vids. He's quite skilled.
Travis
- Thu Aug 18 06:15:58 2005

 Travis: I take it that "$40" is hollywood-speak for 40-million! Must be... gotta be!! ;)
Nigel
Oswestry, Home again... - Wed Aug 17 20:01:53 2005

 Travis: Looking forward to the results! When you say "we're doing it", who's we?
dsp
- Wed Aug 17 19:41:35 2005

 Nice, Nigel! Thanks for that story. Makes me hopeful...as an update, we're redoing the audio track with a final cut that will make it easier to synch video to audio. We're doing it this way because it's a voice over/monologue driven film. I may have to do 2 more shots to fill in areas. My budget is currently about $40.
Travis
- Wed Aug 17 17:09:11 2005

 Well Mumsie, it's been fun chatting but i've got to go home now. That's it for this week. (Advantage of being 'part time'). but.....I'll be back! bwahhhaaaa! :o)
Tim's mum
- Wed Aug 17 16:39:27 2005

 Tim's Mum: He's trying to spoil our fun, and we get so little fun nowadays *sigh*, except spending their inheritance:o)
Mad Mumsie
- Wed Aug 17 15:56:25 2005

 Aw Rob, We's only playin' :o)
Tim's mum
- Wed Aug 17 15:46:12 2005

 Give her time, Rob, give her time. Apart from which I'm sure all your little friends must love hearing about your childhood.
Mad Mumsie
- Wed Aug 17 15:34:48 2005

 *mumbling* John's mum doesn't push her weight around on here */mumbling*
Rob Lang
- Wed Aug 17 15:27:25 2005

 Tom, thank you for the link to the Store Wars thing. It made lunchtime really special for our Quantity Surveyors. About Tim's first shoes......he still has one of them. (Yes you do Tim, they were in the bottom drawer of your chest of drawersthatyoutookwhenyoulefthome!) I don't know WHAT you mean about monsters!!
Tim's mum
- Wed Aug 17 14:57:03 2005

 Rob/Tim. Who do you think you are calling monsters.
Mad Mumsie
- Wed Aug 17 14:35:56 2005

 I know!
dsp
- Wed Aug 17 14:26:27 2005

 Tim, I think we have unleashed a monster on the boards.
Rob Lang
- Wed Aug 17 14:23:26 2005

 Awww.
tom
- Wed Aug 17 13:51:58 2005

 No shoes, except the pair they wore for their christening, and I do have the dress I made for Alex's first birthday.
Mad Mumsie
- Wed Aug 17 13:50:34 2005

 Do you have Tim's/Rob's first pair of shoes?
tom
- Wed Aug 17 13:42:32 2005

 Rob never had long hair, school then Cadets meant short hair. But he did dye it matt black once, looked like a woolly rug, no shine to it at all. Then he shaved it all off. I didn't recognise him. Kids!!
Mad Mumsie
- Wed Aug 17 13:27:44 2005

 Nigel: Good spot! Come on Travis! (I'll get the pop corn)
dsp
- Wed Aug 17 13:23:19 2005

 Travis - this one's for you (as someone famous once said...) - http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/features/story/0,11710,1542181,00.html
Nigel
Wrexham, Work... - Wed Aug 17 13:08:32 2005

 Bang goes my attempt at blackmail. He looked cute in the overalls but the hairstyle.....????
Mumsie
- Wed Aug 17 12:59:47 2005

 Tim's Mum: Damn another source if income gone.
Mad Mumsie
- Wed Aug 17 12:23:26 2005

 Mum: Go ahead, I'm not ashamed.
dsp
- Wed Aug 17 12:20:44 2005

 Its nice of Rob to let Bethan play with his collection of My Little Ponies ;-)
dsp
- Wed Aug 17 12:20:10 2005

 Tim, How much NOT to post the pic of you in your overalls on the day you got your GCE results?!
Tim's mum
- Wed Aug 17 12:05:30 2005

 I'm led to believe that some of them are quite valuable now, particularly MY Wookie.
Mad Mumsie
- Wed Aug 17 12:01:08 2005

 dsp: That was certainly dedication!! I've got to hand it to you!
Nigel
Wrexham, Work... - Wed Aug 17 11:57:51 2005

 Tim's brother swapped all the star wars figures for conkers. (We don't still have the conkers) ;o)
Tim's mum
- Wed Aug 17 11:57:42 2005

 Tim's Mum - isn't this fun. I should think the Lego train set still works - they go on for ever. The old Fisher Price toys have come out, been cleaned up and are played with whenever Bethan comes - and we've still got to get My Little Pony and Cindy down from the cupboard. Waiting for a boy for the Action Man and Star Wars stuff.
Mad Mumsie
- Wed Aug 17 11:54:14 2005

 Obviously not as often as I would like!, but she is coming this weekend, so I will have seen her three out of the last four weekends, and again in middle of September.
Mad Mumsie
- Wed Aug 17 11:51:48 2005

 Mumsie, Bethan is beautiful! Do you get to see her often?
Tim's mum
- Wed Aug 17 11:48:10 2005

 I can't bare to part with the macs. The first one I worked £3.20/hour cleaning Tesco to purchase. It cost over £1000. That's a lot of mopping.
dsp
- Wed Aug 17 11:47:27 2005

 God mums! You're so embarassing! Shut up! ;-)
dsp
- Wed Aug 17 11:46:05 2005

 Mumsie, We have 29 years worth of 'treasures' in our loft. The mind boggles. I'm too short to actually get up there, I can manage to peep in. I'd love to have a really good look! I know some of the boys' toys are there, including a Lego train set......wonder if it would still work?