Kits and Mortar Tumblr Strange Attractor Del.icio.us links TwitterReally getting into this Python thing. Sean is a great tutor, so as long as we can manage to find the time to meet up on IRC and go through stuff I think I'll continue to make good progress. I've also become involved in a LearnToProgram Python wiki, where I will post up transcripts of […]
After Tim Henman's amazing match against Mark Philippoussis, I was really looking forward to today's match against Mario Ancic. Henman sparkled on the court against the Australian, but today, well, the sparkle had gone. Ancic is like an octopus - honestly, that man was returning balls that shorter, less gangly men would have missed. He […]
I've always felt that not being able to program was one of my biggest failings. I learnt Basic when I was 9, on the ZX80 and then the ZX81. By the time we got a Sinclair ZX Spectrum, I'd peaked and it was pretty much all downhill from there.
There was a brief resurgence in 1990 […]
Best tennis I've ever seen from Tim Henman at Wimbledon this evening. Well, for the first two sets anyway. Got a bit iffy at times during the second two, but pulled of the fourth set tie-break to go through to the quarter finals. He seems to be playing with much more confidence, and is going […]
After a flurry of reinstallations, I am now ready for the beginning of the working week tomorrow. I think I have all the software I use on a daily basis reinstalled, and the stuff that isn't I either still have on CD somewhere, on is lurking in my downloads folder, or can be scraped off […]
Ok, I now have a computer with Win2k on it, and it's running just fine. I have my essentials installed, and just have to finish up installing other software tomorrow.
The only thing that isn't working properly is the display. I have two monitors running off an ATI Radeon 9200 card, but they will run only […]
Getting ready for the Great Clean Re-Install tomorrow. Backing up like nobody's business. It takes a long time to move so much stuff via wifi to another box.
I will have the laptop, so even if the worst should happen I will be able to get online, but I am hoping the the worst will not […]
If you didn't just watch the England - Portugal match, this post will make no sense to you. But we wuz screwd. That was a fair goal, seen by the linesman and given by the linesman but denied by the ref. But why? What was wrong with it? Seemed like a perfectly good goal […]
James blogs and IRCs from his seat on a Lufthansa flight from Munich to the LA, thus joining the *other* mile high club. Due to lack of power points near his seat, he spends an hour in the loo charging his laptop batteries.
“Ooh, don't eat the prawns…”
I haven't posted about my Search for Gainful Employment lately, mainly because there's not been huge amounts to say. I've been doing some design work which has taken up much of my time, but, as you'll know if you've been reading this blog a while, what I really want to do is get back into […]
Vnunet report that Sony's new Libre ebook reader features some hellish DRM which locks up your ebooks - yes, that's right, the ebooks you bought with your money - after 60 days. To paraphrase Cory: Damn, I wish Sony would devote some expensive engineering effort in order that I may do less with my ebooks.
Via […]
Lawrence Lessig comments on the official 'introduction to the public' of the INDUCE Act in America, which would basically criminalise anyone who 'encourages children, teenagers and others to commit illegal or criminal acts of copyright infringement':
The proposal alone is troubling enough. But the outrageous part is that there is talk that this massive new layer […]
David Weinberger has had a little chat with the people at Microsoft:
Obviously, creators need to be be paid for their work, but not for every bit of value they create: You shouldn't have to pay me if you re-read my book or lend it to a friend, even though you are getting more value from […]
At last, I have my own bot on IRC! Thanks to Morbus for coding SuwBot for me. Here's a taster:
*** SuwBot joined
jibot: Milords, Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome SuwBot
* Suw laughs
*** Gardner joined
jibot: Gardner is in the suburbs of Philadelphia [snipped]
SuwBot: Gardner!
Suw: yay!!
Morbus: yay, it works.
Suw: well done Morbus!!
*** Nefi joined
SuwBot: Nefi!
Gardner: Suw […]
According to my Dutch friend Bram Janssen, Queen Beatrix is trying to copyright the Dutch national anthem. Never mind that the anthem is over four hundred years old, she still claims first dibs on it. “The anthem is mine,” she says. (Add mad cackle as appropriate.)