Andy Ramblings

A new year, a new theme, OK, I know it's Feburary, but January was went by far too fast. So, what to do think ?  I like it, It's clean, a bit nippier but that's all relative to how fast ones internet access is.

So, so far this year, not much has happened, I'm still waiting for the Canon 450D not yet out, but I'm not deperate enough to came for a week out side some local camera shop, like some fools fo for getting a crap mobile phone, you know the one, that ipod with a phone bulted on, yep the iPhone. You can of course see some of the photo's that I have been taking over the past, with various degrees of success, from a film camera, those throw away ones, to mobile phones to a borrowed Canon 400D over at my gallery, (link above)

Other than that, not much, I may write about some Bishop who thought it might be a bright idea to kind of suggest that it may be unavoidable that we should have religious laws to be included in a Non-Secular legal system. I think this will not happen.

That's all folk(s)

Oh and Ireland lost against Frence in the Rugby... Boo, just 5 mins more and I guess we could have done it.

Well folks, this site will go off line for sometime over the week-end. Just to let you know....

Other than that... some one went into a shop to hold it up and wanted to steal a Sony PSP3, the shop keeper said they had none in stock... SO the man ended leaving with only a Microsoft Xbox.

Simple moral of this story, check the stocks first, before trying to steal something.... Sheeesh

 

*UPDATE* 05/05/07 around 13:00 hours

Well, the upgrade when fairly well, just my gallery site has got a wee hitch. I'm sure I'll have that sorted before the week-end is out.

Also to add, the very nice folk at Servage did 90% of the hard work. Thanks again.

Not being a fan of Tagging and have normally ignored many, but as it's Christmas The New Year and as it was Davide Simonetti's  Birthday, I thought well  Ok, this once, I'll do it. They will be brief as I'm not at home, am in Brussels and may have a few beers as I type....

"What are the seven best things you did this past year?"

Well, 7 of the best things? Not too hard then.. Here goes.

1: Finally getting of the steroids that I've been on for the past 29 years,  They were beginning to cause, well, not beginning, they had been for a few years, causing a lot of havoc with everything else but what they were been taken for. Good riddance to them!

2: Very recently, seeing England loose the Ashes so spectacularly that it but a full stop on all this cricket stuff  and that the English team of 2005 didn't actually win because they played well, but that they had had a pact with the weather.

3: Seeing Bush loose power in such a democratic way! Now too see him go back to his old job of Village idiot, hopefully he will bring along his pet dog with him.

4: Building up new commercial websites, and well, this is still ongoing, but hopefully to make something more with it.

[After a pause of a few days Internet techie problem, parties and evenings out]

5:Seeing Bush get a serious bashing in the US Mid-terms, Not that I think that much is going to change, at least it' gotten rid of that smog look of his face, oh and a certain Rummy has gone. Hoping to see him ride into the sunset with his poodle and a huge boot out the backside.

6: Seeing Blair the Magnificent start his slow, ( wish it was faster) decline, and seeing him dig his political grave live on TV. I don't think many people believe a word he says any more. Just wish the guy would not keep trying to save himself, but his party.

7: Well, it has been a long year, many events have happened, many people have gone, so good riddance, some, well you would have liked them to have stayed a little longer, but you know in yourself, that time moves on, and we are all left with the good memories of those. For me, as this is about me, I'm glad to have to have made it to the end of this year in one piece. Ok, I have plenty of spare parts, but that's different.

So now to tag a few other people to see what they have to say about their 2006 seven best moments, So, in no particular order.
Keith, Zoe at MBIAT,Karelian Blonde, Guyana Gyal, Anna at That's the way life is, and anyone who would like to share

So reader(s) as 2006 comes to a close, how was it for you? I hope that you like the new theme, it's still being worked on, but I'm sure you will agree with me, that it is a lot faster.
Happy New year, Bonne année, ? ????? ?????, Feliz Año Nuevo, Gelukkig Nieuw Jaar, Nuovo anno felice Lyckligt nytt år and for everyone have a great Hogmanay!! Drink lots and be safe.( I can't vouch for the correctness of the translations)

Well when you look at the planet Earth from afar, it's only then when you see that it's not all that big in the whole sphere of things. I do in a way envy all those who have managed to see this view of the earth an unique view and a privileged one at that, But folks, here are some in a flash file for your viewing pleasure.

Click the pick and you'll be taken to the movie, not a long one, but a nice one non the less.

Yes, how big is the universe? It's bloody big, I mean HUGE!, no that's too small a word, it gi-normous! I think that's still a too small a word, It's freaking bleeding huge and will take thousands of light years to get from one end to the other; but how would you have known you've reached the end? Maybe when you've seen the restaurant at the end of the universe? it may have moved, or you might not have gone straight across the universe? You might even have taken some diversions unbeknown to yourself, you know black holes and other gravitational issues that need to be taken into account. etc etc...

Have you ever thought or wondered, you know with the internet being so vast that someone somewhere might have thought the same thought as yourself, but done something about it? Yes, have you ever thought, the internet is so vast and full of interesting stuff, I wonder if some one somewhere has made a site that is as big as the universe? Well, dear readers, yes, someone has, and for your viewing pleasure and from your armchair, you, yes You and you, can visit the universe from the comfort of your computer screen see the whole universe on the internet from this site here, below.

yes, here's the link to the Universe for your viewing pleasure!

Just one note though, to be able to see the centre of the Universe, you will need Firefox!

I gets up at the normal time on a Monday, around 08:30 there abouts. I goes of and get a nice steaming hot black coffee with one sugar, you know, coffee that's stronger than pure coffee. Sitting down and relaxing, getting myself upto date on the world events. On the climate change we're all doomed! Unless we spend some £1trillian or something like that and all will be OK.
Then my mobile rings, at 8:45 (yes, coffee was quick),
Good morning says I,
Is this <my full name>
Yes, speaking,
This is <My bank> can I do a security check,
Sure ok says I,
What age are you going to be at your next birthday..
Oh, 41 says I,
Thanks, says nice person from my Bank, Can you confirm or not that you tried to spend £200 on a casino site?
Err Nope, says I, wondering what's going on..
Ok, are you the only person to use this card?
Yes, Only myself.
OK, it appears that your card has been compromised,
Oh! says I under my breath, thinking to myself, now where could it have happened?!
So, to cut a long story short, Some bastard has skimmed my card or has managed to get hold of the card number and security number at the back!
I'm a pretty cardwise, and make sure that I don't leave my card lying around, haven't used it recently to pay for something, except one place, When I had to phone to get my Eurostar ticket, I'm not saying anything, other than that's the last place where I gave the card details over the phone. The phone being the least secure place to give your details as your are relying on a human to:

• Not write the info down
• Not remember it
• Dispose of it correctly

Where as, over the internet, if your pretty sure, as long as the site is secure and is a regular one that  you use and not a fly-by-night site, that the security is very good and you don't have to worry about the info being destroyed correctly etc.

Nice way to start a week, sir, you've been robbed!  I think I'll go back to bed and wake up on Friday!

If you happen to be using Outlook or Microsoft or your office happens to be using Microsoft exchange as an e-mail server, And your based in the UK, Ok that can be quite a few of you. You may notice that your Calender is or has been set to GMT! But It's not GMT time just yet, that comes at the last week-end of October, that's next week.
The problem is caused by a small bug, just a very small on, and normally your wouldn't every see it, well yes, this very same problem will happen in 2010, 2011 and 2016, so what's the problem and what's the bug, I hear you ask?
Well, check October this year, yes, there are 5 Sundays, and you will see the same happening in 2010, 2011 and 2016. And the bug is? Yes, coming to that, It's how Microsoft has coded the change over from BST to GMT.
What they have done is hard coded a rule, that BST finishes on the 4th week-end of October without exception. So check and make sure you have the right times or you could say, your lost in a timewarp somewhere 1hr ago;

Off to Brussels I goes in the next 10 mins or so... Weather looks nice for travelling. Some sun, not hot, just nice. 

Ok... Other than that, not much going on... will chat later.... TTFN.

Yes, It's time for me to have a mid-life crises! Well I could have missed the mid-life as well I might have already passed it. But It all starts at 40 so they, who are 'they' by the way! Baby boomers I guess. Anyway. so I will start and plan my mid-life crises. Get a flash car or motorbike and go wild!
But first things first, a car... don't have one, or do I have a flash motorbike...

SO, to the mid-lfe I have arrived. at the age of 40! Wisdom will ensue.

There that's it for today!

In the past, road sweepers used to use a rather efficient device called a brush, or a broom, something that had a rather nice rhythm to it, wiish wisshhh  tock tock. It didn't make much noise. Oh but these days, when the price of petrol is high, the need for machines, the need for noise to make it appear that you are doing something. Like teenagers with motorbikes, taking the silencer out of the exhaust just so you can hear them coming 20 miles off Yep, I'm on a big bike, lots a noise! It's crap as we know, the engine is just a small wee 50cc engine that is just a noise maker.
You'll be wondering what the hell is this writer on about? Yep, there is some logic to the madness that lies beneath this crazed mind.
It's a nice sunny morning, it's neither too cold, nor too hot, just right, you hear the birds in the trees (ok the bleeding pigeons cooing away) then along comes some motorised sound! It's the new engine powered leaf cleaner, Wrrrrrrrrrrrr wrrrrrrrrr wrrrrrrrrr You know the ones.

Yep, those things, those machines that kill silence, of a nice morning. Why are they needed? They are noisy, generate pollution, and I can't say they offer any benefits to the user except broken ears and an extra long arm?
What's wrong with the good 'ol brush? you remember, the Broom and brush that would do the job effectively and not wake up the whole neighbourhood!
I would like the guy who uses this machine at 8am in the morning to be woken up at 1am with one of those machines. It felt like 1am to be till I looked at my clock...
What's wrong with this?

well tell me ?

I had to get out, I was running out of medicines, running out of food and I had spent all Friday at home fixing websites till the wee hours. Well, a bit of a lie there, not quite to the wee hours, but till late. So come Saturday supplies being thin and well, I had to get out!
So I escaped from the grips of my PC, twas almost like escaping gravity, a big push, leap was needed, but I did it. I got out and headed towards London Docklands, It's nice there, lots of shops, all easy to get to and well all indoors to was out of the rain.

I love Olive oil, in fact I'm not to shy to spend over £6 for a 1lt bottle.(at my local Sainsbury) The oil I get is Farchioni Extra Virgin Olive Oil 'Il Casolare' from Umbria. It's the oil taken from the very first pressing, so it's a bit murky, but boy does taste delicious! This is the kind of olive oil you pour onto a saucer, with bits of chillies. Dip some chipata bread bits in and have for a starter, or side dish. What I needed was a nice drizzler so that I don't have to worry about the stopper. As you can see in the image, it's like a beer bottle, a Grolsch so by the time your half way through the bottle, you have quite some oil slipping down the sides, gets kinda messy, so a drizzler was needed.
You can order it from here, but it's pricey! 
On my way to find the said drizzler, I found something that I that any good office worker want's. You know when the office only provides cheap and nasty instant coffee, you know, that coffee you need to add 3 or 4 tables spoons of the stuff before you get a 'hit'. Yep, you know what I'm on about. Anyway, some one who obviously likes coffee, had the same problem and was thinking how can I have my proper coffee, my ground coffee at the office. So what did this guy do? He imagined how can he get his cafetière and a mug together? So along comes the Smart Café cafetière hot mug! Read More

Ok, so your at either a dead end job, or nothing to do? bored silly. The boss gone for their French lunch break, ie starts at 13:00 and finishes 5 mins before going home time. or you like living life dangerously you read your round of blogs from the office. How can you hid your browser window? You could have several browser windows up, and work pages are in one and blogs in another? risky? But why play dangerously? Why not just read your blogs in boss proof window!

Yep, you can, some smart people over at workFriendly have managed the trick. Pop over and check it out.

Oh and by the way, if you get in any trouble with the Boss, that's not my fault, you wanted to live life dangerously? sometime you might not hit on the safe route.

Ok. my site has been off line for almost 24hrs. This was caused by my hosting company. It would have been ok if they had advised me that they were going to 'move' my sites to a newer server (Thanks). The move meant that some code had to be searched for and replaced. Took me  a while. But now the site is back up and running.

Other than that, It's not a good time to fly to or from the UK... Your not allow to take anything on a plane. I think this won't last long as the big airlines who rely on the business traveler, will start to complain.

Of the 20 people who were arrested for 'planning' a tur'ist attack on Heathrow airport I bet most will be let off or the police will not find any evidence, and the whole thing dropped and hidden. call me a skeptic if you like, but the current record of the current government is not very good at all.
Remember the WMD report, turned out to be a pack of lies, The ricin plot, turned out to be, yep a nice convenient story to allow Blair to be 'tougher' or Tur'ist. And the best one to date, the Forest Gate arrest.

I think they have cried wolf too many times. They had on this occasion better produce something or Blair and his cronies will be up shit creek.

Well apparently not. The good people at Waitrose (a supermarket here in the UK) asked a group of 5  expert chefs and guess what? Yep, they came back with 5 different ways to do the same thing. Not abnormal you might say, these chefs all have egos to massage so, they will do that.  So what's the solution? Trial and error? Should the egg be put in cold water then let the water boil and hopefully get a boiled egg eventually. Or should one boil the water first, then again, how do you know your water is boiled ?  ahh so many questions so much advice and who the hell is right.
Some famous chef, or Delia Smith made a who TV show just to show you how to boil an egg, Check it out here.
But if you can't follow that, then the very good folks at Lion Quality ( check their site here). These guys are smart, they have managed to take the guess work out of getting a boiled egg write, be it soft, be it hard, they have it sorted.  Pure genius, it's one of those ideas that you may think ,I could could have thought of that, kind of genius idea! How did they do it?  Well, It's all down to the ink that they will be using when they print their quality logo on the egg. (read about it here not a perfect URL)

 

 

Scientists are close to cracking the age old problem of cooking your boiled egg just right…step aside the clock and the running sand granules – here comes the self-timing egg.

Using the latest heat sensitive technology, Lion Quality egg producers tasked boffins to create a foolproof way to guarantee the yolk comes out the way you want it - soft, medium or hard boiled - every time. Carrying a special label, the egg goes into your pan as normal and when it is perfectly cooked the Lion logo appears as if by magic confirming your chosen preference.

“We are still perfecting the technology, but we are very excited at the prospect of sorting a problem that has wound people up at breakfast time for decades,“ said Gilly Beaumont of B&H Colour Change.

There you go, it will be nice and easy to get that egg right! Problem solved. Pure genius!

Yes, it's been a while since  I mentioned anything that's happened in my small area of the interweb. I've been busy. Got a small contact to build a very big website. Will mention more when the site goes public. At the moment it's in it's advanced stages of development. Woot !

Today I was woken up by bleedin' builders, no real problem with that, it's when you see them walk past your window and your on the third floor, then you have every reason to freak out a bit! The whole block of flats is getting a nice new fresh lick of paint, bricks getting re-pointed etc. So it can only be good news. The other nice bit is that with all that scaffolding around the flat  I have some more shade from the sun. Pity they didn't start work last week, as the soaring temperatures we have been having over this week (Heat records were broken! over 38.5^o C).

Other news, Yep, Israel actions of in the mid-east, are understandable, but lets get a sense of proportions here, The notion that 'we do what we want, and at what ever the cost, yes that's fine when your spending someone else's money ie, US taxpayer. But I'm sorry, it also has an effect on the rest of us. The cost of oil, energy etc have all gone up. I'm not going into the adolescent argument of who started it first, as we will get nowhere. I would have thought that Israel being a 'mature' democracy I would have expect  less of an adolescent response. But there you go, two teenagers having a fight that effects us all and will more likely cause long term problems with the whole area.

As I sometimes say, Any fool can start a war, But it takes a very brave person to prevent one starting at all.