Scents of Direction
  
 

   
 
This is what I think...
  
 
 
   
 

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Monday, February 28, 2005
 
I find it quite astounding that there are still people doing the "I have a bomb in my bag" routine when boarding aircraft, it's not like it was ever a really funny joke and since 9/11 changed the world they really should know that it's only going to end in tears.

Ending up arrested might seem like a bit of an over reaction on the part of the airport security but you probably couldn't get any closer to "asking for trouble" if you tried (except, you know, actually asking)
- Steve, 10:19 PM,
 
You don't often see BMW X5's doing this on the school run, do you? Excellent recovery though!
- Steve, 9:10 AM,
 
Isn't it annoying when you watch a TV show that you really like for the fist time only to realise that it's the last one of the series? Or, when you really enjoy a show but you never seem to be around when it's on?

Well, I don't have the answer (sorry 'bout that!) but I can tell you that the new series of Mythbusters is on Discovery Channel next Sunday at 8pm.

Having said all that I'm sue to miss it.
- Steve, 12:19 AM,
Sunday, February 27, 2005
 
Ohhh yeah! One day I'll have one of these in the garage*

* Of course that will be some time after I have finished the current project that lives in there...
- Steve, 12:07 PM,
Friday, February 25, 2005
 
Breakfast at my desk this morning of:

  • Orange juice.
  • Croissants with lemon curd.
  • Lots of stong black filter coffee.

It's good to work at home and live near a Co-op store
- Steve, 10:28 AM,
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
 
Christian Voice threaten to protest outside a cancer charity if they accept a £3000 donation from Jerry Springer - The Opera.

I find that absolutely staggering. I really do hope that Christian Voice paid the charity the £3000 out of their funds.
- Steve, 2:59 PM,
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
 
Thanks to the help of a couple of kind souls, I have got some good listening for tomorrows commute from Bicester to Crewe: Chris Rock (not to be confused with "Christian Rock" like in that Simpson episode), The News Quiz and Just a Minute. This is just about 2hrs worth which is about how long it takes to get to Crewe if I'm in "economy mode".

I used the software approach this time to get the BBC shows on CD, it seems to have worked well but was a little slow. It took a little more than 30 mins to get a 30min show and then convert it to mp3.
Now I have found my lead with the 3.5mm jacks on each end I'll attempt the more "solid state" approach, stay tuned for progress reports!
- Steve, 10:27 PM,
Sunday, February 20, 2005
 
Do any of you have any recommendations for software to record streaming media?

All I want to do is save some of the "on demand" programmes from the BBC (like The News Quiz or Just a Minute for example) on to a CD so that I can listen to them on the long commutes to and from the office.

I don't need anything particularly sophisticated and I would rather not pay for it (as with so much in life!).
- Steve, 10:29 PM,
Saturday, February 19, 2005
 
Cluster Ballooning!
- Steve, 10:11 PM,
 
Months after everyone else tried it, I have finally got my hands on "A night at the hip-hopera" and it really does deserve the hype; it's just excellent!
- Steve, 1:10 PM,
Wednesday, February 16, 2005
 

I had a "deluxe room" at the hotel I stayed in last night, it had such wonderful features as:

  • A floor that squeaked so loudly that it actually scared me when I walked in to the room.
  • Curtains that were not quite wide enough to cover the window (after having to fight them closed in the first place)
  • A TV that didn't have channel 5 (so I missed CSI)
  • A bathroom that smelt of blocked drains
  • Tiles in the bathroom that were about to fall off
  • Tiles in the bathroom that had fallen off and been replaced different tiles (different colours and patterns)
  • A knob to turn the shower on which fell off in my hand
  • A cracked bath
  • A bath panel made of hardboard
  • Black grout between the white (ish) tiles, although I suspect it was white once.
  • Decor from the forties (I don't mean retro, I mean actually from the forties)
  • An enchanting view of the rear of the kitchen complete with bins and (surprisingly) old mopeds.
  • Cobwebs on the light fittings.

You know, sometimes you just have to treat yourself* don't you?

* In my case I'll opt for a strong Fungicide

- Steve, 12:05 PM,
Monday, February 14, 2005
 
I love stuff like this
- Steve, 6:14 PM,
Sunday, February 13, 2005
 
I forgot to mention in the post below that Project Gutenberg is the ideal place to get a free ebook, especially one of the classics
- Steve, 10:15 PM,
 
I've been doing plenty of reading so far this year, I normally go in spells of reading a couple of books quite quickly and then having a long break.
I think I'm reading more because I'm away with work more often than I used to be, normally a night or two each week. There isn't much else to do in a hotel (especially the ones I normally stay in) so I've been having the opportunity to read quite frequently.

The other thing that helps is that I'm pretty much only reading ebooks at the moment, I find them much more convenient than real books as I can take a few with me wherever I go and it's much more discreet; you can read in the office (you know, during a scheduled break...) without attracting any attention.

I should get myself a "currently reading" side bar, I'll do that soon. Lately I have been reading a few books by Dan Brown, specifically:

Digital Fortress - It was alright, not great but quite enjoyable.
The Da Vinci Code - Really enjoyed this one, compelling but not too "heavy"
Angels & Demons - Far-fetched and a bit silly, but still quite exciting and an easy read.

Next is a change of pace, I've got Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky a book I have wanted to read for a long time. I have always been put off by the length of it and the fact that I really don't have a great attention span...
- Steve, 9:48 PM,
Saturday, February 05, 2005
 
I can see the logic of adopting a Freegan lifestyle, or at least being an "occasional Freegan", there is so much waste that is needless.
There is a local food shop around here that is an express version of a large supermarket chain, it only sells food and drink and is open until 10pm each night. I happen to know that they throw out hundreds of pounds worth of food each evening (thousands of pounds each day of their first few weeks open), this food as all properly packaged and is for sale at full price at 9.55pm but in the bin by 10.15pm.

There is meat, fruit & vegetables and lots of packaged things like sandwiches as well as bread and milk. Many people could live off this each day for a very long time.

I'm quite tempted myself but I would need to get over the stigma of "eating out of a bin" (which is silly considering that it's just a plastic container filled with packaged food, it's not like our kitchen bin which has real waste in.) and get over feeling like a thief by taking it!

- Steve, 10:53 AM,
Friday, February 04, 2005
 
I went to the dentist today for the first time in ages. I have been trying to remember how long it's been since my last visit, I think I was about 16, so that will be 12 years!

I've not been because I have never felt the need to go. I take the same approach to running a car; I don't take it to the garage unless it breaks* and my teeth haven't broke. I've never had toothache (except for when the wisdom teeth came through) and they haven't fallen out or had bits snap off.

I only went today because Clare convinced me that I should, and besides, her and Georgia were booked in for a check up anyway.
The result of my visit is no change... Apparently I have "good teeth" and there are no signs of any problems so far. I have made it to 28 without having anything done to my teeth at all, I was expecting at least one filling!


* Actually if it breaks I tend to do the work myself, but that doesn't work as an analogy for dentistry
- Steve, 11:51 PM,
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
 
I did a spot of laminating in the office today and it occurred to me a laminator would be useful tool to have in the kitchen. Think about it, you could put the food in one end and it would come out the other end cooked and wrapped!

I have yet to try it but I suspect it might be good for cheese and ham toasties...

- Steve, 1:41 PM,
 
Are you an expert in dining etiquette?

When dining alone, is it bad form to read at the table in while you dine at a reasonably posh restaurant? My guess is that it would be frowned upon but I'm not really sure...

I quite often go to a restaurant alone when I am working away (even if it is the hotel one) but I'm never quite sure what to do with myself before and between courses.

- Steve, 11:50 AM,
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
 
There is some hype around tada lists at the moment and, from giving it a try today, I have come to the conclusion that it deserves the praise it's getting. It's a fairly simple but well designed tool, I can see this being a real help on the project I am working on.

- Steve, 3:12 PM,

 

  
 
   
 
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