Monthly Archive for July, 2006

software all up ins

Published on 25/07/2006 in everything. 2 Comments

Today has been a day of discovery.

Firstly, it seems all that whining I was doing about their UI finally paid off and the boys over at Skype took notice. I think they maybe have a tap on my line?

Of course, to get the new, decent, pared-down UI you need a mac, and the stones to run a beta, but isn’t that always the way?

Actually, it’s pretty reminiscent of the googletalk client, which is currently windows-only, so maybe the new hotness will spill out across the product line?

They also added video, if you’re ready to ferret around for an obscure varient (1.5.0.47, as opposed to the 1.5.0.48 of the “blind” version). This is pretty odd behaviour in my book, although the notes mention that the video is pretty CPU-intensive right now: presumably they’ll merge the branches when they feel it’s lean enough for general use?

In other news, iVolume will use the generally preferred replaygain algorithm to replace apple’s soundcheck tag across your iTunes library. Smart, no? It actually changes the value of the existing itunNORM tag in all your files.

The same guy also wrote SharingMenu, which is all sorts of handy if you’re flitting between a mix of networks.

Also beginning with that letter (a fad among mac software devs that really ought to have died by now), iBank has been depressing me no end as I use it to suck my bank account info out of HSBC’s website. It’s a neat app mind, I just wish it would show me more black numbers than red.

let’s go see Raoul, in a friendly place

Published on 22/07/2006 in everything. 1 Comment

What’s that coming over the hill?
Ohmigod it’s a lion, get in the car!

Like a well-lit doughnut shop, because fankly I’m kind of nervous around the guy and would appreciate some hospitable surroundings (and maybe a doughnut) to put me at my ease.

So yes, The Automatic have some very disturbing lyrics. Catchy tunes, for sure, just don’t listen all that hard.

Things that are bothering me:

1 – my arse hurts. No, not like that. Like, the bit you sit on if you’re kind of relaxing in a comfy chair. The coxcyx? I don’t know, but I don’t sit like thise very often, so why would it hurt?

3 – Is my hair too long? It’s not helping in this heat, but I’m digging how it looks. The jury is out.

F – I have fuck all desire to do anything at all right now, much less compose a CV. Fuck. Also: what sort of LoD does it need? Do they need all my GCSEs, do they even care what I got my A-levels in? The answers are not forthcoming.

vii – You know Americans call a CV a resumé? But they still have CVs, a sort of specialised, highly academic resumé. This makes googling the matter precarious.

2 – I have nothing I’m watching right now. The TV shows I was following have run out. Fuckers. One even got cancelled too. I think perhaps I have a of backlog of stuff that has been acquired but not watched? I’ve still not consumed Alien 3, maybe I’ll do that tonight? Oh, and most of the Superman cartoon, but it’s pretty lame.

17 – I really could go for a doughnut right now, which I am not supposed to eat. They are wheaty to their very essence. You ever see a gluten-free doughnut? No. To me and my people, doughnuts are as bacon to a vegetarian. They tempt us, Stanley, they tempt us so.

dissemination

Published on 21/07/2006 in everything. 1 Comment

Since I last posted, I have consumed much. Here’s the tl;dr version:

Superman Returns – The big day-saving bits actually brought a tear to my eye, such is my nerditude, but the film still left me wanting a little something. Supes looked too scrawny compared to his animated or print incarnations, and the story itself was pretty lacklustre. Especially compared to…

Superman, Last Son of Earth – An infant Clark Kent is expelled by rocket from his native Earth before a massive meteor fucks shit up, and lands on Krypton. He finds a Green Lantern ring too, they leave those lying around everywhere… I’m not eating the right cereals?

Lex Luthor, Man of Steel – A really excellent comic in every respect. It humanises Luthor and actually makes him a very sympathetic character.

Civil War #3 – Oh man, right in the kisser!

Chocolate brownies – taste great with ice-cream, but I’m open to suggestions as to giving them more cohesion. I follow the recipie man, you know I do, but they end up super-optimally crumbly.

I dropped – my laptop. The HD borked and all was not good. Some brain surgery and a conflagration of left-over screws later and it’s running on the HD from my mac mini. I’m going to throw Diskwarrior at it, now that the torrent finally finished.

Unemployment – Tons of free time, but to really have fun you need money. You see my dilemma?

Sorry for the brevity, I might post something meaningful later?

Well, for a given value of “meaningful” at any rate…

money money money

Published on 09/07/2006 in everything. 1 Comment

Things I still pay for with cash:

- haircuts
- sweeties from the corner shop
- anything in a vending machine
- takeaway chinese
- alcohol in bars

In the first four cases this is because a card-based transaction is not possible (yeah, my hairdresser’s is kind of backwards). Though I wonder how long it will be before we see chip and pin vending machines? In the latter case it’s a convenience thing, since the whole “terminal dialling in, entering the pin, waiting for confirmation” thing takes considerably longer than it does for most bar-whenches to grab correct change from the till. Indeed, this is probably why card readers haven’t found their way into vending machines yet: for small purchases the security is pretty superfluous.

So, I’m thinking a swipe card that doesn’t need a pin number, but can only have, like, £50 on it at a time, and only be used for transactions less than £10?

Anyone who’s been in Hong Kong since we gave it back, and commuters of London, will know this as the Octopus or Oyster card. It’s easy and totally contact-less; there’s no dialling into a central server; I dig it. A crying shame that, England being what it is, the Oyster hasn’t spread to be accepted in newsagents and fast food places like its oriental brother.

So, in conclusion:
- England (and especially its hairdressers) are reluctant to adopt new technologies.
- I want some sweeties