Tuesday, June 29, 2004
The Curious Case...
...of a different quiz from normal.
The Old White Swan had a football quiz last night, and this not being quite my specialist subject (or for any of the Spinach team), we went on tour.
A much more difficult quiz than we're used to, but also a lot more sedate. (And quite a bit more cheating from other teams - I'm fairly sure the winning team who were sat behind me managed to get a couple of points off us.)
Typical questions (all of which we got wrong!) :
1. In which year did Superman first appear on TV?
2. In which year was the first crossing of the English Channel by plane?
3. Terry Collier was one of the Likely Lads - who was the other?
4. In which sport would you perform a Christie?
Answers on a postcard please.
I've also recently finished "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time." This was a book that lots of people have recommended to me. I was slightly underwhelmed. It was good, but not that brilliant. It's certainly well-written, but it just didn't really click with me.
The Old White Swan had a football quiz last night, and this not being quite my specialist subject (or for any of the Spinach team), we went on tour.
A much more difficult quiz than we're used to, but also a lot more sedate. (And quite a bit more cheating from other teams - I'm fairly sure the winning team who were sat behind me managed to get a couple of points off us.)
Typical questions (all of which we got wrong!) :
1. In which year did Superman first appear on TV?
2. In which year was the first crossing of the English Channel by plane?
3. Terry Collier was one of the Likely Lads - who was the other?
4. In which sport would you perform a Christie?
Answers on a postcard please.
I've also recently finished "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time." This was a book that lots of people have recommended to me. I was slightly underwhelmed. It was good, but not that brilliant. It's certainly well-written, but it just didn't really click with me.
posted by Chip : 18:49
0 comments
Saturday, June 26, 2004
WimbleGone
I made it back from work in time to catch the very last game of Goran's match. Very emotional - I had a lump in my throat watching him put on his Croatian shirt, and receive what has to be the least unfriendly booing by 15,000 people ever. I'll miss all three Gorans. But in his own inimitably mangled phraseology, “I think you should wait for another Goran. Is going to come. Every generation has own Goran.”
I think this year must be Tim's last chance though. I think he'll be too old at just under 31 next year, with the likes of Federer, Roddick and Hewitt still in the first half of their twenties. He'd be almost exactly the same age (down to a few days difference) as Goran was when he won Wimbledon, so it's still a possibility, but sadly I think 2001 was his best chance.
I think this year must be Tim's last chance though. I think he'll be too old at just under 31 next year, with the likes of Federer, Roddick and Hewitt still in the first half of their twenties. He'd be almost exactly the same age (down to a few days difference) as Goran was when he won Wimbledon, so it's still a possibility, but sadly I think 2001 was his best chance.
posted by Chip : 01:16
1 comments
Friday, June 25, 2004
These things happen in (2 + 1)s
1. I went to school with this guy! And it would seem he's lost none of his oddness. He was using the Blind Date story even back at school, and there were stories hanging round about why he'd had to leave his previous school at the age of 14. (I won't spell things out, but think of why a boy that age might be embarrassed after the end of a games lesson. If that's not clear, e-mail me!)
2. What the hell was going on with the scoring in Venus Williams' match last night? She's out of the tournament essentially because the umpire accidentally gave her opponent an extra point! Never heard anything like that before, but apparently the result still stands.
Bizarrity abounds. I'm intrigued to find out what no. 3 might be.
2. What the hell was going on with the scoring in Venus Williams' match last night? She's out of the tournament essentially because the umpire accidentally gave her opponent an extra point! Never heard anything like that before, but apparently the result still stands.
Bizarrity abounds. I'm intrigued to find out what no. 3 might be.
posted by Chip : 07:27
3 comments
Thursday, June 24, 2004
Photos
As promised, albeit 12 hours late...
First one is of the 3 female members of the Moulin Rouge soundtrack singers. Lint's got a disturbing picture of the fourth.
And here's a Twister picture. I must confess to having had a little fun with this game - I was supposed to be spinning the wheel, but instead I just called out the move most likely to produce pain and contortions in the players. I'm cruel like that.
First one is of the 3 female members of the Moulin Rouge soundtrack singers. Lint's got a disturbing picture of the fourth.
And here's a Twister picture. I must confess to having had a little fun with this game - I was supposed to be spinning the wheel, but instead I just called out the move most likely to produce pain and contortions in the players. I'm cruel like that.
posted by Chip : 08:23
3 comments
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
Anyone for ... something
A thrilling 5-set match. Chip victorious at 11-9 in the fifth, having saved a match point at 8-9.
OK, it was actually a game of squash, rather than tennis. I'm fairly sure I wouldn't last out 5 sets in a proper game of tennis (I say proper, because my average game of tennis would see me at 0-6 0-6 0-6 in about 20 minutes).
Bloody British weather! The one night I'm relatively free this week to sit down in front of the telly and watch tennis till I get white chalk lines burnt into my retina, and there's not a single minute of play. Pity Mr Coria (well, I don't really, never liked him much) who's been sitting around for the best part of 2 days now - he got to 2 sets all in his match on Monday, got about 8 games played yesterday, and when (or if!) he starts tomorrow, he might only need 2 good serves and he's won.
I will be posting pictures later on from Bert and Goodlife's party last weekend. If I can get the camera working, that is...
OK, it was actually a game of squash, rather than tennis. I'm fairly sure I wouldn't last out 5 sets in a proper game of tennis (I say proper, because my average game of tennis would see me at 0-6 0-6 0-6 in about 20 minutes).
Bloody British weather! The one night I'm relatively free this week to sit down in front of the telly and watch tennis till I get white chalk lines burnt into my retina, and there's not a single minute of play. Pity Mr Coria (well, I don't really, never liked him much) who's been sitting around for the best part of 2 days now - he got to 2 sets all in his match on Monday, got about 8 games played yesterday, and when (or if!) he starts tomorrow, he might only need 2 good serves and he's won.
I will be posting pictures later on from Bert and Goodlife's party last weekend. If I can get the camera working, that is...
posted by Chip : 20:06
0 comments
Tuesday, June 22, 2004
Goran
One last thing, post-rant. It's sad to think that Ivanisevic will only play another 6 professional matches at most. My dream final would be Henman vs Goran - the last two real serve/volleyers left in the game. Every Ivanisevic final is great (and 2001 was the best tennis match I've ever seen), but that would be a match to savour.
I'll miss him.
I'll miss him.
posted by Chip : 00:01
0 comments
Monday, June 21, 2004
Where did the weekend go?
Well I know where half of it went - on providing free third-party tech support for Microsoft. Perhaps I should charge them.
Warning - this post is definitely headed in a rantward direction.
Phil, my ex-flatmate, has been having a few problems with his new PC, and being the neighbourhood techy expert, he asked me round to have a look at it. And boy was I shocked?!
He had 24 separate viruses, worms, trojans, password stealers and spyware programs running. He'd never patched or updated XP because no-one had ever told him he had to. E-mails were being sent out by his PC to "random" addresses whenever he went on-line, and at the same time his connection would be hijacked and it would re-dial a premium-rate number. And he was wondering why his PC was running so slowly...
5.5 hours of solid work on it, and I've still not fixed everything.
All this comes back to Microsoft. Their shining beacon of a secure operating system (and XP was billed as that when it first came out in 2001) has more holes than a truckload of fishnet stockings. This is because a release date for each new version is set in stone long in advance (we already know the next version, Longhorn, will be out late in 2006 or early in 2007), and whatever corners necessary are cut in order to meet these dates. Microsoft appear to think that this is a good way to write an operating system.
Errors are then fixed as and when Microsoft (a) are told about them by enough people and (b) can be bothered. Sometimes, this occurs before someone nasty writes something to take advantage of it. Sometimes not. Witness Blaster, Sasser, Nimda, Code Red, Klez ... it's a much longer list than that, those are just the five biggest ones I can think of.
Operating system "features", such as the built-in Internet firewall that only turns itself on after you're connected to the Net, the default settings on XP that give you an administrator account with no password, or the biggest virus vector of them all, Outlook Express's "auto-preview", are designed in with the supposed aim of improving the user experience. Not the users who have to put up with their abuse.
Internet Explorer, the world's most widely-used browser, contains plenty of holes too. A single visit to certain websites, and with its "helpful" facility which will run just about any code on a website without letting you know it's done it, and your PC becomes just another box in a large array of computers under the control of spammers - you'll be sending adverts to other people offering then cheap Viagra, university diplomas or asking them for funds to be transferred to Nigeria before you know it.
Ring Microsoft helpdesk, and their default answer for many of these issues is to reinstall Windows. Everyone's heard the joke - "If Microsoft made cars, they'd stop working every 100 miles, and you'd have to turn off the engine, get out, close all the windows and get back in again to make it work." This isn't even a viable solution to the problem any more. Reinstall XP, and you're back to a clean install from late 2001 when XP came out. So you've got to put on all the updates and patches from MS's update website. But you can't go online to do so because, if you do, you'll be caught by one of the very viruses or worms you're patching yourself against. It's not easy to find these updates and, say, write them to CD for use offline - read actually impossible for Internet Explorer, without going to a third party, and pretty hard to find for XP itself unless you know such a thing exists.
And yet people continue to buy Windows. Why is this? Perhaps it's because they don't know these problems are there - computers are "supposed to crash, it's just what they do." Perhaps it's because they don't realise there's any alternative. Perhaps it's because there are no major PC manufacturers who'll allow you to buy a new PC without Windows. Perhaps it's because Microsoft are doing their level best to smear their competition.
I'm glad they're choosing to spend their hard-earned $40bn (estimates vary, so that's the most conservative I could find) on that, rather than educating their users how to manage, maintain and safely operate their software without getting bitten by any of a million and one problems. Computes are complex things, and there's no real getting away from that, but the complex areas should not be disguised or hidden just because Microsoft's target market "wouldn't understand them." Treating your customers as idiots has seldom been a viable long-term business model. Except perhaps in marketing.
Well, I'm about ranted out there, and I haven't really reached a point. So my point will be this.
Ceterum censeo, Microsoft delendam esse.
Warning - this post is definitely headed in a rantward direction.
Phil, my ex-flatmate, has been having a few problems with his new PC, and being the neighbourhood techy expert, he asked me round to have a look at it. And boy was I shocked?!
He had 24 separate viruses, worms, trojans, password stealers and spyware programs running. He'd never patched or updated XP because no-one had ever told him he had to. E-mails were being sent out by his PC to "random" addresses whenever he went on-line, and at the same time his connection would be hijacked and it would re-dial a premium-rate number. And he was wondering why his PC was running so slowly...
5.5 hours of solid work on it, and I've still not fixed everything.
All this comes back to Microsoft. Their shining beacon of a secure operating system (and XP was billed as that when it first came out in 2001) has more holes than a truckload of fishnet stockings. This is because a release date for each new version is set in stone long in advance (we already know the next version, Longhorn, will be out late in 2006 or early in 2007), and whatever corners necessary are cut in order to meet these dates. Microsoft appear to think that this is a good way to write an operating system.
Errors are then fixed as and when Microsoft (a) are told about them by enough people and (b) can be bothered. Sometimes, this occurs before someone nasty writes something to take advantage of it. Sometimes not. Witness Blaster, Sasser, Nimda, Code Red, Klez ... it's a much longer list than that, those are just the five biggest ones I can think of.
Operating system "features", such as the built-in Internet firewall that only turns itself on after you're connected to the Net, the default settings on XP that give you an administrator account with no password, or the biggest virus vector of them all, Outlook Express's "auto-preview", are designed in with the supposed aim of improving the user experience. Not the users who have to put up with their abuse.
Internet Explorer, the world's most widely-used browser, contains plenty of holes too. A single visit to certain websites, and with its "helpful" facility which will run just about any code on a website without letting you know it's done it, and your PC becomes just another box in a large array of computers under the control of spammers - you'll be sending adverts to other people offering then cheap Viagra, university diplomas or asking them for funds to be transferred to Nigeria before you know it.
Ring Microsoft helpdesk, and their default answer for many of these issues is to reinstall Windows. Everyone's heard the joke - "If Microsoft made cars, they'd stop working every 100 miles, and you'd have to turn off the engine, get out, close all the windows and get back in again to make it work." This isn't even a viable solution to the problem any more. Reinstall XP, and you're back to a clean install from late 2001 when XP came out. So you've got to put on all the updates and patches from MS's update website. But you can't go online to do so because, if you do, you'll be caught by one of the very viruses or worms you're patching yourself against. It's not easy to find these updates and, say, write them to CD for use offline - read actually impossible for Internet Explorer, without going to a third party, and pretty hard to find for XP itself unless you know such a thing exists.
And yet people continue to buy Windows. Why is this? Perhaps it's because they don't know these problems are there - computers are "supposed to crash, it's just what they do." Perhaps it's because they don't realise there's any alternative. Perhaps it's because there are no major PC manufacturers who'll allow you to buy a new PC without Windows. Perhaps it's because Microsoft are doing their level best to smear their competition.
I'm glad they're choosing to spend their hard-earned $40bn (estimates vary, so that's the most conservative I could find) on that, rather than educating their users how to manage, maintain and safely operate their software without getting bitten by any of a million and one problems. Computes are complex things, and there's no real getting away from that, but the complex areas should not be disguised or hidden just because Microsoft's target market "wouldn't understand them." Treating your customers as idiots has seldom been a viable long-term business model. Except perhaps in marketing.
Well, I'm about ranted out there, and I haven't really reached a point. So my point will be this.
Ceterum censeo, Microsoft delendam esse.
posted by Chip : 19:20
3 comments
Tuesday, June 15, 2004
Look Over There, Nothing to See Here
Just posted a comment over at Lint's which was longer than most of the posts I do on here! So I won't be saying much else tonight - consider that post a "blog entry on tour."
Not done much exciting in the last few days. Came third in the quiz last night - poor show, but then poor turnout too. Only three of us, rather than the more usual 7 or 8. Still, I managed to surprise Big Iain the quizmaster by being the only person there to answer "What breed of dog is Arsene Wenger?" Cryptic crosswords to the rescue again!
I've not done much coding recently. Need to get back into practice. So I'm going to knock two of my "Blog To-do list" items on the head this weekend. Expect to see some proper CNPS and Celebdaq info by Sunday evening. (Another push for that is that I'm doing pretty well on CNPS, and it'll piss Bertie and Lint off!)
Not done much exciting in the last few days. Came third in the quiz last night - poor show, but then poor turnout too. Only three of us, rather than the more usual 7 or 8. Still, I managed to surprise Big Iain the quizmaster by being the only person there to answer "What breed of dog is Arsene Wenger?" Cryptic crosswords to the rescue again!
I've not done much coding recently. Need to get back into practice. So I'm going to knock two of my "Blog To-do list" items on the head this weekend. Expect to see some proper CNPS and Celebdaq info by Sunday evening. (Another push for that is that I'm doing pretty well on CNPS, and it'll piss Bertie and Lint off!)
posted by Chip : 21:46
0 comments
Saturday, June 12, 2004
Bye Bye Badfriend
He's actually left the company. I checked under all the desks, and he wasn't there at all.
Good luck "darn Sarf" in London. Please keep reading and commenting here, although you'll probably have to bill the time you spend doing so to some client or other.
Group dynamics are weird things. It will be interesting to see how things change in the coming months.
Good luck "darn Sarf" in London. Please keep reading and commenting here, although you'll probably have to bill the time you spend doing so to some client or other.
Group dynamics are weird things. It will be interesting to see how things change in the coming months.
posted by Chip : 00:14
7 comments
Tuesday, June 08, 2004
Venus Transit
As previous posts may have informed you, I've always enjoyed astronomy.
I thought I was going to miss this particular event, the way the weather was this morning. A repeat of the 1999 eclipse was on the cards. And all my astronomy gear (binoculars, telescope, sun filters, etc.) is at my parents' place still.
But lo! (Excellent - never thought I'd be able to use that word properly!) The heavens cleared, a work colleague provided me with a sun filter and at about 1045 UT I managed to get a glimpse of Venus sat in front of the sun.
I've seen a few very good photo series (1 2), a movie of the last one from 1882 (seriously!), an idiot's guide to how to locate Venus on the solar disc, and a witty response to a "how should I view this?" post that cracks me up every time I read it.
If you missed it, don't worry too much. There's another one on 6th June 2012. Or Mercury will be doing the same thing much sooner, on 8th November 2006.
I thought I was going to miss this particular event, the way the weather was this morning. A repeat of the 1999 eclipse was on the cards. And all my astronomy gear (binoculars, telescope, sun filters, etc.) is at my parents' place still.
But lo! (Excellent - never thought I'd be able to use that word properly!) The heavens cleared, a work colleague provided me with a sun filter and at about 1045 UT I managed to get a glimpse of Venus sat in front of the sun.
I've seen a few very good photo series (1 2), a movie of the last one from 1882 (seriously!), an idiot's guide to how to locate Venus on the solar disc, and a witty response to a "how should I view this?" post that cracks me up every time I read it.
If you missed it, don't worry too much. There's another one on 6th June 2012. Or Mercury will be doing the same thing much sooner, on 8th November 2006.
posted by Chip : 22:52
0 comments
Saturday, June 05, 2004
Weekend Weirdness
I've finally found someone who's worse at planning things than me. It's only taken me 29 years!
My ex-flatmate Phil decided this would be a good weekend for several of us (7 at first count) to go climbing and camping in the Peak District this weekend. In approximate order of occurrence (unfortunately not ridiculousness, as some of them wouldn't make sense in that order), there now follows a list of things which could have been planned for better :
1. Having not actually mentioned to 2 of the attendees which weekend we were going away, leading to them arranging something else already.
2. Not having told me where we were going or exactly what we were doing till 10 am yesterday, leaving me unable to obtain various essential items in time (e.g. sleeping bag!)
3. Not actually having any serious climbing gear, thereby forcing us to do bouldering, which requires a lot more skill and strength.
4. Not having packed his own sleeping bag till I reminded him of it 30 seconds before we set off this morning.
5. Getting to Sheffield at 12.30 and deciding that, since we were only 5 mins drive away from Emma's house (one of the original 7), we should ring her up and ask if she wanted to come out with us!
6. Not having booked anywhere to pitch our tent at all, despite this being the last day of the school holidays, and consequently quite busy.
7. Not having ensured sufficient tentage for everyone attending to sleep in. Or in basic maths terms, 4 into 2 doesn't go.
8. Not having let Chris crash his car and forcing him to leave us and go home instead. (OK, not really plannable-for, but it certainly didn't help matters!)
9. Deciding at 6.15 that, due to the tent situation not looking good, we could instead sleep in Emma's lounge.
10. Getting to Emma's at 7.30 just as she was about to go out. Deciding to go out with her, but then as soon as we get to the pub, changing our minds and realising that we might as well come back to York for the night.
Which is where I am now. In fact, I'm lying comfy in my own bed as I type this.
And to think I said I hated camping!
My ex-flatmate Phil decided this would be a good weekend for several of us (7 at first count) to go climbing and camping in the Peak District this weekend. In approximate order of occurrence (unfortunately not ridiculousness, as some of them wouldn't make sense in that order), there now follows a list of things which could have been planned for better :
1. Having not actually mentioned to 2 of the attendees which weekend we were going away, leading to them arranging something else already.
2. Not having told me where we were going or exactly what we were doing till 10 am yesterday, leaving me unable to obtain various essential items in time (e.g. sleeping bag!)
3. Not actually having any serious climbing gear, thereby forcing us to do bouldering, which requires a lot more skill and strength.
4. Not having packed his own sleeping bag till I reminded him of it 30 seconds before we set off this morning.
5. Getting to Sheffield at 12.30 and deciding that, since we were only 5 mins drive away from Emma's house (one of the original 7), we should ring her up and ask if she wanted to come out with us!
6. Not having booked anywhere to pitch our tent at all, despite this being the last day of the school holidays, and consequently quite busy.
7. Not having ensured sufficient tentage for everyone attending to sleep in. Or in basic maths terms, 4 into 2 doesn't go.
8. Not having let Chris crash his car and forcing him to leave us and go home instead. (OK, not really plannable-for, but it certainly didn't help matters!)
9. Deciding at 6.15 that, due to the tent situation not looking good, we could instead sleep in Emma's lounge.
10. Getting to Emma's at 7.30 just as she was about to go out. Deciding to go out with her, but then as soon as we get to the pub, changing our minds and realising that we might as well come back to York for the night.
Which is where I am now. In fact, I'm lying comfy in my own bed as I type this.
And to think I said I hated camping!
posted by Chip : 23:55
0 comments
Thursday, June 03, 2004
Had We But Worlds Enough...
I'd be quite happy to settle for more time. Everything seems to take half as long again as it should, there are always so many more things needing doing than can be done, and the to-do list just keeps growing every day. I can't wait till my extended break next year.
Related to the subject of needing more time, I'm off on an excursion with Bert to London tomorrow, for a seminar on mortality rates, and how they're likely to change in the future. It's not something I've a great deal of experience with, but it's one that will become relevant in my work over the next few years, and it's a fascinating subject to the sci-fi fan in me!
One of the papers mentioned in the background reading was particularly interesting. If I'm in an optimistic mood, I wonder how close we are to the tipping point, when no-one needs to age any more. More pessimistically, I wonder what we'll do to screw it all up when we get anti-aging sorted out!
If it all happens soon enough, maybe I'll live long enough to finish another crossword.
Related to the subject of needing more time, I'm off on an excursion with Bert to London tomorrow, for a seminar on mortality rates, and how they're likely to change in the future. It's not something I've a great deal of experience with, but it's one that will become relevant in my work over the next few years, and it's a fascinating subject to the sci-fi fan in me!
One of the papers mentioned in the background reading was particularly interesting. If I'm in an optimistic mood, I wonder how close we are to the tipping point, when no-one needs to age any more. More pessimistically, I wonder what we'll do to screw it all up when we get anti-aging sorted out!
If it all happens soon enough, maybe I'll live long enough to finish another crossword.
posted by Chip : 22:24
1 comments
Tuesday, June 01, 2004
The Prisoner of Azkaban
OK, mandatory spoiler warning here, for that small number of people who haven't read the book but still intend to see the film.
For once, we in the UK have managed to get an earlier release than the rest of the world, so I've just returned from seeing it. Here are my thoughts...
Overall, I had a fairly mixed impression of this film. It's quite difficult to separate the film from the book, so I'm not even going to try!
I'm not sure that anyone who hadn't read all three books would have understood quite a bit that was going on - there were quite a few major plot points that are needed for the remaining books left un- or poorly explained (e.g. who were Prongs, Mooney, et al, and what was the purpose of their map? Why was Harry's Patronus a stag? What was Professor Trelawney's prediction about? How and why did Sirius choose now to escape from Azkaban? And where was the Quidditch championship, the best bit of the book?!)
But it was still fairly enjoyable. Many excellent visual effects - Harry's Patronus, the flying scenes round Hogwart's and the mirror-images in the first Boggart scene in particular spring to mind. There also seemed to be a lot more humour (both normal and black) than the previous films - the books themselves are very funny, but I never got the impression from the first two films that Harry ever laughed or even smiled.
Emma Watson is also starting to look like a pretty good actress - it'll be interesting to see how her career goes on after HP. Ron, OTOH, could almost have been edited out of this film without anyone noticing!
And finally, on a completely unrelated note. Go Tim! Just 2 more. But then we've been here before...
For once, we in the UK have managed to get an earlier release than the rest of the world, so I've just returned from seeing it. Here are my thoughts...
Overall, I had a fairly mixed impression of this film. It's quite difficult to separate the film from the book, so I'm not even going to try!
I'm not sure that anyone who hadn't read all three books would have understood quite a bit that was going on - there were quite a few major plot points that are needed for the remaining books left un- or poorly explained (e.g. who were Prongs, Mooney, et al, and what was the purpose of their map? Why was Harry's Patronus a stag? What was Professor Trelawney's prediction about? How and why did Sirius choose now to escape from Azkaban? And where was the Quidditch championship, the best bit of the book?!)
But it was still fairly enjoyable. Many excellent visual effects - Harry's Patronus, the flying scenes round Hogwart's and the mirror-images in the first Boggart scene in particular spring to mind. There also seemed to be a lot more humour (both normal and black) than the previous films - the books themselves are very funny, but I never got the impression from the first two films that Harry ever laughed or even smiled.
Emma Watson is also starting to look like a pretty good actress - it'll be interesting to see how her career goes on after HP. Ron, OTOH, could almost have been edited out of this film without anyone noticing!
And finally, on a completely unrelated note. Go Tim! Just 2 more. But then we've been here before...
posted by Chip : 23:30
2 comments
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