New Links Incoming #
I always find the most interesting sites when I'm supposed to be busy doing other things.
Acts of Volition is a site that discusses, in extraordinary detail, various aspects of the Semantic Web, W3C standards and various blogging issues. It's a very nicely designed site and extremely well written - just wish it was on Blogwise already ;-).
I'll be adding it to my list of sites shortly, alongside Dave2002 - an interesting blog written by David M., who regularly updates with posts reflecting his experience with setting up the site.
Hray #
Hooray \o/ Final exam was today. Means I can get back to doing more useful things...
The exam was about Software Analysis and Design, since you asked. Part way through my mind started wandering, and for some unknown reason I started trying to work Fatboy Slim song titles into the answers. Some were quite easy: "Java was our weapon of choice", Because we Can was a piece of piss, Michael Jackson made an appearance as one of my team member's names (we had to use fake names to protect the guilty...)
Slightly more difficult would've been You're Not From Brighton, The Rockafeller Skank, and Love Island for example, but hey - I've got to take these exams seriously ;-)
I hate exams.
If You\'re Happy and You Know it... #
We're probably going to war. That's the feeling in the air, as George W. Bush and friends tell us 'It's war within weeks', although there's plans afoot to thwart any bombing plans using double decker buses of all things, full of Europeans who call the war criminal.
But don't mention the war. Forget the gloomy prospects on the stock markets. Ignore the 15 reasons we should be angry. Because Cadbury's tell us we're a nation of smilers. Yes, Britons are happy at the moment, with a sixth of adults saying they're 100% happy all the time. Why? Well, at least we know it can't be the weather.
Thanks to Gordy for the 15 reasons link...
If You're Happy and You Know it... #
We're probably going to war. That's the feeling in the air, as George W. Bush and friends tell us 'It's war within weeks', although there's plans afoot to thwart any bombing plans using double decker buses of all things, full of Europeans who call the war criminal.
But don't mention the war. Forget the gloomy prospects on the stock markets. Ignore the 15 reasons we should be angry. Because Cadbury's tell us we're a nation of smilers. Yes, Britons are happy at the moment, with a sixth of adults saying they're 100% happy all the time. Why? Well, at least we know it can't be the weather.
Thanks to Gordy for the 15 reasons link...
Busy Weekend Ahead #
184 pending submissions on Blogwise.
exams begin Monday.
145 emails to deal with.
Want to redesign a site....
This weekend will be busy. :-(
In other news...., I suck at bowling..
Sarky Bugger #
Last night I did my good deed of the month and drove my parents to a party being held at HMS Collingwood, a local military base with convenient social club.
So anyway, I drove up to the gate and my parents and their friends handed over their tickets, and ticked off all the names on his guest list. The guard said "Who's driving?", I said instantly "I am," without realised the full silliness of my answer. Tip: When asked a question by a man with a large armed gun, think about what you say first ;-)
Cafepress UK? #
Does anybody out there know if there's a UK-based version of Cafépress? I have loads of ideas for T-shirts, clocks, etc. but I'd rather avoid all the import costs and delays. I looked around and I can't believe there's nothing there.
Fuck Cilla Black? Are you sure. #
This was the Guardian's G2 cover yesterday. A lot of people have been completely annoyed at this language, although however you view it this shock piece of "art" (their definition of art is another blog's worth...) I reckon the Guardian has probably picked up a fair amount of publicity and possibly a good few extra readers because of it, more than "will never read such filth again". I certainly doubt that this has done them an extraordinary amount of damage or the editor would have never released such a controversial cover with such ease...
Super Lightweights #
The BBC reports that researchers in New Zealand have discovered that memory problems may be part-perceived, rather than wholly induced by alcohol. Students who thought they were drinking Vodka showed signs of memory loss, despite actually being given tonic water with lime. Bunch of lightweights :-)
Dubya\'s Shakey Past #
The Boston Globe turned up some interesting information about George W. Bush's military history and, as the Toronto Star commentates, he has had a less than ideal past.
Bush's actions in the Alabama National Guard included being AWOL for a year - they just didn't know where he'd gone. Although absentees were usually punished by being sent to the army, Bush never did - his well-established links prevented him from being sent to Vietnam.
There is a lot more interesting commentary in there, well worth reading.
[Found via 1DO3 Weblog]
Dubya's Shakey Past #
The Boston Globe turned up some interesting information about George W. Bush's military history and, as the Toronto Star commentates, he has had a less than ideal past.
Bush's actions in the Alabama National Guard included being AWOL for a year - they just didn't know where he'd gone. Although absentees were usually punished by being sent to the army, Bush never did - his well-established links prevented him from being sent to Vietnam.
There is a lot more interesting commentary in there, well worth reading.
[Found via 1DO3 Weblog]
Bowling for Columbine #
Just got back from the new movie Bowling for Columbine, which is an excellent documentary about American gun culture by Michael Moore (British readers might make comparison to Mark Thomas, for his comedic yet dramatic and to-the-point journalism). Very good movie - I thoroughly recommend it.
On a slightly different cinematic note my belief that Portsmouth's Warner Village cinema is an expensive and over-rated place were furthered today by a notice in their cinema telling punters that car park tickets were only redeemable (ie. your ticket only costs a pound) if the time between parking the car and validating the ticket was less than four hours. This has only appeared very recently, say - since The Two Towers was released - which is 179 minutes long. Add to that the 15-25 minutes minimum for ads and trailers; and the queueing time on the front for such a popular sequel, and you'd be in the cinema for just over four hours. Call me a cynic but isn't that rather convenient?
Jack Ass vs. Jackass #
http://newyorker.com/talk/content/?030106ta_talk_rosenwald
A man in Hot Springs, Montana is suing Viacom (who own MTV) because he claims Jackass is defaming his name.
"Ass filed a six-page complaint against Viacom, which owns MTV, for "plagiarizing" and "defaming" his name with a TV show and a movie depicting young men who, among other things, snort lines of wasabi and pee on snow and eat it"
Funny old world, isn't it? :)
Water Protocol #
Slightly dubious article but still fun. Apparantly somebody has developed a communications method whereby one computer sends information to another using the viscosity of liquid to help.
Having chatted to one of the people involved in the ToTL Potato Powered Webserver hoax (that even the BBC believed), it's easier to see how much of a pisstake this could be - still it'd be a nice thought....