Owen's World

Movies on the move

2010-03-21T11:40:00.000-07:00

You know, using a connected device using something like satellite network access would mean that you could watch streaming video anywhere you wanted. I don’t know what the connection would be like if you’re using it while watching in a moving car. But hopefully thanks to pre-caching you should be able to get a decent stream.

I’m sitting on my sofa watching Hercules with Arthur and thinking about our forthcoming trip to the UK. You see, we have a 4 hour drive and it’s going to be interesting keeping him busy through the voyage. The problem is that we have 2 six month old babies so our attention is probably going to be on driving and the babies. So, we’re looking for something for him to watch videos with. An internet based device would be ideal.

Would be fun to see if it works.

What's on TV?

2010-03-06T14:43:00.000-08:00

It's Saturday evening and the kids are in bed. So it's time to watch some TV and we felt like a movie tonight. So we picked up on Braveheart and are watching that.

Yes, I know I watched it a few years back, but we're settling down to watch BraveHeart today; a film directed by Mel Gibson in which he plays the lead role. It's a story of a Scotsman named William Wallace who leads the Scots into victory against the English. One thing I wonder though is, didn't the Scots feel cold running around in skimpy kilts. I wouldn't go out in this weather dressed only in a couple of lab coats; just too cold.

It's the weekend!

2010-03-06T05:45:00.000-08:00

I always love weekends and this one is promising to be excellent. The weather is great and we're planning on taking the babies to swim for their first time this afternoon. I also have a couple of projects I might get underway in the meantime. I swear I have more websites I manage than that orange county web designer I met the other day. But then, it is what I enjoy doing, so I really don't mind.

So, how are you spending your weekend?

Pervasive Internet

2010-02-19T09:21:00.001-08:00

You know, the more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that mobile satellite should really be more pervasive than it is today. If you live in a city, you tend to assume that you're going to have an Internet connection wherever you go. You could be close to Wifi, or have a 3G connection. Things are a bit different if you have to move to a more rural area. This is where satellite internet comes in.

I guess however, the reason it hasn't taken off as much as it should, is that there are fewer people living in those sparse areas. It's a matter of supply and demand I guess.

Use WiMax on your phone

2010-02-19T09:18:00.001-08:00

Image via Wikipedia

I just read that Sprint are launching a 4G handset in the US which uses a WiMax connection if one exists. Although network coverage is still incomplete (around 10% of the US and missing some major cities) introducing a device that can use the technology is a great way to kick start the adoption of the technology. If they catch on, network coverage will increase. I wonder if there are any cheap phones that let you use an internet satellite connection for data, or to make VOIP calls.

Anyone out there planning on getting one of these phones?

Playing again with Fonera

2010-02-12T13:06:00.000-08:00

Image via Wikipedia

I have my Fonera up and running again, which is nice considering I had dropped off the map. If you've never heard of Fon before, it's a network of people who use their routers to offer an open Wifi hotspot for other people to use. Other people on the network can use it for free, while guests have an option to pay for the service. The router owner gets a cut of the hotspot cost.

I've only set it up as an experiment really. Until high speed satellite internet becomes more ubiquitous, then it's not so trivial getting a connection online when you're far away from home. I do have a 3G connection also but you can just imagine what the roaming costs are like.

In the meantime, I quite like the ideology behind Fon. Let's hope it goes on and on.

Check out my new toy

2010-02-12T12:54:00.000-08:00

Image by avlxyz via Flickr

Well, I’m pretty pleased with this one. I’ve got myself a new phone, the Google Nexus One; well actually Camille got it for me for Valentine’s day. It’s an awesome piece of kit that runs Android and has a pretty powerful engine under the hood. It has a 1GHz Snapdragon processor and a 5 megapixel camera with a flash. And that’s besides all the other goodies, like a 3G connection, GPS, Wifi and tons, tons more. One of the advantages about having a technical background is that I’m happy to mess around with gadgets like this; I don’t need any Orange County computer support or anything like that. I’ve already rooter the phone and unlocked the bootloader, so I can do anything I’d like to do with it. I love having a new toy to play with.

Fireworks!

2009-10-28T05:49:00.000-07:00

Image by derailedbydtrain via Flickr

It’s that time of year again, when fireworks light up the sky and kids sit around street corners collecting money for fireworks. I don’t think we’ll be going to any public displays this year. Navigating around with 2 newborns is a bit tricky and we may just opt for an evening with friends. After all, lighting your own fireworks is more fun than watching someone else doing it for you; I’m sure Arthur will love the experience.

I’m not actively taking part in Kempton Fireworks this year, but I’ve helped them put their website up and tickets are now available for sale. It’s on the 7th of November and promises to be one of the most spectacular fireworks displays around London. One day, I’ll get someone to deploy one of those live video casting solutions so I can watch them from all the way from the Isle of Man.

Lovely weekend

2009-10-17T15:44:00.000-07:00

It's great when we get nice weather on the weekend; and it's particularly appreciated now that autumn has set in. And I almost had to get myself a pair of men's sunglasses it was so bright today. I took Arthur to the gym and ran some errands and it was just great to be out and about in the nice sunny weather.

Tomorrow may be different, but I have my tax return I need to finish off, so maybe it would be better if the weather was a bit dull. We'll just have to see.

Astronomer Joke

2009-10-17T15:33:00.000-07:00

We haven't had a joke in a whole, so here's one:

A theologian and an astronomer who used to work for a commercial satellite company were talking together one day. The astronomer said that after reading widely in the field of religion, he had concluded that all religion could be summed up in a single phrase. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you," he said, with a bit of smugness, knowing that his field is so much more complex.
After a brief pause, the theologian replied that after reading widely in the area of astronomy he had concluded that all of it could be summed up in a single phrase also. "Oh, and what is that?" the astronaut inquired. "Twinkle, twinkle, little star; how I wonder what you are!"

Happy Birthday to me

2009-10-15T04:20:00.000-07:00

Image by Tambako the Jaguar via Flickr

Well, it's my Birthday and I'll cry if I want to .. erm .. don't really have anything to cry about though, so I guess I won't. Twins are doing fine, mummy's doing fine, work is doing fine, so everything is looking hunky dory. I might just get a webpage to shout it out to the world, or employ am Irvine web design company to build one for me, who knows!

If there was one thing I could wish for though, I'm getting to a point where a night of uninterrupted sleep might be something worth asking for. Now, where's that fairy godmother ...

Wired House

2009-09-19T13:36:00.000-07:00

Well, the HomePlugs seem to be working nicely which means I can literally connect anything I like, wherever it is in the house, regardless of whether it's wireless or not. I haven't got my Dreambox yet; which is why I got the HomePlugs in the first place, but it should be here soon. The plugs are quick enough for me to experiment with live video streaming services too, if that's what I want to try.

The only problem now is that I don't have anything new to play with tomorrow; but I'm sure we'll find something to do. I have DIY to do, I have work to do and oh, I still have to do my tax return. Sounds like I have tomorrow all figured out huh?

Time for some geek play

2009-09-19T04:30:00.000-07:00

Seeing it's the weekend, I have some time to play with my latest toy. I've just got myself a set of Homeplugs which let me use my home network over power sockets. Why would you want to do that do you ask? Especially as I have a Wireless LAN. Well, not all the devices I have are Wifi, and while I could buy a Wifi adapter for each one, this is more cost efficient and it allows faster speeds that Wifi. And it I was playing with live streaming casting solutions for example, I would probably want the fastest speed I could get.

Anyway, onto playing; I'll let you know how it fares.

It's the weekend !

2009-09-18T13:36:00.000-07:00

That's what Arthur shouts when he wakes up on a Satursday morning, and yes, the weekend is here. The weather's been pretty good all week, so I'm hoping that the weekend will be just as nice. I know it's September, but we just might manage one last barbecue for the year. You know, crack out the charcoal, bring out the sausages, even get a pair of men's sunglasses out for Arthur (he's really cute in sunglasses).

We'll see what tomorrow holds, based on the fact that it's been a pretty good week, it's probably going to be thunder and storms. Sod's law huh?

Internet Everywhere

2009-09-11T15:50:00.000-07:00

I've really got used to the fact that I can access the Internet everywhere using 3G on my phone. I mean, it's not rocket science once it's set up, and if you didn't have 3G, you may even find a satellite internet provider who can give you access anywhere you like in the world.

It's actually pretty cool that I can just whip my phone out and look up anything I like. What's the capital of Nicaragua? How much should I tip? What's the weather like tomorrow? Well, an Internet connection can help me answer that question and more. How do you get online?

New theme on the Honeypot

2009-09-07T08:51:00.000-07:00

I’ve moved onto a different theme on Ugh!!’s Greymatter Honeypot; not that I was unhappy with the the theme I was running before, but I wanted to try out the latest and the greatest new theme from FreshPress themes. It’s called Freshtweet and is as nice and clean as you would like a theme to be. It has some funky features too, like some cool AJAXy features and integration with social networks.

I like the cleanliness of the theme, something you don't tend to find on most themes nowadays. They're a bit too busy with slideshows and carousels. Now it's fine if you get some sort of Orange County web design firm to do it for you, but too many people try to fudge around themselves and end up making a complete hash of it.

Happy I found this theme .. it works for me.

Loving my HTC Magic

2009-08-14T07:46:00.000-07:00

Image via CrunchBase

Ever since I got my new Android-powered HTC Magic, I've been more in touch with everyone and everything. The device is a joy to use, letting me access music, video and content anytime I want to (thanks to Wifi and my data contract of course). I was using a Windows Mobile powered device before that, but I must say that this is miles ahead. It's much easier to use, has more devices built into the phone and just gives you access to so much more functionality.

Thanks to my connectivity, I don't really need access to a satellite internet provider, but it's nice to imagine that if I wanted, I could get the same sort of access anywhere in the world. I wonder if there's an Android device with the sort of built in capability yet.

What makes a good website?

2009-07-17T15:56:00.000-07:00

So, what's your favourite website? Do you like ones that are strong on graphic design? Ones with your favourite colour? Or just ones that have all the information you need (like Wikipedia, I love Wikipedia). It's great to see the vast variety that's available online, sites of all shapes and sizes. And it doesn't matter if they're built by an Irvine web design company or a teenager coding alone in his bedroom; anyone with the right skills and passion can come up with something compelling that people will visit.

And it's these visitors that help the site grow. Whether it's by providing opportunities to monitise the site, or by providing a vibrant community that attracts more people to the site .. the people who frequent it are the life blood that pumps through it's virtual veins.

Getting all your streaming media

2009-07-17T14:27:00.000-07:00

Image by Roo Reynolds via Flickr

Streaming services come in a variety of shapes and forms. Youtube for example, allows you to watch videos that people around the world create and upload. BBC's iPlayer for example, lets you catch up with TV that you may have missed. A professional live video streaming service will allow you to publish a stream in real time, as soon as it happens; which is something quite powerful and useful.

Have you noticed that videos and streaming TV are getting more and more predominant on the Internet. It's partly due to the fact that people have more bandwidth than they ever used to, and to the fact that the technology to make streams available is getting more and more common. This reduced barrier to entry results in the spread of this technology with more and more people getting comfortable and, dare I say, dependant on it.

How's your internet connection

2009-07-17T13:58:00.000-07:00

Are you happy with your Internet connection? Is it too slow, too expensive, too .. what? You're not still on dial-up by any chance are you?

If you are, there are a bunch of options you way want to consider. First of all, there's ADSL. It's quite commonly accessible, available to most people through their phone line. If not, there's cable. Most countries have some sort of cable network available, through which they can get high speed internet. If none of those options are available, have you considered satellite internet? There are a number of options for a satellite service provider which cover different areas around the world.

Just look at all the options you have, look at the costs and the service you get. It's nice to have so many options, isn't it?

My Blogger Blog

2009-06-12T15:53:00.001-07:00

I created this blog some time ago to experiment with what Blogger brought to the table. I had originally started playing with it way before Google acquired it. It's improved since then, but I don't think it's moved on as much as it has. My frame of reference is always tied to WordPress, as that's the blogging platform I tend to use most of the time; but it's always good to keep an eye on what's available and what new ideas are hitting the scene. It's like being into racing cars, but keeping an eye on the neighbour's Yamaha rhinos, just to see what's happening down that darkened alley.

I don't think I like the way Blogger doesn't have categorisation around posts, though the labels to allow a certain amount of taxonomy control. Still, can't help comparing it to what you can do with WordPress, especially now that it supports custom taxonomies.

Stay Connected

2009-06-05T15:53:00.000-07:00

Image via Wikipedia

The more time passes, the more connected we all get. And it’s great because we can keep in touch with one another regardless of where we are. Tell me, can you live with your phone for example? I find myself more and more dependant on it .. and new I also have data which is great!

I’ve recently added a GPRS package to my phone and it’s been great playing around with some of the applications that require a data connection. GPRS is convenient, but unfortunately it’s no high speed satellite internet. I’m actually looking to upgrade my phone, so maybe my next one will have a 3G connection or something a little bit quicker than GPRS, just to be able to do things quicker, and use things like video which require a faster connection.

We do what we have to do

2009-05-22T14:39:00.000-07:00

Image by Hamed Saber via Flickr

It’s interesting to be involved in supporting people; even though this is just a hobby for me. There are hundreds of firms around the world that supply computer services Orange County all the way to China. I’m not sure if I could ever run a firm like that, as I’m usually happy to help people out just to see their face light up when things work for them. Can’t feed the family on happy faces though … hence the day job!

It’s been an interesting week on the IT front, particularly as I had a lot of mates who seemed to have all sorts of computer problems. From Carol’s AVG who refused to start up, all the way to John’s mobile which refuses to show its contacts; and Steven’s mail which just refused to send email. Some I managed to help, others I didn’t but it’s just funny how you get those weeks where everything just seems to be going haywire.

Long weekend

2009-05-22T14:21:00.000-07:00

It's nice to have a long weekend every now and again. Spend time with the family, grab your golf equipment and head off the the golf course, take the family to Butlins .. there are a million and one things you can be doing. Me, I'll be spending time with Arthur and Camille, we have lots of things to do around the house and who knows, maybe we'll get to spend some time outdoors, if the weather holds up.

The UK have a number of these Bank Holidays which are basically national holidays. Next Monday is Spring Bank Holiday; of which I have no idea what the origins are .. but hey it's a long weekend.

Something to wear

2009-05-15T14:27:00.000-07:00

I'm a big fan of T-shirts, probably preferring to wear them to anything else I have in my wardrobe. It's partly because or the comfort factor, but predominantly because they allow you to express a degree of individuality; wear your preferences the outside, if you know what I mean. I particularly like this Mixed Martial Arts T-shirt shown here; it's cool isn't it?

I guess different people prefer wearing different things. I don't have the skirts vs trousers dilemma; but I do have the casual vs smart thing thrown at me every now and again. But for me it's T-shirts any time!

Arthur and K'Nex

2009-05-13T03:41:00.000-07:00

Image via Wikipedia

We had a whale of a time playing Arthur's K'Nex over the weekend. He's a bit young for it, but he's happy to join up things together and build random thing. I've taken the role of building things for him based on what he picks from the book and that's proving to be lots of fun too.

He seems to have a building streak going, so in the future he'll be fixing cars maybe and playing with Polaris RZR accessories. But in the meantime it's going to be just blocks and pieces. Anyway, if anyone has any spare K'Nex blocks they're not using ... you know where to drop them ;)

What do you like playing with?

Toys for the Boys

2009-04-24T14:24:00.000-07:00

Image via Wikipedia

I'm always keeping an eye open for toys I can buy for Arthur and today came across a wooden truck that's one of these John Deere toys. I've always liked wooden toys; I don't know if it's because I never had many when I was a kid; or just because the richness of their texture is so much more pleasing than a plastic toy. Anyway, this was a wooden truck, not quite like the John Deere tractors that the toys are named after.

Anyway, I think Arthur might have started outgrowing things like wooden trucks. Last weekend was spent playing with K'Nex and he enjoyed those tremendously!

A touch of Freud

2009-04-24T13:17:00.000-07:00

Image via Wikipedia

Sigmund Freud had many interesting things to say about people’s attitudes to laundry. Here is a quick test to see how you relate to it:

When watching your clothes going round in the tumble drier, what do you look out for?
A Jeans
B Shirts
C A Lab Coat
D Sex

What frightens you most about going into the launderette?
A Losing one sock of your favorite pair
B Putting whites and colors together so the colors mix
C Spiders
D Sex

What do you use to wash your clothes?
A Bold
B Persil
C Ariel
D Bio-Sex

When waiting for the washing machine to finish, what do you do?
A Walk away and do something else
B Stand and look at it
C Sit and look at it
D Lie down and do something else

You see a coffee stain on one of your shirts. What does it remind you of?
A Someone you know
B Coffee
C A butterfly
D Sex

If you answered D to most of these questions, then I would be most interested to meet you and discuss it at greater length.

Rings

2009-04-17T16:46:00.001-07:00

So, how are you with rings? I don't know if it's a guy thing, but I'm not really very comfortable wearing them. So I keep my wedding ring on whenever I can, but I can't really see myself wearing lots of other mens jewelry. I guess I'm not unique in this, but some guys just like wearing lots of gold and silver on themselves.

Now watches, I can wear all sorts of different types of watches. The one I have at the moment has a USB connection and a 4Gb USd drive. How cool is that?

Streaming online TV

2009-04-17T14:48:00.000-07:00

When I’m looking for stuff to watch I check out OVGuide. It’s a collection of different streaming sites grouped by category and there’s always something good to watch, regardless of what you’re after. From TV to movies, from Sports to Sci-tech; there’s something for everyone.

So, where do *you* go for your online streaming fix? There’s YouTube, Google Video, Vimeo and a million other websites. Thanks to live video streaming services anyone can set up their own channel and broadcast themselves to the world.There’s are also a whole host of canned channels though and here’s a great way to find them. What’s your pleasure?

Oh for some more blogging time!

2009-04-17T09:42:00.000-07:00

I’ve just noticed that I haven’t really blogged much over the last few days. Not only that, but my Twitter patterns seems a bit weaker than usual. So what has been up? Well, it’s a multi-factor reason starting with the fact that we were in the UK over Easter, spending time with family. I had Internet access, but was lacking the will to actually blog about anything. There’s also the fact that I’m rather busy at work at the moment. It’s all good stuff, so I’m not complaining, but it does impact on my blogging propensity.

I’m hoping that next week will be better. One can always hope huh?

Getting some free time

2009-04-17T09:09:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was Easter and we were in the UK, which was fun as we met up with family, but we didn’t really get to do much, so hopefully this weekend might be a bit different. In truth, I’m not averse to spending the weekend asleep, but I’m sure Arthur would love to get out and about.

Luckily, it looks like the weather is going to be half decent this time round, so we might be able to get some quality family time in the fresh air. I’m not sure if I’m ready to go out and buy some golf equipment yet, but I’m sure we’ll be able to manage a walk in the sun, whether it’s on a beach or in a glen.

Time to check out a trade show

2009-04-11T01:42:00.000-07:00

It’s been ages since I’ve been to a trade show and I’m starting to miss the buzz. I’ve been to a number of computer ones over the years, and a few entertainment ones when we ran The Joke Shop, but it’s been some time now. The atmosphere is one thing I miss, I used to love walking around the trade show exhibits, taking it all in and just browsing around. I used to even enjoy walking around ones that sold things I wasn’t particularly interested in; just to see how their stand was organised and what ideas they would generate.

Ah, time to find one to go to again!

Strange things online

2009-03-31T04:46:00.000-07:00

Don’t you just love the selection of things you can purchase online. I’m not referring to the standard things like groceries, white goods etc, but to the more exotic goods that you would not normally find in any store down the road. For example, I recently bought a USB powered Plasma Ball; I bet you’ve never seen one of those.

And the list is really endless; you can find anything you like online. From cutting edge technology to grow lights, from stink bombs to antique sewing machines. All you have to do is search and you’re bound to find what you’re after.

So, what was the strangest things you ever bought online?

Getting a new car

2009-03-30T10:37:00.000-07:00

Well, we've decided we're going to have to upgrade a to a new car. It's a 2 factor choice based on the fact that we have twins on the way and that we often have family visiting us. A 5 seater is no longer suitable so we're going to have to go for an MPV, one of these 7-seater vehicles where you can get everything and the kitchen sink in.

We used to have one of these in the past, a Toyota that used the the best thing ever; while we were running The Joke Shop. When you have to take 50 ballons to a client, you need to be able to pack stuff up in a space where they don't get squashed; and fitting them into a car was nigh impossible. So the MPV doubled up as a family car, and as a work vehicle. We didn't have kids back them though.

What's with these banks?

2009-03-30T10:15:00.000-07:00

Have you noticed how some banks are easier to log into than others? It all boils down to the authentication scheme they are using. Some use a login name and password; others require you to memorise a 100 digit number and provide bits of DNA in order to access you account. OK, that's stretching it, but it does feel like that sometimes. I think the ones that annoy me to most are the ones that have a random number generator just like the SSL VPN authentication tokens we use at work. Not that I have a problem with the number generators, it's just that I never have one with me when I need it.

It's only a matter of time I guess before biometrics are used and you're really have to provide some DNA to access you data. We'll see about that!

How do you look on camera?

2009-03-27T07:33:00.000-07:00

Do you ever notice how different we all look on camera? It's all down to how you perceive yourself and how you really look, but sometimes that image is different from our expectations. The great thing is that it's pretty easy to see what you look like. I'm not talking about investing in live video casting solutions; just get yourself a video camera and record some snippet of yourself, then just pop them on your computer and see what you look like.

The reality is that people always see you as different to the way you see yourself; you'll never notice if your shirt is untucked and your hair all over the place. Filming yourself helps you spot these things.

2009-03-23T11:39:00.001-07:00

Off to watch Titanic the Musical

2009-03-23T02:20:00.001-07:00

RT @cmallia: Accessibility Experts meeting in Brussels;how to meet then 2010 deadline to make all public service websites accessible

2009-03-23T00:17:00.003-07:00

Ok .. where did Spring go ?

2009-03-23T00:17:00.001-07:00

Morning all .. here's to another week

2009-03-22T16:08:00.001-07:00

Getting round to booking out trip to EuroDisney for our 10th anniversary

2009-03-22T15:50:00.001-07:00

Gah .. don't you hate when you're browsing a site to buy something and it just breaks. Major FAIL Disney: http://twurl.nl/xht2wp

2009-03-22T15:48:00.001-07:00

Any marketeers out there should be reading Scoble's latest post: http://twurl.nl/r1af25 - Don't use Twitter to broadcast, but target instead

2009-03-22T11:39:00.001-07:00

Watching Monsters Inc .. again ...

2009-03-22T04:03:00.001-07:00

Happy Mothering Sunday .. (that's if you're a mom) .. otherwise Happy Sunday ;)

2009-03-21T12:17:00.001-07:00

heading out Connister's Ladies Night ... don't believe anything I tweet when I get back ;)

Getting some design done

2009-03-20T16:06:00.000-07:00

It's nice to use a specialist sometimes and one thing I definetly need help with is web design. I can make a web site jump through hoops, but can't draw a picture to save my life. I've seen the work of different designers, from a company based in Iceland to an Orange County web development firm and there a number of different designs I like online.

I think my favourite designs thend to be those that have a highly visual element. I like the different mechanics of how the page works, but the look is quite important for me. Anyway, let's see what I can do for this blog.

Getting tech help today

2009-03-20T15:56:00.000-07:00

It’s great that it’s so easy to get the support you need online. All it takes is typing a question into Google and before you know it you have your answer. Not that you’ll find it hard to find people to help you, From Orange County tech support companies all the way to tech support in far flung places like the Shetland Islands, it’s great that you can find support wherever you are.

The truth is that there are more people out there whe are familiar with technology, more people who are happy to help deal with a technical issue than ever before. It’s great really, though I do pine for the good old days when men were men and sheep were scared

Mother's Day weekend

2009-03-20T08:53:00.000-07:00

Well, it's Mother's Day this weekend and we should be making something for her tomorrow. There seems to be loads of ideas of things to do, make or buy on the Internet, but one thing is for sure, Camille prefers if we make something for her. So I'm not going to make the mistake of getting one of those artcarved mens rings or anything expensive; though I have bought her a little something something.

So, what shall we make for her? Watch the blog; we may have some photos up soon!

2009-03-19T09:40:00.001-07:00

Restarting again because of IE install .. I think it's the only browser left that needs a reboot as part of the install

2009-03-19T09:33:00.001-07:00

Installing IE8 again .. the one I installed this morning was the RC

2009-03-19T08:26:00.001-07:00

Check out everyone at our #ThirdThursday meeting today: http://twitpic.com/28v9h

2009-03-19T08:16:00.001-07:00

Okey dokey .. IE8 installed .. let's see if it breaks anything

2009-03-19T07:52:00.001-07:00

Heh .. I'm seeing "Download the new IE8" everywhere on MS website. Only one reference to the fact it's a RC so far

2009-03-19T07:19:00.001-07:00

RT @TheDigitalLife: Today is National Poultry Day, for those of you in a fowl mood.

2009-03-19T07:12:00.001-07:00

RT @Amadeus_IOM: http://twitpic.com/28s5y - At the meet :-) Photo from our #ThirdThursday do. Great time guys. Thanks for coming

2009-03-19T05:25:00.001-07:00

Off to meet @ProgramX @derekrichardson @robmercer and others at Paprazzi - Come join us

2009-03-19T04:15:00.001-07:00

RT @guardiantech: Google launches Street View in UK http://bit.ly/1JMJOU

2009-03-19T02:44:00.001-07:00

Any Manx Tweeters joining us for lunch today? http://www.u-g-h.com/2009/03/18/social-media-events-in-the-isle-of-man-19th-march/

2009-03-18T12:24:00.001-07:00

Cool .. I got featured on Zemanta's blog as a power user: http://is.gd/nUvC - well it *is* one of my favourite plugins ever

2009-03-18T09:52:00.001-07:00

Ohh .. Microsoft Web Platform can be used to provision PHP applications like WordPress - http://is.gd/nT4m - from #mix09

2009-03-18T09:06:00.001-07:00

Heh .. considering #mix09 is about UX, you'd expect them to inlay slides rather than switching video in and out

2009-03-18T08:53:00.001-07:00

the holding music at #mix09 makes me feel like I'm holding on a phone call. Watch the keynote here: http://live.visitmix.com/

2009-03-18T08:50:00.001-07:00

Waiting for the #mix09 keynote to start: http://live.visitmix.com/

2009-03-18T08:46:00.001-07:00

RT @shanselman: Keynote for #mix09 coming up LIVE at http://live.visitmix.com/

2009-03-18T08:44:00.001-07:00

Based in the UK? Fancy a free holiday? Check out @fuelmyblog's latest competition: http://is.gd/nSsA

2009-03-18T08:43:00.001-07:00

Social Media events in IOM tomorrow:Third Thursday ( http://is.gd/nSqO ) lunch and Podcasting in the evening ( http://is.gd/nSro ) Coming?

2009-03-18T07:57:00.001-07:00

Hey cool .. there's a "Cisco Fatty" meme ;) http://search.twitter.com/search?q=cisco+fatty

2009-03-18T04:36:00.001-07:00

RT @cpierret: Getting a WOW factor on cut&paste and MMS support for iPhone ?? Apple marketing team is REALLY good ! :) *chuckle*

2009-03-18T03:08:00.001-07:00

RT @Isleofmantravel: Well done Isle of Man Tourism on getting a silver award.....read more here http://isleofmanbreaks.blogspot.com/

2009-03-18T00:22:00.001-07:00

Morning all, how's everyone tweeping ?

Watching Airplane

2009-03-17T16:35:00.001-07:00

Spent the evening watching Airplane, probably one of the better slapstick comedies of the 80s. I think I'm a bigger fan of slapstick than I would admin; probably because I love spotting the small incongruencies that make the show funny (or not; depending on how you look at it). Well, Airplane is a classic and few comedies make it to those dizzy heights. As you might know, it was followed by a number of sequels and parodies; but nothing quite compares; can you imagine teryx suspensions on a plane? Well, neither can I.

2009-03-15T10:51:00.001-07:00

My 3-year old's favourite letter in the whole alphabet is Y .. he keeps asking WHY every chance he gets! (he won't stop actually)

2009-03-15T07:12:00.001-07:00

Firefox FF 3.1b3 crashed again .. pretty sure Firebug is causing it now. Anyone else experiencing the same behaviour?

2009-03-15T05:42:00.001-07:00

FF 3.1b3 seems stable now. It hasn't crashed since I disabled Firebug

2009-03-15T03:37:00.001-07:00

Hmm .. some of my GTalk contacts don't appear on Digsby .. strange

2009-03-15T03:06:00.001-07:00

Morning all .. sunny Sunday here in the Isle of Man

2009-03-14T16:37:00.001-07:00

Peter: This is more embarrassing than having sex with a rhinoceros would doesn't love you any more .. guess what show I'm watching?

2009-03-14T16:13:00.001-07:00

FF 3.1b3 crashed again .. I wonder if one of my plugins is misbehaving

2009-03-14T15:53:00.001-07:00

SEO is really SEM (Search Engine Manipulation) isn't it ?

2009-03-14T14:06:00.001-07:00

Watching WIll Smith in I, Robot (again)

Online Shopping

2009-03-13T17:15:00.000-07:00

I've been pretty busy this week with online purchases. I've bought a mobile phone for my wife, well, it was her Valentine's present from last year, but we finally managed to get it chosen and purchased. I bought a couple of books from Amazon, second hand, but 2 books I've been meaning to get for some time. And I also bought a T-shirt from Iffyton High Street. I really wanted to try and get some kids clothing for the twins (though there's a few months left), but didn't really find anything siutable.

Maybe next week huh?

What's in a bedroom?

2009-03-12T16:11:00.000-07:00

I’ve just been looking around our bedroom and realise that I could possibly add a bit to the decor. It’s a typical bedroom, you know, with a bed, wardrobe, drawers and all the other bits, but it doesn’t seem to have the character you tend to get in some bedrooms. You know, some bedrooms have that elegant touch, with throws and lights in the right places. Others have softball trophies in the corner and No Fear clothing strewn on the floor.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that there’s anything wrong with our bedroom. The walls have a lovely pattern on them and everything is nicely colour coordinated. We also have great lighting with uplighters on the wall, separate lights on each side of the bed and a chandelier in the center of the room. Each of these can be turned on or off separately, which gives loads of lighting options.

What is your bedroom like?

2009-03-12T10:46:00.001-07:00

Ohhhh.... @robertjmercer is a Haiku expert. How's that for 140 characters!

2009-03-12T10:40:00.001-07:00

Sitting on a LAN with @robertjmercer

2009-03-12T03:56:00.001-07:00

RT @govim: Gov.im News: Isle of Man TV Advert Nominated For Award http://tr.im/hhwi

2009-03-12T02:34:00.001-07:00

Wife asked what I wanted for our 10th anniversary (tin). Looks like I might be getting me an Android phone ;)

2009-03-12T02:17:00.001-07:00

RT @Isle_of_Man: JPress: Envy and bullying led to tax haven slur, says MLC: Bbully tactics led to the Isle of Man .. http://tr.im/hhkZ

2009-03-11T13:32:00.001-07:00

Woohoo .. serving 110 widgets per minute down at TweetRoll: http://tweetburn.com/tweetroll-stats/

2009-03-11T09:24:00.001-07:00

RT @thedailydust: More good UK news : Red Dwarf update - Dave spills the beans on the new episodes: After a qu.. http://tinyurl.com/aftzll

2009-03-11T09:13:00.001-07:00

Dear Live Search .. when I search for Ars Technica .. I want Ars Technica's website .. not the Wikipedia article about it!

2009-03-11T04:02:00.001-07:00

*grin* didn't know the name of local AD box, so used NBTSTAT to make an educated guess! Worked first time ;)

2009-03-11T03:01:00.001-07:00

MSCRM is like Access on steroids

2009-03-11T02:01:00.001-07:00

RT @iomweather: Cloudy, 7C with 100% humidity. The wind from SSW at 12mph. Sun rose at 6:43 AM and sets at 6:15 PM.

Oh, and by the way, we're having twins!

2009-03-11T01:58:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if you picked up the news on my main blog, but we're having twins! We're still a bit of a way off, still in the first trimester, but it's great news anyway, and I wanted to make sure readers of this blog knew about it too. Both of us are pretty excited and Arthur's happy he's going to be a big brother and have more kids to play with.

In the meantime, there's time for planning, cleaning out and getting ready for the new arrivals. Guess I won't be getting my new Adams golf drivers anytime soon huh? Still, it's a cause for much joy and we're over the moon!

2009-03-11T01:31:00.001-07:00

RT @TheJokeShop: Somebody actually complimented me on my driving today. They left a little note on the windscreen saying "Parking Fine"

2009-03-11T00:44:00.001-07:00

My cough is finally dying away ... *fingers crossed*

2009-03-10T09:49:00.001-07:00

RT @RussB: "Statusphere"? Really? Seriously, really?

2009-03-10T06:42:00.001-07:00

24 hours of comedy for Red Nose Day: http://tr.im/hcFS