I've ordered the stuff, it's even arrived, and yet I'm still sitting in the library.
I've just not had a moment since the box arrived from Novatech. With any luck I'll at least get a look in it tonight. Trouble is, I've not had 5 minutes since the kit arrived. Teaching in Edinburgh all week, running around after the people-carrier and trying to get work has just left me without enough time to do it.
Oh! I've arsed up the order, having got a 256Mb model rather than a 512Mb version of the graphics card. Why the various iterations weren't listed on the same page, never mind beside each other I do not know. Their loss, though. The other one was a good deal dearer.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Eek!
Today, I had my 1st proper job interview in about 20 years.
The joys of impending fatherhood. Oh well, at least I'll finally have some money coming in on a regular basis. You'll notice that I'm confident enough in getting it...
Biggest problem is that, being for NHS24, I'll be providing 'out-of-hours' cover, so back to nights and holiday weekends and so on. Yet another reason I'm going to have to have driving lessons and buy a car. I knew having a baby was going to be dear, but I didn't realise that getting a job to fund having a baby was going to be so bloody expensive!
The joys of impending fatherhood. Oh well, at least I'll finally have some money coming in on a regular basis. You'll notice that I'm confident enough in getting it...
Biggest problem is that, being for NHS24, I'll be providing 'out-of-hours' cover, so back to nights and holiday weekends and so on. Yet another reason I'm going to have to have driving lessons and buy a car. I knew having a baby was going to be dear, but I didn't realise that getting a job to fund having a baby was going to be so bloody expensive!
Friday, September 14, 2007
How Hard Can It Be?
The search for a new PC continues. I spent 2 hours in Hillhead Library with Cairnsie & still haven't ordered anything. It seems that most of the research I've done is pretty useless when it comes to actually doing the purchasing. All the websites that do bundles &c use their own codes for, especially, motherboards & memory.
If I wanted to go to the individual manufacturers & order separately I could get the components I've traced. Getting what I want in the combination I'd like from Novatech or Ebuyer is impossible. I can't even figure out what some of the pre-build places offer. This used to be sooo much easier!
If I wanted to go to the individual manufacturers & order separately I could get the components I've traced. Getting what I want in the combination I'd like from Novatech or Ebuyer is impossible. I can't even figure out what some of the pre-build places offer. This used to be sooo much easier!
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Annoying!
Just realised I'd already done that last post. Sadly, I can't delete it as the button doesn't work on the PDA.
Boom!
Posting may well be limited for the next wee while as the new 2Gb memory stick I bought from eBay shorted out itself, the rest of my memory and the motherboard. So much for trying to save money and only upgrade a bit.
Well, at least I'll be back at the cutting edge of computing for a while. About a fortnight, probably.
Well, at least I'll be back at the cutting edge of computing for a while. About a fortnight, probably.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Bugger!
Well, just when I had decided to save some dosh by upgrading rather than replacing my PC, the first components I bought blew it up.
A 'new' 2gb stick of DDR RAM shorted out, frying itself, the socket and the rest of the memory. No choice now but a full rebuild.
A 'new' 2gb stick of DDR RAM shorted out, frying itself, the socket and the rest of the memory. No choice now but a full rebuild.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Great News!
I've had to keep this quiet for a while, but no longer.
Abby's pregnant!!!!!!!!!!
Yeah, I know; it's been a long time coming. In my defence I think Abby's employers have had a lot to do with that. The stress they've put her under for the past couple of years has been obscene. I'm sure that there's no surprise that the month after she went part-time she fell pregnant.
So, we're excited, thrilled and all those other good things. I'm also quite nervous and even a little sad. Not because of the baby, but I'm being somewhat selfish I suppose. It means I'm finally going to have to grow up and be responsible. It probably means an end to trying to make something of being an actor. The work's been far too scarce and I have now finally left it too late to do any time abroad looking for work.
I have, therefore, been looking for day jobs. Of course, having done nothing even remotely straight for years my CV is utter pants. I've already been refused for two jobs. Kinda like still being an actor really....
So, sometime around the end of March there'll be a new little person around to help buggerup the planet and probably one less actor.
Abby's pregnant!!!!!!!!!!
Yeah, I know; it's been a long time coming. In my defence I think Abby's employers have had a lot to do with that. The stress they've put her under for the past couple of years has been obscene. I'm sure that there's no surprise that the month after she went part-time she fell pregnant.
So, we're excited, thrilled and all those other good things. I'm also quite nervous and even a little sad. Not because of the baby, but I'm being somewhat selfish I suppose. It means I'm finally going to have to grow up and be responsible. It probably means an end to trying to make something of being an actor. The work's been far too scarce and I have now finally left it too late to do any time abroad looking for work.
I have, therefore, been looking for day jobs. Of course, having done nothing even remotely straight for years my CV is utter pants. I've already been refused for two jobs. Kinda like still being an actor really....
So, sometime around the end of March there'll be a new little person around to help buggerup the planet and probably one less actor.
Protestors at the Airport
Interesting that there are several protests against the expansion plans for Heathrow airport. One story and lots of links here:
BBC NEWS | UK | BAA wins Heathrow protesters ban
As far as I can see there are more things to be worrying us in the climate change debate. The evidence I've seen all points to air travel being only a minor contributor to the problem but even so, is this really the right time to be expanding our airline capabilities? Is a protest directly in and around the airport really a good idea? Given its likely status as a major terrorist target it has to be likely that such an ongoing disruption may cause security breaches.
Whichever side of this debate you come down on there's been one part of the reporting which instantly grabbed my attention. This was seeing just how quickly our police began threatening to use the anti-terror laws against our own citizens engaged in peaceful protest.
Again.
You know those laws which they swore blind that, if they were granted them, they would only use in emergencies and to protect us? That's right, the ones they've used in such circumstances as throwing an old man out of the Labour Party Conference for heckling, shutting down several protests against anything the government didn't want us kicking up a fuss about and, oh yes; shooting an innocent Brazilian seven times in the head whilst he was being held down.
Look, you can't blame the police for wanting stronger powers to combat the terrorists, but most people realise that what they had was pretty well enough already. The vast majority of the uses of these powers do seem to have been abuses. The fact that the vast majority of these abuses have centred around people engaged in legitimate protests or even debate within their own party tells me a lot about how the powers that be want us kept. Threatening people wiith these laws for wearing anti-government slogans on their t-shirts or confiscating placards, pens such materials just makes them look like the enemies of the people and not the protectors. Which is, after all, what they should be.
BBC NEWS | UK | BAA wins Heathrow protesters ban
As far as I can see there are more things to be worrying us in the climate change debate. The evidence I've seen all points to air travel being only a minor contributor to the problem but even so, is this really the right time to be expanding our airline capabilities? Is a protest directly in and around the airport really a good idea? Given its likely status as a major terrorist target it has to be likely that such an ongoing disruption may cause security breaches.
Whichever side of this debate you come down on there's been one part of the reporting which instantly grabbed my attention. This was seeing just how quickly our police began threatening to use the anti-terror laws against our own citizens engaged in peaceful protest.
Again.
You know those laws which they swore blind that, if they were granted them, they would only use in emergencies and to protect us? That's right, the ones they've used in such circumstances as throwing an old man out of the Labour Party Conference for heckling, shutting down several protests against anything the government didn't want us kicking up a fuss about and, oh yes; shooting an innocent Brazilian seven times in the head whilst he was being held down.
Look, you can't blame the police for wanting stronger powers to combat the terrorists, but most people realise that what they had was pretty well enough already. The vast majority of the uses of these powers do seem to have been abuses. The fact that the vast majority of these abuses have centred around people engaged in legitimate protests or even debate within their own party tells me a lot about how the powers that be want us kept. Threatening people wiith these laws for wearing anti-government slogans on their t-shirts or confiscating placards, pens such materials just makes them look like the enemies of the people and not the protectors. Which is, after all, what they should be.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Review: Bourne Ultimatum
The third in the trilogy of movies reputed to be the reason the Bond series improved.
This was as truly excellent film. Matt Damon is utterly convincing as the amnesiac spy trying to get on with is life and to find out who did what to him and when. Sound a little confusing? So it is with Bourne's life. The double-dealing and paranoia rife within the agencies involved in creating and hunting him see to that. Who's on his side? Who's against him? For what is, essentially, a straightforward tale there are enough plot-twists and double-blinds to ensure that you're always engaged with the characters. Unlike the aforementioned Bond where the characters are only there to hang the action sequences on, this has characters you can actually care about and believe in. Heck, there isn't even a traditional villain. The 'bad' guys are all on the same side. The moral ambiguities of American foreign policy drive their actions and they are firmly in the 'end justifies the means' camp. Unlike in Bond where villains are bad because they're evil, these guys are evil because they want to do the right thing, but have lost sight of right & wrong. Very relevant in our tumultuous world.
But I'm making this sound like a heavy political polemic and that it most certainly is not. It is a high-octane, turbo-charged thriller. Although the characters have depth and feelings they do not block the flow of the film or slow the pace of its action. Director, Paul Greengrass, uses only the merest sketches of those more emotional scenes to show us what we need without succumbing to the temptation to become maudlin or self-indulgent. For a great example of this look for the scene where Bourne has his 'successor' at his mercy.
Allowing only the briefest pauses for breath the action is the best I have seen this year. Brutal, realistic and yet still cinematic enough to be thrilling. As a fight director myself I only wish I could work on sequences like these. Better yet, many of them take place in crowded, open, everyday locations. All of which serve to bring home the fact that spooks like these are operating amongst us, only without the fantastic skills.
The performances are uniformly excellent with no one letting the side down. All too often there will be one person who sticks out like a sore thumb due to being badly mis-cast or blatantly untalented. Happily, Greengrass & the Hubbards have assembled an excellent company down to the smallest roles.
Are there problems with the film? Yes; nothing is perfect.
The hand-held style - complete with whip-pans, shots too close to see what's happening and irritating zooms - is the chosen mode of shooting here. Yes, I find it as annoying as ever. I know it helps to pull the viewer into the action and to give a sense of immediacy, but it still drives me up the wall. It's not as bad as, say, Transformers but I really don't think it's needed. Personal tastes, here, so likely not a problem for many.
It has been a while since the last one, so the names,organisations and just who's who bandied around are a little confusing at times. Again, they fall into place as you go on and I daresay the fans will either know them by heart or have a look at the DVDs before going.
I have heard that, as with so many adaptations for screen, the script bears little resemblance to the novels. I don't know, but Robert Ludlum will not doubt be happy to hear that I intend to buy his books to find out.
This was as truly excellent film. Matt Damon is utterly convincing as the amnesiac spy trying to get on with is life and to find out who did what to him and when. Sound a little confusing? So it is with Bourne's life. The double-dealing and paranoia rife within the agencies involved in creating and hunting him see to that. Who's on his side? Who's against him? For what is, essentially, a straightforward tale there are enough plot-twists and double-blinds to ensure that you're always engaged with the characters. Unlike the aforementioned Bond where the characters are only there to hang the action sequences on, this has characters you can actually care about and believe in. Heck, there isn't even a traditional villain. The 'bad' guys are all on the same side. The moral ambiguities of American foreign policy drive their actions and they are firmly in the 'end justifies the means' camp. Unlike in Bond where villains are bad because they're evil, these guys are evil because they want to do the right thing, but have lost sight of right & wrong. Very relevant in our tumultuous world.
But I'm making this sound like a heavy political polemic and that it most certainly is not. It is a high-octane, turbo-charged thriller. Although the characters have depth and feelings they do not block the flow of the film or slow the pace of its action. Director, Paul Greengrass, uses only the merest sketches of those more emotional scenes to show us what we need without succumbing to the temptation to become maudlin or self-indulgent. For a great example of this look for the scene where Bourne has his 'successor' at his mercy.
Allowing only the briefest pauses for breath the action is the best I have seen this year. Brutal, realistic and yet still cinematic enough to be thrilling. As a fight director myself I only wish I could work on sequences like these. Better yet, many of them take place in crowded, open, everyday locations. All of which serve to bring home the fact that spooks like these are operating amongst us, only without the fantastic skills.
The performances are uniformly excellent with no one letting the side down. All too often there will be one person who sticks out like a sore thumb due to being badly mis-cast or blatantly untalented. Happily, Greengrass & the Hubbards have assembled an excellent company down to the smallest roles.
Are there problems with the film? Yes; nothing is perfect.
The hand-held style - complete with whip-pans, shots too close to see what's happening and irritating zooms - is the chosen mode of shooting here. Yes, I find it as annoying as ever. I know it helps to pull the viewer into the action and to give a sense of immediacy, but it still drives me up the wall. It's not as bad as, say, Transformers but I really don't think it's needed. Personal tastes, here, so likely not a problem for many.
It has been a while since the last one, so the names,organisations and just who's who bandied around are a little confusing at times. Again, they fall into place as you go on and I daresay the fans will either know them by heart or have a look at the DVDs before going.
I have heard that, as with so many adaptations for screen, the script bears little resemblance to the novels. I don't know, but Robert Ludlum will not doubt be happy to hear that I intend to buy his books to find out.
Crooks and Liars » FOXNews Reporter: Who are you gonna believe? Me or my lying camera?
Crooks and Liars » FOXNews Reporter: Who are you gonna believe? Me or my lying camera?
The more I read these sites the more astounded I am that anyone still thinks this channel reports unbiased news.
How anyone can listen to the Iraqis in this report talk about how bad things are, see the amount of security required to get a reporter (in full battle armour no less) to make a safe report and still believe that policies in that beleaguered country are working is astounding to me.
The more I read these sites the more astounded I am that anyone still thinks this channel reports unbiased news.
How anyone can listen to the Iraqis in this report talk about how bad things are, see the amount of security required to get a reporter (in full battle armour no less) to make a safe report and still believe that policies in that beleaguered country are working is astounding to me.
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