So the BBC iPlayer finally gets officially released. Well, if you can call an extended beta an official release. So all I have to do now is create a new disposable gmail account (knew those 100 invites I had would be useful for something), see what details they want when I sign up and then install virtual PC at home so I don't actually have to put any of their software on my computer.

Curious to see what it's like considering there seems to be a distinct lack of reviews on it...

Edit: Well that's my application submitted, now to wait...

Labels: Internet

These guys may not have the sort of powers that the characters in Heroes do but it seems real life superheroes do exist.

Labels: Amusing, Weird

The cat of death. I mean seriously, they are just assuming the cat is predicting when these people are going to die - what about if it's the cat that's killing them using some sort of special cat death grip or something....

Labels: Weird

Sorry for the lack of updates recently, been one of those busy periods. That includes all of Thursday training in this. Thrilling stuff indeed....

Labels: Personal

It's blogathon day so go play with Bunni. You'll have to be better at her horror quiz than me... :/

Labels: Personal

Seems the floods over here could have a very bad affect on both farmers and consumers. Still, every cloud...

"Christmas dinners could even be without sprouts this year."

Labels: News

Start your Friday morning with a bit of transforms humour.

Labels: Amusing, Arty

Ah there we go, my faith in work restored. The reason I didn't mention my (potential) new job straight away was that nothing was certain. The post was about to be advertised anyway but not in a form that really made much sense for me to apply for. Some calls were going to be made to see if something could be done to make it more appealing to me and I expressed my interest if that were to happen...

Although I heard nothing I was told it was a 'done deal'. Apparently that doesn't mean what I thought it meant however. Apparently it means I've agreed to the job - my current job is already about to be re-advertised - but there is no guarantee that the other job will actually be at a higher level than mine as it's still being considered.

On the plus side it means I don't lose anything and will simply move sideways. It also means I won't feel guilty about looking for a new job if this one once again appears to be going nowhere.

Labels: Personal

Listen and decide for yourself - new original talent or brief internet phenomenon?

Chocolate Rain

There's lots more by Tay if you want to check them out.

Labels: Music

Like this will never end in tears - or a lost limb...

Labels: Weird

The $100 laptop begins production at last. Now poor children all over the world can have access to that most educational thing - internet porn!

Labels: News, Technology

The end of another long, busy and wet week and I'm very much looking forward to a glass or two of nice vino tonight. I seem to be very busy at work at the moment but not actually achieving much - probably because I'm doing the work of several people. There's the guy that left in February and hasn't been replaced yet, the workmate that's been off the last couple of days, my own job and recently a more or less full time software job. Have to admit to feeling a little stressed and it's certainly not helped my work - I focus on one aspect of the job and another suffers as a result.

Still, there is light at the end of the tunnel. The good news I hinted at the other day is that the more or less full time software job I'm doing will soon be my full time job. Well that's the plan anyway and although I've been told it's a 'done deal' I won't be convinced until I see that extra money shown on my payslip. And technically nothing will change for a fair while even after that as there is simply no one to replace me so I'll just be carrying on doing what I'm already doing. With more money. Interestingly the job is (or was originally) actually in my own section working for me as one of my underlings. How screwy is that? Wonder if they'll let me be on my own interview panel if it comes to it?

Did I mention I'd get a pay rise too? Not that the money's important of course, I'm doing it for the love of my wo... oh hell who am I kidding!

Labels: Personal

I have it admit that I was one of the people that was curious and bought the Mail on Sunday paper for the free album by Prince last weekend. I listened too it once and have to say that I didn't hear anything that leapt out at me. Maybe the album is a grower? Still, for £1.40 it wasn't a bad deal although the paper itself really was full of sh*t and got barely a glance...

It's curious tho, the record labels are all put out about it and yet his last album only sold 80,000 copies in the UK which most record companies seem to consider a disaster. If it had sold a similar amount this time they wouldn't have made much money anyway. And as for devaluing music, do they listen to some of the tripe that they churn out and promote?

The paper paid £1.25 million and yet only sold about 600,000 more copies than usual. That's a loss of around £400,000 by my reckoning.

So, it seems the person to do best out of the whole thing was Prince who got a nice quarter of a million payment, a lot of publicity worldwide no doubt and pissed off the record companies all in one go. Hats off to the little purple fella for a shrewd little deal.

Labels: Music

Age old cure for cancer.

Labels: Interesting

Tee-hee. He's obviously mocking him with that doughnut too...

Talking of big things, this'll never fit in your bath.

Labels: Amsuing

The story isn't that exciting but worth it I feel for the quote from the British military

UK military spokesman Major Mike Shearer said: "We can categorically state that we have not released man-eating badgers into the area".

Labels: Amusing, News

This does indeed show what you can do if you put you're mind to it - guy loses 186Kg over 4 years. The pictures are a little icky in places....

Labels: Interesting

Sorry for the lack of posts folks - busy week at work. Deadlines, promotions, resignations, stress attacks, tears and some good news for me hopefully (although I'm waiting til things are more definite before being too happy) - oh yes, a fun week indeed.

Got several posts I want to make just don't seem to have gotten around to them yet. Will so though - honest.

Labels: Personal

I was daft enough to do it 4 years back but the lovely Bunni is going for her third straight blogathon (direct link to the 'thon site if you don't know what it's all about).

Wander on over, support her on the day, give her money for a good cause and best yet you get hot sex blogging!

If your interested in that sort of thing of course.

*cough*

Labels: Blogs

My first thought on whether the English language should be simplified was "I don't want to write in text speak" but I must say I actually started considering it as I read through the article. That was until I got to the very last comment by the guy opposing it and it seemed like a silly idea all over again....

Labels: Interesting

Is it wrong to laugh at someone who got hit on the head by an automatic car barrier?

Yes, yes course it is - silly question.

Shouldn't have been walking in the road and was amusing tho. ;)

Labels: Personal

Ah yes, my dream to one day see herds of woolly mammoth comes one step closer. I'll have one of my very own and it will live in my garden and I'll call it Woolbert and....

Labels: News

How embarrasing. The fate of your species rests on your shoulders and you can't get it up. Still, guess it's hard peforming under pressure...

Labels: Environmental

Tee-hee - funniest news story I've read all day. Although this comes a close second for the stupidity factor.

Labels: Amusing, News

American car plant generates no waste in three years. Makes you wonder why more companies can't make that sort of effort.

Closer to home, the efforts to make my workplace greener are making me a little less than popular with some people. The university as a whole is pushing it's own recycling efforts (partly to increase it's green cred and partly because they are trying to cut a huge waste bill I believe) and this means that soon, new recycling bins for paper, plastic, glass and metal will be dotted around all the buildings. Although I've had little to do with the whole scheme thus far (others in my department have been more involved than me), I was aware of what was going on and thought I should let everyone else know what was coming.

So why should the increase in the availability of recycling facilities make me unpopular you ask? Well, to 'encourage' people to use them, all personal waste bins are being removed. And of course being 'environmental coordinator' and the one that told them about it, I'm to blame.

Draconian is a word I've heard a lot this last week and to be honest, yes it is. The university is trying to force everyone to do the right thing and people are objecting. The problem is there is no incentive for people to recycle other than their own conscience and I've already seen several examples where that is obviously not enough. I hold my own hand up and admit that on occasion saving a post-it note sized bit of paper does not seem worth the twenty foot walk to the paper bin and I just throw it away.

So I'm bracing myself for the storm ahead and live in hope that those objecting on principle (as well as those that have welcomed the move) instead offer some constructive input on how to make the scheme - which has some obvious problems - work.

Wish me luck with that.

Labels: Environmental

Now it's not out over here yet but the new Transformers movie soon will be. And as much as I'm looking forward to seeing that, apparently a trailer beforehand is just as interesting (for different reasons) and has the internet abuzz.

For anyone that hasn't seen it, it's shows amatuer video footage of a party. Then there's some explosions in the distance and finally the statue of liberty's head crashes to the ground in the street (or something like that). You may be able to find it online but it seems Paramount is taking down YouTube copies of them as fast as they go up.

It's a trailer for a film which currently has the codename Cloverfield and is a project of J. J Abrams. It's being kept ultra top secret but this official site is now up as is this rather cryptic page (there is a secret message in there if you can find it) and this opposing blog.

Gods vs Humans? Humans vs Aliens? Humans vs Gods who are aliens? Gods and Humans vs Aliens and potato people? Who know, but it has me quite excited at the potential. One thing seems sure, if they keep this up the film is going to have reached huge levels of hype by the time it's released. Whether it will live up to that hype is another question I guess.....

Labels: Movies

Here's a handy tip. If you ever happen to knock a potted cactus off a shelf, don't try and catch it! Well, not unless you like plucking sharp things from your skin anyway...

Labels: Personal

An interesting experiment and as I'm sure I've said before, I'd like woolly mammoths to make a comeback.

I like this gadget for making oil out of waste plastic as well - might help with all that WEEE.

Labels: Environmental

The UK floods are a judgment from God for allowing gay marriage and everyone being naughty (apparently). You'd have to say that God seems to have got a little rusty on the whole food thing since Noah's time.

Labels: News, Religion

Work suck! Really need a new job. Must get off arse.

Labels: Personal

.... work sucks! Can I have another week off now?

In other unrelated news, my brother - in a moment that I can only imagine was born in pure desperation or stupidity - has asked the parents if he and his wife can move in with them. For four years! Now I understand that they want to save up to buy their own house but considering he left home over a decade ago and has lived with his wife for a few years now, it's daft for a number of reasons.

1. They'd hate it and get p*ssed off
2. The parents would hate it and get p*ssed off
3. They pay minimal rent as it is due to a special deal they have. I'm talking almost half of what I pay and that's between them. I can't seriously see them saving that much.
4. They live in the lovely (and much sought after) county of Cornwall. Prices are silly daft down there.

I can't quite decide at the moment if I should help out and offer some advice, whether it would be appreciated if I did or if I should just let these grown ups sort it out between them.

Families....

Labels: Personal

I don't own and Prince album. I've never considered buying a Prince album. I could however now be tempted. The man knows how to annoy the record industry...

Of course, the music won't sounds as good as it used to.

Labels: Music

Enjoy.

Labels: Games, Timewaste

Ah, it's good stuff. Although this made me laugh too (assuming it's not staged), especially as they didn't sell out so all that queuing and trying to sell them on eBay may have been a bit pointless.

Labels: Amusing, Gadgets

Too much unhealthy food (homemade chocolate meringue - gorgeous), far too much booze and no work for a week. Now that's what I call a nice break.

If only I'd won the lottery yesterday and didn't have to go back to work tomorrow....

Labels: Personal