Archive for April, 2007

Quick tip for anybody getting spammed

// April 19th, 2007 // No Comments » // Tech

I’d noticed some spam comments slipping through the otherwise tight net provided by Akismet, only a couple a day but enough to get annoying.

So I dropped the links required for moderation to 1, added the following to my blacklist:

phentermine
ambien
hydrocodone
fioricet
viagra
tramadol
zithromax

and also required that each commenter have a previously approved comment.

Touch wood I’ve been spam free again for nearly a week!

There is a man in the village, his name is Tony and he is a NINJA!

// April 19th, 2007 // No Comments » // Personal

Ninja Tunes, home to DJ Vadim, Coldcut, Roots Manuva and so many more great artists have started a monthly podcast series.

Skip the first one – pile of poo IMHO – but get your ears wrapped around the gorgeous half hour on Amon Tobin … the only man capable of taking Blue Jam’s bad sex and making it even weirder.

Go on, have a listen and cackle my gladys.

Bigga is Bettta

// April 19th, 2007 // No Comments » // Personal

Just got back from a rather shambolic lunch.

The plan was to head to the Dicq Shack, a fantastic little Thai cafe that sits right on the beach and does the most tremendous Thai curries … they were closed.

So the next port of call was the Hungry Man in Rozel. Unfortunately the guy driving didn’t know how to get to Rozel and we ended up going via St John … which is a little out of the way.

Anyway, we arrived and ordered the Hungry Man Special Burger which consists of:

  • 1 Portuguese Roll
  • 2 burgers
  • 2 sausages
  • 2 rashers crispy bacon
  • 1 egg
  • mushrooms
  • onions
  • salsa

and a portion of chips between the two of us. Suffice to say I’m more than a little full :-)

Thinking about aspiration

// April 18th, 2007 // No Comments » // Personal

It’s a funny one, the force that drives us to be more than we are.

Motivated by what I’m not too sure; greed? ambition? boredom?

But, the more I sit here and wonder where I’m supposed to be in the general scale of things the clearer it becomes in my mind: aspiration is a purely human concept and one that is personal to each individual. One man’s drive can be fired by something that would leave others cold.

And what of those who are inserted into life with less to aspire to? Those born into wealth or at a position within the social hierarchy where wealth is implied. What do they work for? A new set of golf clubs? An additional holiday in San Tropez each year?

I suppose it doesn’t really matter what you aspire to as long as you are reaching for something. Too often I’ve seen those with no dreams, beaten by life into believing that the way things are is the best they can get.

As for me … I couldn’t say exactly what drives me but I know that there is something that pushes me through the days. If only I could find a way of making it more tangible then perhaps I’d be further along, a couple of ladders closer to square 100 than I am right now.

I can take comfort from knowing that aspiration is inherited, the next generation normally picks up where we will leave off. Some will succeed, some will fail, dropping further down the scale to finish worse off than they started. Sometimes that grade is deserved, sometimes it’s not, but fold fate into the mix and there can be few arguments.

In the mean time I’ll carry on rolling the dice, making my moves and trying to make that excruciatingly difficult jump to the next rung, content in the knowledge that it’s not the success that counts, it truly is the taking part.

2 more good things…

// April 17th, 2007 // No Comments » // Personal

… happened this weekend:

  • I managed to fit the new radiator to my bike (after breaking the old one on a Ford Fiesta). It took about 15 minutes to get the old rad off and abbout an hour and a half to get the new one on but having fully charged the system and tested it there seemed to be no leaks, a happy cool engine and general satisfaction from me. So I saved myself about £220 thanks to an aftermarket part and self fitting.
  • I won the office Grand National Sweepstake! A cool £65 – thank you very much silver birch. Never mind that I didn’t even watch the race, it’s the cash that counts.

Now does anybody think I can stick to 2 posts per day for the rest of this week?

Nah, neither do I but I’ll do my best.

Back from Bristol

// April 17th, 2007 // No Comments » // Personal

A cracking weekend had by all … or at the very least, a cracking weekend had by me.

It was a semi work / semi fun trip (the work side of things is very exciting but if I tell you about it I’d have to kill you) with the fun side consisting of relaxing, playing lots of UT2004 and generally enjoying a side of life that I’d almost forgotten existed … it’s been too long since a good UK trip.

Highlights included:

  • Meeting Jeremy and Vicky’s little one again – she’s now 3 and a very cool little munchkin
  • Brunch at … somewhere I’ve forgotten the name of … but it was tres luxurious
  • Racking up 25 frags in about 60 seconds on a certain UT map
  • Introducing J to the futile violence that is Instagib CTF!
  • Being able to spend time with friends I don’t see anywhere near as often as I’d like :-)

Of course it wasn’t all smooth sailing, work called on Monday morning with an issue that needed my attention and the flight back was a bit irksome but aside from that it was a fantastic 4 days.

Now I have to start gearing up for my Dad’s birthday later this month (little sis is coming home for that one! Yay!!!) which is shaping up to be a mammoth series of dinners, parties and general inebriation.

Off to Bristol!!!

// April 12th, 2007 // No Comments » // Personal

Tomorrow in fact!

So blogging will be sporadic in the mea….

erm

right

yes

I’ll be on Twitter if anybody wants me :-D

You’re supposed to set a blogging schedule

// April 4th, 2007 // No Comments » // Personal

and stick to it.

At least that’s what all those in the business of running successful and popular blogs say. But I’ve never been that bothered about this site being successful or popular. I do however, feel a little b ad when I look down at the home page and realise my last post was a week ago.

There’s a lot going on (but then there always is) at the moment and finding time to attend to this little online space it proving tricky. But I’ll do my best to give you some kind of update:

Work – Going well but stupid busy at the moment. This is almost certainly a good thing were it not for the silly bank holidays that are coming up and the long weekend I have planned for next week. We’ve had a few issues which I’ve managed to field and I’m generally getting more confident in the position.

Finances – Going ok I guess. I’m still not really back on top after the disaster that was 2006 but I’m getting there. Of course it would help if I hadn’t just been slammed with a £400 bill for last years company tax (on top of the 1.5k I paid the accountant to minimise it … fuckers) and a similar amount quoted to repair my motor bike after I bounced it off a Ford Fiesta. Hopefully, once I get my tax return in my rate will be reduced from the rather nasty 25% to something a little more manageable.

Personal Life – questionable. I must admit that I’ve been thinking more and more about heading back to the mainland. Anyone who knows me well will now be laughing at that statement because I’ve been saying it for about 3 years now but this time feels different. Of course I need to get my tax sorted and make sure I’ve got some cash to spare (I reckon about 6k should cover it) before I can think about doing anything of the sort but that’s achievable. And then there is the factor that my current employers have a UK office so it’s possible I could do something without needing a new job. I’ll have to wait and see to be perfectly honest.

There’s also the problem of my local commitments which are increasing at the moment. Leaving would mean turning my back on lots of people and things so it’s not a decision to be taken lightly. I just get the feeling that I’m stagnating on this little rock, getting stuck into the same routine of work, home, pub, bed – day after day after day. There’s no guarantee that the same thing wouldn’t happen in the UK though :-)

So overall? I’d score myself about 6 out of 10 – comfortable and not in any immediate danger of disaster but still with the nagging feeling that I’m missing something … and I’m not sure if my current lifestyle will allow my too find it.

See you in about a week or so :-)

Rob