Out With The Old, In With The New
I thought I’d keep myself current and so I’ve just upgraded my installation of WordPress from 2.0.2 to 2.0.4. I was a bit reluctant to do so as I was happy with what the software was doing, but I remember reading some mention of security updates, so I went for the plunge. The log files on this box are filled with failed login attempts so I know for certain that people are trying to find a way in and if doing something as simple (!
It's Alive!
I’ve just published the first release of a little application I wrote to manage the list of internal extension & direct dial numbers of staff here at the VDA. A few members of staff have been asked to give it a whirl and report back. Up until now it’s been the responsibility of one of the admin team to maintain a spreadsheet containing the info and distribute printed copies of it to everyone else.
I For One Welcome Our New Version 2 Overlords
Yesterday, my copy of Firefox updated itself (to version 1.5.0.6 no less) and when it restarted I was reminded about the upcoming World Firefox Day. I’d read about this on Slashdot a while back and just forgot about it. I checked out the site and immediately thought of my colleage, Kevin. The $ORGANISATION’s a Microsoft shop through and through and Kev, like the bulk of the staff here, sticks to the web-browser that came bundled with the OS.
Clerks II
I had been looking forward to seeing Clerks II and was planning to go to the cinema to see it, but I gave in and downloaded a copy. I had a choice between 2 TeleSyncs: a 1-disc Xvid and a 2-disc SVCD. It was a close-run thing but I thought that the SVCD copy was (maybe) slightly better in quality and anyways, it would give me an opportunity to play about with DVD-lab.
And There Are No Diamonds In The Mine
Oh the joy! The office has gotten in the coffee supplies again. Imagine my surprise when I opened the cupboard to discover row upon row of bags of the stuff. I’ve been reading through the archives of a blog I stumbled upon a while back and came across an entry about coffee which mentioned it’s procurement via the internet. I love my coffee and have been a heavy consumer of it for many years (especially since I got into recovery) and when choosing a bean I always go for the strongest available, avoiding the different “blends” or “styles” that most supermarkets offer.
Syd is Dead, Long Live Syd
I’ve been visiting my family for this week and on the journey from the bus station to my Mother’s house I heard on the radio that Syd Barrett had died. His death occurred on friday 7th (as a result of complications due to diabetes) and was reported on tuesday 11th and I can definitely say he will be missed, goodness knows I know I feel a sense of loss. Syd has been a musical hero of mine since I was a teenager and I got turned onto the Pink Floyd.
Wee Me
I was sorting through my bookmarks in Firefox and I found a link to this site which allows you to create a miniature clone of yourself (in colour!) Here’s what I (mostly) look like today: Pretty much a Regular John, huh? I should really get back to some “proper” work, instead of creating things like this: Google Maps here I come…
New Docs
I put in my monthly expenses claim yesterday morning and decided to follow through on a plan that had been on the back burner for a while now: getting myself some new footwear. After sorting out the new firewall at the office I strutted my way down to the Doc Shop and bought a new pair of 8-eye Doc Marten boots. Here they are fresh from the box and laced up (photos from my phone unfortunately):
Revolution Now
Up until a few hours ago we had a Symantec firewall appliance protecting the office network from script kiddies and the like, but unfortunately it was prone to crashing and required regular rebooting. As I was returning from my coffee break I passed Kev who was leaving the room to go reboot said device. I was in an impulsive mood and when Kev returned I offered to build a new firewall.
Where Old Code goes to Die
Well, I’ve started a million different projects and finished none, so in an effort to quell the sense of dis-ease I’ve went back to whatever seemed nearest to completion before I abandoned it… …which has meant getting stuck back into Classic ASP and MS-SQL, not nice for a Linux-fanboy-wannabie like myself ;) Captain Beefheart’s Trout Mask Replica has been providing much needed mental stimulation while I at least try to make some progress on this thing.