OSS evangelism…

Sat Sep 30

We are all sandal-wearing, tree hugging hippies here, so tell me your favourite open source software and why its so great. Yes, its OSS evangelism time!

Online friends…

Sun Sep 24

Further to my entry yesterday where I alerted you all to the rather dubious nocturnal activities of Dave from work, I thought I should really be fair to everyone else I know that runs websites and give them links too. Plus it will be good for search engine ranking, I hope.

So we start off with Dave who needs no introduction round here. A fantastic bloke, and it’s been a pleasure working with hime for the last *ahem* years. I can’t remember how long, exactly, but it’s a long time in internet terms.

Next I suppose I must big-up my homie, my main man, and a dear friend Milan. One of the most talented and inspiring musicians you’ll ever hear. And a top bloke to boot.

Another Wibsite regular, Rhys is probably the most talented geeks I know. And I mean that in the good way, in case you were wondering.

Similarly, Wood is a great writer (although he wouldn’t say so himself) and the collection of short stories on his site is a treasure trove.

Dave (DaggerG) was mentioned yesterday, and while I haven’t spent any time ‘in the battlefield’ with him recently, he’s still a dangerous chap to mess with. He’ll go for your throat (or any other exposed body parts) should you let him.

A very well respected and amazingly full website, Dan’s Huddersfield Town site has had me chuckling for years. And if you listen to the little ‘Mi Chun Der’ song, that’s me :0)

Another old friend who has taught me more than I would like to imagine about business is Harry (and Andrew). I thoroughly enjoyed my time working at Computers Unlimited, and try to visit regularly just for the banter and strong cups of tea.

One of the misfits at Computers Unlimited also runs a rather fantastic recording studio. I had a job there once, too. Keith who owns it has been a fundamental part of the forming of my entire adult life.

Fat Al (who my wife says isn’t all that fat) is a keen mountain biker. And while he makes a … distinctive shape in lycra, he’s also a fantastic friend who I hopw I’ll be keeping in touch with for a long time to come.

John is one of those people that if we worked or lived closer together I’m sure we’d end up being good friends. We have a lot in common, the only differences are a) he’s much cleverer than me and b) he’s much better than me at doing everything. Still, he’s a sorted bloke.

If you want crystal or glassware, look no further than House of Crystal. I’ve never met Keith in real life, but our extended conversations on the phone always entertain and challenge me. Good luck, Keith.

I’m sure I’ve forgotton some people. If that’s you, leave a message!

Events I have missed…

Sat Sep 23

It’s been a funny old week. With alternating bright, warm sunshine and typhoons, rushed-off-my-feetness one day and utter boredom the next, it’s no surprise that some things slipped my mind.

Like (possibly) the greatest day of the yearly calendar: International Talk Like A Pirate Day. Yes, truly. Dave came in to work wearing an eyepatch and carrying a sword, apparently. I’ve celebrated this most auspicious of occasions for several years, but this time … well, I’m a muppet. What can I say. Except, perhaps “Arrrrr”.

And I also missed OneWebDay, a day to celebrate the web and the communities thereon. A good idea, but again I missed the boat. However this time I have a decent excuse as I didn’t even hear about it until today (thanks Rhys).

One this I definitely won’t be missing is Back to church Sunday, a chance to invite people who used to be regular churchgoers back to church. We’re having a Harvest service at church tomorrow for which I am playing guitar, and K has invited a friend. Hopefully it will go well.

Ad, you never know, I may let out a quiet “Avast, yer landlubber!” during the service, just to make amends for my lapse earlier in the week. I’m sure God will understand.

The sport of skateboarding…

Tue Sep 19

My eldest stepson has recently started his ‘A’ levels, and as part of the curriculum at his college has to regularly participate in a sport. He’s a keen skateboarder, and so asked if they would consider skateboarding a sport. They said no. Hmm. Let’s have a look at a dictionary definition for sport:

Sport: an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature, as racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, boxing, hunting, fishing, etc.

Please take a look at the following video of world-renowned skateboarder Rodney Mullen in action and tell me if you think it does not contain evidence of a) athletic activity, b) skill, c) physical prowess. The music may not be to your taste (so turn the volume down) but I’ll warrant that this 2 minute clip will have you in awe.

When machines bite back…

Mon Sep 18

I love seeing computer error messages in public places. The best is obviously blue screen of death which I’ve seen more than once on monitors at a local shopping centre. However this is a first for me:

Error message seen on a screen ... but where?

Can you guess where it is yet? No? OK, I’ll tell. It was a screen on board this beast:

Insert 'bus' joke here...

That’s right, on the 268 bus going to Bradford. Obviously in this modern day and age getting a “Disk drive failure, insert system disk and press enter” message is just one of the hazards every bus driver must learn to cope with.