Opera, my browser of choice.

The internet was also pretty ropey and not really useful.

However this all changed when I whacked Opera Mini 5 on it and boom! the internet just worked. I then found that the joystick button replicates the shutter button and boom! I have photography again

Here’s to making things you have work for you better!

They were taken at work with my new camera. Lovely day outside so got some nice bokeh. I was trying to judge the minimum focus distance of the 18-55mm kit lens.

I purchased the above dongle from ebay.  It is a little usb dongle used to add a mic and headphone jack to just about any PC or Mac. The key thing is that it is driverless and so will be supported by the PS3. The main benefit is in playing a multiplayer game like Uncharted 2, that you have a clear headset and that it’s battery doesn’t run out. I used it with a really nice headset I got for a birthday a few years back. I don’t use the headphone jack, instead I use the headphone out on my 5.1 receiver.

Avatar is essentially a gaia anime story combined with Dances with Wolves. It’s what you would get if you got the Macross team (Macross Zero) or Bones (Eureka 7) to develop a Ghibli film (Laputa) for the western market. This is no bad thing as I loved all of the above and frankly if it opens peoples minds enough, maybe a western friendly anime series might *just* get their interest.

3D is not the saviour of Cinema. It is as it was every other time, a gimmick. The 2009/10 version is a more polished gimmick, but it is still what it was before; interesting for a few key niches, but at best unnecessary at worst distracting for anything else. My only worry is that Hollywood will strip mine the 3D Sci-Fi/animated tale blockbusters until even the hint of space or a pixar-like film will have people running for the hills. This could do major damage to genres I enjoy.

As for 3D at home, anyone who invests in that is an idiot of emperors’ new clothes level.

Problem 1

Checking the oil levels on the Mazda I couldn’t see a tide mark. After asking everyone I know, my Dad got back from Hols and dumped a litre of oil in and the engine is ok!

Problem 2

Caught the rear passenger light when leaving the car, went to start it the next day and not doing. Used Stan’s jump starter and got it going.

Problem 3

Somewhere berween where I parked my car and Stan’s my Walkman went missing. Great just great.

I am now kicking it old skool with my NetMD. Far too big to loose.

Update!

Found It!

For Matt at Bumpy Trails

Also Windows Live Writer is sooo good.

Car Front

I purchased my Sister’s old Mazda 323. It is a nice car, though finding an unschuffed panel is pretty hard I wanted to do it up a bit, but none of the mechanically minded friends seem to think it is worth doing. Shame as tidied up they are nice looking cars. It is good to drive, better still when I swap the tyres around. The fronts are a bad mix of non-brands and treads, the backs are nice Pirelli P6000s. Joined the 323F forums they seem like a nice lot. Also mailed off my old Puma mats to a deserving member of the Puma Project forums.

Me

My boss of 10 years left recently, it’s a real shame. I’ll miss David, but I am sure I will get on just fine with my new one. I tend not to talk work here as I keep my client’s and company’s info in confidence.

Computing

Windows 7 still rocks and I think it is the best Windows yet or at least since the XP SP2 release. Vista bashing still gets on my nerves, but as crappy security software falls by the wayside I hope 7 get the chance Vista didn’t.

Someone hit the nail on the head with the iPhone, I never quite understood why I didn’t want a StarTrek:NG level device and it all comes down to its absolute ‘I know better than you’ text prediction. This why I can type pretty much easier on my old keypad SE K800i T9 than it’s virtual keyboard. It’s all about prediction, thats why I stuck with SE over Nokia and Windows Mobile. In SE it assumes you are correct and helpfully suggests a few options. In iPhone it auto corrects you with one option which you can turn it off to get what you typed. Everything else is ok or learnable.

Games

Looking forward to a few games, really enjoyed Mass Effect on my mate’s 360. Frankly I can see myself buying one as a Mass Effect player. he he

Tunes

La Roux, nice music, but her voice is a bit weak. I Come To Shanghai, good music, but often depressing, cheer up dudes. Trance Around The World with Above and Beyond, free trance music, ta chaps.

Procrastination

A+! I have failed to: Buy a bike, work on the house, ask anyone on a date, buy a laptop.

Weddings

Congrats to: Dave & Rosie, Jo & Chris, Neil & Gwen and David & Lorna. Woot!

John Gilmour

An awesome friend and now officially an awesome designer, congrats on the Degree Dude!