Happy Crimbo… I’m bored!
A quick festive Happy Christmas (or, if Christmas isn't something you celebrate, happy holidays) message from me. I'm sitting at the parents' house in Kent drinking tea and wandering around the vast expanse that is Flickrdotcom.
Of course, that means I'm bored. Very bored. I'm supposed to be off to a party in Essex later this evening, but having a shaved head and - rightly or wrongly - believing that my stubbly features could pass for “fashionable”, I don't have any getting ready to do beyond the usual shower, brushing of teeth and selection of clean underkeks.
So, I've been playing about with UPSU.net, but now I'm running out of “little things” to do - I've already sent out a mass mail saying nothing more than Happy Xmas (but it's quite pretty anyway), I've re-jigged the URLs to peoples' profiles (e.g. “upsu.net/people/alexh”) and squashed some bugs that have shown up from the fix, managed to separate the profile template from the forums template (when you viewed your profile, your page was using the same stylesheet as the forums, which was something I needed to change so I can start thinking about polishing up the user profiles pages soon), and posted some tumbleweed-attracting twaddle on the forums, also about me being bored. I think there's a common theme here…
I've got a couple of little tweaks … ok, major changes, to make to the news system, including some magic with image handling and simplifying/tidying up the layouts, but for now I'm off to plan what toys I'm going to buy for the Nano I'm hoping Santa's dropped into the Apple store to collect for me (I'll be writing a furious letter if he hasn't…).
Hope you all have a ridiculously fattening Crimbo, and a great Noo Year. I'll probably write some more twaddle on here at some point, but if you're still around to read it, I'd really advise getting some more interesting things to do with your hols… ;o)
/al
Posted by Alex on Sun 24th December 2006
Illegal bank charges - the BBC helps consumers start to bite back
(Off-topic. Again. Wonder when I'll ever do some work…? ;o) )
Posted by Alex on Wed 13th December 2006
Newsnight shortlisted Youtube video about cocaine production
This fascinating 6 minute video showing cocaine production has been shortlisted in the BBC's Newsnight end-of-year poll. It all looks almost civilised until the question and answer given at the end of the clip which makes it clear just what a vicious business it is.
Well worth a look.
Posted by Alex on Wed 13th December 2006
Pixelgod: someone give this guy a job
I've just watched a short video of this photo…
… being created in MS Paint. I'm absolutely amazed - this guy is a genius.
You can find out more about him at Pixelgod.net - seriously, check his stuff out. Amazing stuff.
Plus, the soundtrack's pretty inspiring too - I'm not a metal fan (are NIN metal? I think so…?), but it was a really appropriate choice to have Nine Inch Nails' “Right where it belongs” playing in the background while this guy created a work of art in MS Paint.
Seriously, check out the video. I don't even care if you never read my blog again ;o)
Posted by Alex on Tue 12th December 2006
Found it!
I've been trying to track down a chillout tune that I managed to lose a couple of years ago. All I knew about it was the vocal “It ain't always umbrellas in the rain” and that it was a chillout tune.
Having given up searching for it, I still decided to drop “umbrellas” into the iTunes store's search toy today - result: up popped Helicopter Girl's “Umbrellas in the rain”! It's not the mix I remember but it's damned close, so in the basket it went. Result - one very happy greyhead.
The tune's in the iTunes store, and you might also want to check out Helicopter Girl's album - here on Amazon.co.uk - if you're into your chillout. You can read more about Helicopter Girl - aka Jackie Joyce - on Discogs dot com, or read Stylus Magazine's review of her from a couple of years ago.
If you're not into chillout, then what are you doing reading this post?
Much luv /munki
Posted by Alex on Thu 7th December 2006
New Year’s Resolutions. Part 1 of … many…
I need to stop…
- Getting drunk
- Getting drunk and dancing
- Getting drunk and dancing with people I know
- Getting drunk and dancing with people I don't know
- Getting drunk and dancing with road cones
- Getting drunk and dancing while grinning
- Getting drunk and dancing while frowning
- Getting drunk and dancing while gurning
- Getting drunk and dancing with my face uncovered at all
- Getting drunk and thinking I'm sexy
- Getting drunk and thinking I'm sexy while dancing
- … or while falling over peoples' feet
- Getting drunk and entering into conversations on topics such as the point of advertising in a heavily saturated student-orientated market.
- … or entering into any conversations at all for that matter. With anyone.
- Getting drunk and … Sod it, no more drinkies for me.
- … or not. Whatever… ;o)
Next week: things I need to stop wearing while drunk.
Posted by Alex on Thu 7th December 2006
How big?!
Apparently, Google have over 30,500 pages indexed from UPSU.net.
We have been busy…! (I think the figure's probably closer to a more modest 3,000 in fairness).
Posted by Alex on Fri 1st December 2006