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Wu-wei

Sunday, September 19, 2004

1:29PM - Link with Bloxsam broken - no further updates

The perl plugin that I use to link my real blog at http://cgi.kript.net/blosxom.cgi choked on a post a day or so ago, and refused to run. Due to the design of Blosxam, this means the site didn't display at all, do I killed the plugin. I tried to debug this back when then macintosh line endings caused issues with the submissions to LJ, but its pretty tricky; akin to debugging a module within another program, where you can't (easily) have access to any debugging info, so, frankly, I'm not inclined to spend more time debugging it. There is a new major version number release of Bloxsam out, so that may fix it, but my upgrading to that depends on me setting up a public webserving box, which will take some time (and money!) that I don't have right now. Sorry.

So, if you want to continue reading my blog, I suggest you head over to http://cgi.kript.net/blosxom.cgi. I have both Atom and RSS feeds, and I can't recommend RSS agregators enough - its an easy way to keep track of many frequently updated sites. Both Firefox and Thunderbird (IIRC) have RSS clients, so go download the latest versions and use them!

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Tuesday, September 14, 2004

7:43PM - Pirates Of The Spanish Main Shipping!

As I was checking my mail, preparing to leave for the airport for the return flight to the UK, I got a mail from Leisure Games with their new games for the week, which included the game I blogged about before. I've had no luck finding it in the U.S. - even the manufacturer's on-line store is out of stock - so I've placed a order with Leisure Games (online). Should have it by the weekend. I can't wait to see if its as fun as it looks. If anyone reading this fancies a game, let me know. I'm not going to play with myself (ahem).
With thanks to bloxsam2lj.
This entry was cloned from Kripts Other Blog..

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Saturday, September 11, 2004

7:17AM - Sleep keeps me awake

Its Friday night, and Seattle is jumping. Even the Sheraton in Bellvue has a wedding party, a cheerleader convention (no, really), and a fairly 'hopping' bar.
So what am I doing writing weblog entries on an iBook in a hotel room? Well, apart from the jetlag, which really hasn't been all that bad, over the last 48 hours, I've had - at most - six hours sleep. Customs FUBAR's and a customer upgrade gone SNAFU meant that I worked through the night. Caught some sleep this afternoon, and am looking forward to more soon.
Reading William Gibson's "Pattern Recognition" at the moment (yeah, yeah, I'll update the Reading List plugin soon), and the main character is jetlagged. His prose is always tending towards the poetical, and its really resonating with me. I've managed to do some shopping, though, partly out of necessity - I was supposed to be flying back now, so I've had to get some more clothes. I did get some gadgets from my Wish List, though, and resisted buying others. I'll blog about that another time, but at the moment, my hotel's fixed internet connection is being broadcast to me, sitting on my bed with my iBook, via an Airport Express. Its very cool.
I did get a copy of the much anticipated "Jonathon Strange & Mr Norrell, a Novel", by Susanna Clarke, despite not wanting to get a hardback book (I'm carrying enough back, already).
I'm going to have to work tomorrow, but I'm hoping to get some sightseeing done. My superbly hospitable and friendly American colleagues have offered to take me out on a hike in the mountains north of Seattle, which would be great. We'll see.
With thanks to bloxsam2lj.
This entry was cloned from Kripts Other Blog..

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Thursday, September 2, 2004

9:58PM - Gadget Wish List

I thought I'd blog my Gadget wish list. I like the Amazon wish list, but they don't do everything, so I thought I'd do my own..
Apple kit
AirportExpress
iSight
Bluetooth Wireless Keyboard (and Mouse)

iPod Related
iTrip
iTalk
SightLight
9V Emergency Charger for iPod

Games
Pirates of The Spanish Main

Camera Related
CameraPhone lenses
Casio Exilim EX-Z4U 4 MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom

Astonishingly, that appears to be it. The timing of the construction of this list, and my upcoming trip to the states, where consumer electronics can be up to 50% cheaper, may or may not be co-incidence..
I'll add to this as I think of things. This means that people reading via LiveJournal get multiple entries, but, thems the breaks.. ;-)
With thanks to bloxsam2lj.
This entry was cloned from Kripts Other Blog..

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Monday, August 30, 2004

4:44PM - Gadget Wish List

I thought I'd blog my Gadget wish list. I like the Amazon wish list, but they don't do everything, so I thought I'd do my own..
Apple kit
AirportExpress
iSight
Bluetooth Wireless Keyboard (and Mouse)

iPod Related
iTrip
iTalk
SightLight

Games
Pirates of The Spanish Main

Camera Related
CameraPhone lenses
Casio Exilim EX-Z4U 4 MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom

Astonishingly, that appears to be it. The timing of the construction of this list, and my upcoming trip to the states, where consumer electronics can be up to 50% cheaper, may or may not be co-incidence..
I'll add to this as I think of things. This means that people reading via LiveJournal get multiple entries, but, thems the breaks.. ;-)
With thanks to bloxsam2lj.
This entry was cloned from Kripts Other Blog..

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Sunday, August 29, 2004

11:33PM - Polls

The last poll, which you can view here didn't do so well. If I believed the poll, only four people read this. Given that I intended this to be the place my friends to catch up on what I'm doing, thats kinda depressing. what? yes, I have more than four friends! Humph! ;-)
So, the new poll, responding to the requests of apparently 25% of my readership, I thought I'd see if people wanted to leave comments? It'd require some major overhauls, and prob. mean moving off the current

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The last poll, which you can view <a href="http://cgi.kript.net/blosxom.cgi/2004/04/03#poll-visitors">here</a> didn't do so well. If I believed the poll, only four people read this. Given that I intended this to be the place my friends to catch up on what I'm doing, thats kinda depressing. <i>what? yes, I have more than four friends! Humph!</i> ;-)
So, the new poll, responding to the requests of apparently 25% of my readership, I thought I'd see if people wanted to leave comments? It'd require some major overhauls, and prob. mean moving off the current <a href'http://www.teaparty.net">hosting server</a> but it could be done. I'd have to get over 100% approval from my fan-base though. Yes, thats right. <b>more than four people would have to want it!</b> :-) <BR>With thanks to <a href="http://www.thesatya.com/blosxom/">bloxsam2lj</a>. <BR> This entry was cloned from <a href="http://cgi.kript.net/blosxom.cgi">Kripts Other Blog..</a>

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11:27PM - Should I add the ability to leave comments to "Wu Wei"?

* yes * no
With thanks to bloxsam2lj.
This entry was cloned from Kripts Other Blog..

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11:20PM - Zenith Angle

Before I read "Just a Geek", I read Bruce Sterling's "Zenith Angle". I seem to have left it our of the sidebar, which is pure laziness and no reflection on the book, so maybe I'll put it in when I get a moment.
I found the book interesting. He makes the subject interesting, and the plot is well, invisible for a long while, then a little far-fetched. Or maybe not, my science isn't all that great. Anyway, the main thing that struck me reading the book was that I couldn't understand the motivation of the main character. It wasn't that he was an eccentric computer hacker, gods knows I've worked with a few, that was portrayed quite well. What I realised, when I got to the end of the book, is that I didn't connect with the main character, and I think its because I'm not American, and 9/11 didn't affect me in the same way. I'm having great difficulty explaining myself here, and have retyped this several times. I'd be interested for people who have read it, and have more knowledge of whats going, and gone on in the U.S. to have a chat. I initially thought it was an OK, if not great book, but now that i come to talk about it, I find I'm having great difficulty summarizing my feelings. Was it satire, a portrayal of a particular point of view? Was it the authors views? That a lot of it came from the authors background researching cyber-security is obvious, and adds to its verisimilitude. Is the attitude for real in the security world? Don't know. Read it and let me know.
With thanks to bloxsam2lj.
This entry was cloned from Kripts Other Blog..

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10:56PM - Just a Geek

As the sidebar says, I've been reading Will Wheaton's "Just a Geek" recently. Just finished, and its pretty good - more than was on his website If you want to know what its like, go read a few entries on his blog/website. More of the same, and I found it interesting reading, and like many people, I suspect, hope it gets him the writing success he wants. Mind you, with two books already to his name (the other is "Dancing Barefoot"), he may already be there..
With thanks to bloxsam2lj.
This entry was cloned from Kripts Other Blog..

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Wednesday, August 25, 2004

12:23AM - River of Gods

I just finished reading this recently. Its a stunningly visual, complex book - much, I imagine, like the society its attempting to portray. Kind of Cyberpunk India, with some very neat ideas, and good charecterisation. A few plot holes I felt, and my knowledge of India and Hinduism is almost non-existent, so I can't comment on that, but the sheer imagination is superb - refreshingly different. The author also has a music influences list at the end, some of which I'd heard, some I'd heard of, but many I haven't. I'll have to see if they are on iTunes..
Overall, well worth the read. If you're close by, I have it in hardback you can borrow. Otherwise, its worth buying in hardback if only for the cover..
With thanks to bloxsam2lj.
This entry was cloned from Kripts Other Blog..

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Tuesday, August 24, 2004

2:19PM - Neil Gaiman Short Story

Can't remember if I've blogged this before, and don't have time to check (this is another bookmark for me to go get this in My Own Time(tm)), but his short story A Study in Emerald is on his website.
With thanks to bloxsam2lj.
This entry was cloned from Kripts Other Blog..

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Friday, August 20, 2004

11:00PM - Games that are gadgets

Wizkids have just launched Pirates of the Spanish Main a Constructible Strategy Game (tm). To quote from their blurb;

"Packaged like a collectible card game, the styrene cards can be punched apart to construct highly detailed 3-D sailing ships. In this fun, fast-paced game, players navigate stealthy pirate ships, majestic Spanish galleons, and speedy British schooners through the treacherous waters of the Spanish Main collecting as much gold as possible while fending off enemy attacks.
Each affordably priced pack contains everything one player needs to get their high seas high jinks started including two complete ships, treasure, rules, an island card and a die. There are 68 different ships to collect and construct in addition to 54 different treasure and crew cards. " </p> I have to say, the whole MicroClix fad kinda passed me by, but this does look like fun.. Assuming I can ever assemble enough of my like minded friends together at one sitting to play it of course..
With thanks to bloxsam2lj.
This entry was cloned from Kripts Other Blog..

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10:54PM - More on Remote Control

For my 30th birthday,

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For my 30th birthday, <ljuser="chrestomancy"> (chrestomancy for those reading this non-LJ) bought me two miniature remote controlled cars. Superb fun, raced them around for ages. Alas, the built in batteries lost their ability to maintain a charge. The, my friend G got two mini remote control <b>Tanks</b> that could shoot each other. Now I've just found a mini remote controlled <a href="http://www.iwantoneofthose.com/ProductDetails.aspx?product=MINFOR&category=weeksale&language=en-GB">Forklift</a> with actual, honest to god working forks.
Another thing to go on my Want List.. <BR>With thanks to <a href="http://www.thesatya.com/blosxom/">bloxsam2lj</a>. <BR> This entry was cloned from <a href="http://cgi.kript.net/blosxom.cgi">Kripts Other Blog..</a>

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10:46PM - Romeo and Remote Control

I've been using my iBook a lot at work recently, and listening to my downloaded music via iTunes. This led me to try Romeo a freeware application that provides bluetooth remote control of my mac. The description doesn't quite do it justice. Check out the web page for a fuller description of the features. Mostly, I used it as a handy remote for iTunes. I was using Desktop Manager and the Konfabulator widget I was using to start and stop and control the volume didn't move between the virtual screens, so when someone came up to me, I had to hunt for the right virtual window and the control. With Romeo, all I had to do was hit a button on my phone.
Another cool feature was the proximity sensor. Basically, when Romeo loses contact with the phone, it can be configured to enable the screen-saver, and when it regains contact, it unlocks it again. Probably not 100% secure and useful, but dead nifty anyway.
It would also work as a basic remote control for the Airport Express I have blogged about a couple of times. I'll probably use Salling Clicker for that, though. Salling Clicker is a more advanced Romeo (different developers) that you can even use to search your iTunes library with.
With thanks to bloxsam2lj.
This entry was cloned from Kripts Other Blog..

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10:43PM - Romeo and Remote Control

I've been using my iBook a lot at work recently, and listening to my downloaded music via iTunes. This led me to try Romeo a freeware application that provides bluetooth remote control of my mac. The description doesn't quite do it justice. Check out the web page for a fuller description of the features. Mostly, I used it as a handy remote for iTunes. I was using Desktop Manager and the Konfabulator widget I was using to start and stop and control the volume didn't move between the virtual screens, so when someone came up to me, I had to hunt for the right virtual window and the control. With Romeo, all I had to do was hit a button on my phone.
Another cool feature was the proximity sensor. Basically, when Romeo loses contact with the phone, it can be configured to enable the screen-saver, and when it regains contact, it unlocks it again. Probably not 100% secure and useful, but dead nifty anyway.
It would also work as a basic remote control for the Airport Express I have blogged about a couple of times. I'll probably use Salling Clicker for that, though. Salling Clicker is a more advanced Romeo (different developers) that you can even use to search your iTunes library with.
With thanks to bloxsam2lj.
This entry was cloned from Kripts Other Blog..

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10:01PM - Rediscovering Old Music

I'm greatly enjoying listening to my back catalog of TheThe (apart from Hanky Panky, which is their covers of Hank Williams songs, and, frankly, blows goats in hell.
Anyway, I'm blogging it as they have a completely redesigned web-page (try searching the web for a band called "Thethe". Its almost as hopeless as searching for a sysadmin called John Constable..). The web page has a load of video's and live stuff, and this is a placeholder to remind me to snarf it all down on my iBook..
TheThe came up with one of my favorite song lyrics, which always comes to mind at this time of year (from Heartland on Infected;
"I've come to smell the seasons change, & watch the city,
As the sun goes down again."

My favorite song of theirs, though, so far, is; Mercy Beat , also from Infected.
I'm also pretty chuffed to notice that "Soul Mining" previously only available on tape (with my copy long gone) is now available on CD. Perhaps I'll pick up Dusk at the same time, since the reviews seem to say he's moved on from his execrable country music phase..
ooh! Amazon says he has a <href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/asin/b00004nhbf/qid=1093017317/sr=2-3/ref=sr_2_11_3/202-0839079-6709451">new album out</a>.. OK, so its two years out, but its new to me..
Interesting.. Amazon.co.uk has no mention of "Dusk", but has "Naked Self". Right. Down to "Fopp" on Saturday, then to amazon to get what I can't there..
On second thoughts, Play.com has both "Dusk" and "Soul Mining"..
With thanks to bloxsam2lj.
This entry was cloned from Kripts Other Blog..

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Monday, August 16, 2004

2:06PM - Oooh!

According to his Official Website Iain Banks will be bringing out a new SF novel called "The Algebraist". The Dictionary.com definition is here and the Amazon.co.uk link is here.
Added to my wish list.. :-)
With thanks to bloxsam2lj.
This entry was cloned from Kripts Other Blog..

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Sunday, August 15, 2004

10:31PM - New iPod Gadget

Can't remember where I saw this first, but this is a link to the new "Griffin's Road Trip" a nifty device that is both a cradle to charge your iPod when its in the car, and a FM radio transmitter, so that you can broadcast your play lists to your car's stereo. The extra nifty thing, though is that the FM transmitter is removable and connect-able to any computer with a headphone out port, so you can make your own radio station from any computer. Not bad for $80. I bet it wont make it over the pond, though. The iTrip, Griffin's predecessor that plugged straight into the headphones socket of the iPod, hasn't been cleared for us in the UK, so we've never (legally) seen it. Heres hoping they make a UK version, though(or even one you can select your country on, and it sets the available frequencies appropriately)...
With thanks to bloxsam2lj.
This entry was cloned from Kripts Other Blog..

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10:30PM - New iPod Gadget

Can't remember where I saw this first, but this is a link to the new

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Can't remember where I saw this first, but this is a link to the new <a href="http://wiredblogs.tripod.com/cultofmac/index.blog?entry_id=406050"Griffin's Road Trip"</a> a nifty device that is both a cradle to charge your iPod when its in the car, and a FM radio transmitter, so that you can broadcast your play lists to your car's stereo. The extra nifty thing, though is that the FM transmitter is removable and connect-able to any computer with a headphone out port, so you can make your own radio station from any computer. Not bad for $80. I bet it wont make it over the pond, though. The iTrip, Griffin's predecessor that plugged straight into the headphones socket of the iPod, hasn't been cleared for us in the UK, so we've never (legally) seen it. Heres hoping they make a UK version, though(or even one you can select your country on, and it sets the available frequencies appropriately)... <BR>With thanks to <a href="http://www.thesatya.com/blosxom/">bloxsam2lj</a>. <BR> This entry was cloned from <a href="http://cgi.kript.net/blosxom.cgi">Kripts Other Blog..</a>

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10:17PM - Mac OSX Panther Hacks

I have to admit, I bought this one out of loyalty to oreilly. I didn't expect that they would be rewriting the excellent MacOSX Hacks that I had previously purchased, but just updating the existing hacks. I was wrong. They wrote an almost completely new book, with 100 different hacks (OK, a few carried over, plus a couple from Linux Server Hacks, also excellent). I have to say that I enjoyed this book tremendously - I'm a great gadget person (no, really), and this book was like getting a different gadget on every page!
Recommended!
With thanks to bloxsam2lj.
This entry was cloned from Kripts Other Blog..

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