Friday, July 18, 2003
Stressed?
I'm one of life's naturally stressed people. Always worrying whether or not I'm going to meet a deadline, struggling to deal with people at work, etc etc.
Well, i may have found one solution. I've stopped wearing a watch. Now, in addition to the above, I'm also one of life's watch-wearers. To leave the house without it on Wednesday was a real struggle. I felt uncomfortable all the way to work, and tried to check my watch about every 5 minutes. This made me realise I am always looking at my watch. So, i tried again on Thursday and again today. I feel wonderful. I still feel a little weird without it on my wrist, but I also feel like a weight has literally been lifted from my shoulders. I no longer care if I'm 5 minutes late for something. I have a clock on my PC and on the wall at work so i can still tell the time but the release is wonderful.
Lets see if I can do without it tomorrow, which is incidentally the day of my brother's wedding, a stressful occasion if ever there was one.
So, if you feel stressed at work constantly, go ahead, try it.
Due the the wedding, practically zero blogage Sat or Sun. Have a great weekend.
Formal identification of the body tomorrow. Alistair Campbell is flying back the UK instead of going to Japan with Tone.
(hmm, thinking about upgrading the blog so i can include piccies, we'll see)
Well, i may have found one solution. I've stopped wearing a watch. Now, in addition to the above, I'm also one of life's watch-wearers. To leave the house without it on Wednesday was a real struggle. I felt uncomfortable all the way to work, and tried to check my watch about every 5 minutes. This made me realise I am always looking at my watch. So, i tried again on Thursday and again today. I feel wonderful. I still feel a little weird without it on my wrist, but I also feel like a weight has literally been lifted from my shoulders. I no longer care if I'm 5 minutes late for something. I have a clock on my PC and on the wall at work so i can still tell the time but the release is wonderful.
Lets see if I can do without it tomorrow, which is incidentally the day of my brother's wedding, a stressful occasion if ever there was one.
So, if you feel stressed at work constantly, go ahead, try it.
Due the the wedding, practically zero blogage Sat or Sun. Have a great weekend.
Formal identification of the body tomorrow. Alistair Campbell is flying back the UK instead of going to Japan with Tone.
(hmm, thinking about upgrading the blog so i can include piccies, we'll see)
Who is the man behind Dr Kelly's disappearance?
Well, it'd be LOL if only it wasn't true :-(
Guardian Unlimited Politics | Special Reports | Man named as BBC source reported missing
Guardian Unlimited Politics | Special Reports | Man named as BBC source reported missing:
"She added that Dr Kelly's reprimand was considered the end of any disciplinary action."
Obviously not.
"She added that Dr Kelly's reprimand was considered the end of any disciplinary action."
Obviously not.
BBC NEWS | Politics | Body 'matches' Iraq expert
Well, this is actually getting quite scary. BBC NEWS | Politics | Body 'matches' Iraq expert: "Body 'matches' Iraq expert"
This only 3 days after he appeared in front of a commons select committee showing 'no signs of stress' while being questioned.
Part of me is thinking "they needed a scapegoat, one who couldn't talk back" and part of me is thinking "no, they wouldn't really, would they?".
Of course, he may have commited suicide, but as has been reported elsewhere, why? He had not been threatened with dismissal, any attention would have drifted away in a couple of weeks.
Hmmm, we wait and see.
Of course it's not been identified as him yet, but it's in the right place at the right time and 'maches' his appearance.
As I said, scary.
This only 3 days after he appeared in front of a commons select committee showing 'no signs of stress' while being questioned.
Part of me is thinking "they needed a scapegoat, one who couldn't talk back" and part of me is thinking "no, they wouldn't really, would they?".
Of course, he may have commited suicide, but as has been reported elsewhere, why? He had not been threatened with dismissal, any attention would have drifted away in a couple of weeks.
Hmmm, we wait and see.
Of course it's not been identified as him yet, but it's in the right place at the right time and 'maches' his appearance.
As I said, scary.
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
LOL, best review EVAH!!!
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones:
"These modern classics Mr. Lucas brought us deserve every ounce of the fanaticism the fans bring to the table! That's why I was so disappointed to find the Attack of the Clones DVD to be such a flaming pile of crusted shit."
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones:
"These modern classics Mr. Lucas brought us deserve every ounce of the fanaticism the fans bring to the table! That's why I was so disappointed to find the Attack of the Clones DVD to be such a flaming pile of crusted shit."
BBC NEWS | Technology | US snooping plan blocked
Hurray! BBC NEWS | Technology | US snooping plan blocked: "A controversial computer surveillance project that would comb through the personal records of Americans in the search for suspected terrorists has suffered a severe setback.
The US Senate has voted to cut funding for the programme, known as Terrorism Information Awareness (TIA), despite pressure from the White House to back it.
Civil liberties activists have been vocal in their opposition to the plan, arguing it would impose a Big Brother state and intrude into the privacy of Americans. "
The US Senate has voted to cut funding for the programme, known as Terrorism Information Awareness (TIA), despite pressure from the White House to back it.
Civil liberties activists have been vocal in their opposition to the plan, arguing it would impose a Big Brother state and intrude into the privacy of Americans. "
LOL.
It's been revealed that Russell Crowe's prize possession is his bull, Herbie. The wild-eyed beast is known for its uncontrollable aggression, wild snorts and constant rutting. Herbie on the other hand is quite placid.
Join the dots...
Straw says official inquiry into Iraq dossier would be "too expensive" ........................ Cost of keeping British troops in Iraq: £5million a day.
Shamelessly lifted from thefridaything. Subscribe here.
BBC NEWS | Politics | MoD expert goes missing
BBC NEWS | Politics | MoD expert goes missing: "The weapons expert named by the government as the possible source for a BBC report on Iraq has gone missing, police have said. "
Gentlemen, start your conspiracy theories!
Gentlemen, start your conspiracy theories!
Thursday, July 17, 2003
The people who are starting University this autumn across the nation were born in 1982/3.
They have no meaningful recollection of the Thatcher era.
They were prepubescent when Gulf War 1started.
Black Monday 1987 is as significant to them as the Great Depression.
Their world has always included AIDS.
Atari's and Space Invaders predate them, as do vinyl albums and audio tapes.
The Compact Disc was released before they were one.
EVEN WORSE...
A "Snickers" has always been a "Snickers"
As far as they know, stamps have always cost about 26 pence.
Few, if any, have lived without an answering machine.
Few have used a TV set without a remote control and they don't know they come in black and white.
They were born the year that Sony brought out the Walkman.
The expression "you sound like a broken record" means nothing to them.
YOU'RE PROBABLY AGED 23-33 IF...
You wore a Nike blue and grey cagoule thingy.
You know what a cagoule is.
You dressed to emulate a person you saw in a Duran Duran, AHA, Madonna or Bros video.
There was nothing strange about Bert n' Ernie living together.
You recall Michael Knight's rival - 'Street Hawk'.
You knew who shot J.R. (but have probably forgotten!).
You remember which policeman you liked best in "Chips".
Mark from Eastenders will always be Tucker from GrangeHil / Tucker's Luck.
You remember when Terry Wogan was on TV everyday.
You could sing "99 Red Balloons" in English and in German.
Your jaw would ache by the time you finished those brick-sized"packages of Bazooka gum.
You reckon Wagon wheels and Mars Bars used to be bigger.
You remember a 'Man's got to chew, what a Man's got to chew'.
You remember when there was no breakfast TV and when TV shut down at midnight...
And when there was nothing on TV in the middle of the day except for that test card girl with the stupid clown and a blackboard.
YOU WERE A TRUE CHILD OF THE 80S IF...
You remember Now compilations that had the pig on the front cover.
You never questioned why the A-Team was always imprisoned in places that had sufficient tools to build an armoured tank.
'Battle of the Planets' was your favourite cartoon.
Your lunch times were spent perfecting swan dives and backspins.
You've ever said "bright light, bright light" in a strange high-pitched voice.
You know the theme tune and the names of all the actors and characters in Dallas & Dynasty.
You even wished your hair/clothes/lifestyle resembled the above (or they actually did!).
You fell out with friends during heated arguments about the relative merits of Matt & Luke.
You owned, or wanted a "Frankie says..." T-shirt.
You have even danced (or even worse cried) to Kylie & Jason.
Cerise pink, electric blue and banana yellow have ever featured in your wardrobe or make-up collection.
You even did the top toggle of your coat up around your neck without having your arms in the sleeves, and knew you looked like a super-hero.
You remember when the AHA video was the pinnacle of modern technology, and you can still sing all the words.
Parachuting Action man was your favourite toy.
(Girls) Your best party dress was either a ra-ra or puff-ball skirt.
(Boys) You even owned a thin, black leather tie (and were proud of it), or worse it was patterned like a piano!
You wondered why a popular kids TV programme told you to "Turn off your TV set and go and do something less boring instead".
You wanted to be either Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys.
You have even po-goed or space-hopped.
You remember when Keith Chegwin & Maggie Philbin were the hottest romantic couple...
And when Keith was associated with Cheggers Plays Pop rather than Cheggers drinks alcopops.
You wondered why your walkie-talkie didn't have the same range as those in the Red Hand Gang.
You were shocked by the controversial plot lines in Degrassi Junior High.
You remember watching a house inhabited by a jester, a pantomime horse, and a woman who sneezed, and thinking that this was perfectly normal.
You know who Joey Deacon was.
You tried to convince your Dad to fit a strip of red lights on the front of his Capri so it looked like KITT.
"Ca-vey Wa-vey!" means anything to you.
Remmington makes you think of something other than shaving equipment.
You wouldn't say no to a milkshake
You've even had more than 10 sweets in a 10p mix-up.
Not only did you wear luminous clothing, but they were mismatched finger-less gloves and towelling socks.
When Yoda said 'There is another Skywalker' you wished he was talking about you.
Wearing your hair like buns on the sides of your head seemed like a good fashion statement.
You remember when Betamax was at the cutting edge of technology
You hid behind the sofa whenever you heard the word Exterminate.
Vimto or Dandelion & Burdock even featured in your diet.
You were really pleased when Pacman got a girlfriend.
After ET, you wanted a Speak & Spell even though you were top of your class
You remember when PC had one meaning, rather than three.
(Girls) You owned a pair of Pixie Boots, generally worn with leg warmers!
(Boys) You owned a pair of pale grey slip-ons, generally worn with white toweling socks, a cardigan with a Y on it, waffle trousers, or shiny grey flecked suits.
You grew up in Trumpton, Chigley or Camberwick Green.
You've rolled the sleeves of your suit jacket up
Ooh, you could crush a Grape!
You've even held a chicken in the air, or stuck a deckchair up your nose.
You went to school with Pogo Patterson, Gripper Stebson, and Ro-land.
Long scarves, K9, and a time-travelling police box ring any bells.
Giant Haystacks and Big Daddy have ever featured on your Saturday afternoon
You wore legwarmers, tried to do the splits while jumping in the air, while singing you were going to live forever.
Fingermouse
You were proud of your picture appearing in the Gallery, just before watching a lump of plasticine who couldn't speak English.
You fantasised about those girls from that Robert Palmer video.
You know all the words to Hey Mickey (well nobody knows past the first verse anyway).
You remember Look In magazine, and when it was only 20p
You can remember what Quatro tasted like.
Your best mate had a soda stream at home and you were jealous.
The Yuppie next door caught you nicking the VW badge off his Golf GTI
You remember mobile phones that had briefcase size battery packs attatched
You remember ZX Spectrums being the most powerful games console ...
They have no meaningful recollection of the Thatcher era.
They were prepubescent when Gulf War 1started.
Black Monday 1987 is as significant to them as the Great Depression.
Their world has always included AIDS.
Atari's and Space Invaders predate them, as do vinyl albums and audio tapes.
The Compact Disc was released before they were one.
EVEN WORSE...
A "Snickers" has always been a "Snickers"
As far as they know, stamps have always cost about 26 pence.
Few, if any, have lived without an answering machine.
Few have used a TV set without a remote control and they don't know they come in black and white.
They were born the year that Sony brought out the Walkman.
The expression "you sound like a broken record" means nothing to them.
YOU'RE PROBABLY AGED 23-33 IF...
You wore a Nike blue and grey cagoule thingy.
You know what a cagoule is.
You dressed to emulate a person you saw in a Duran Duran, AHA, Madonna or Bros video.
There was nothing strange about Bert n' Ernie living together.
You recall Michael Knight's rival - 'Street Hawk'.
You knew who shot J.R. (but have probably forgotten!).
You remember which policeman you liked best in "Chips".
Mark from Eastenders will always be Tucker from GrangeHil / Tucker's Luck.
You remember when Terry Wogan was on TV everyday.
You could sing "99 Red Balloons" in English and in German.
Your jaw would ache by the time you finished those brick-sized"packages of Bazooka gum.
You reckon Wagon wheels and Mars Bars used to be bigger.
You remember a 'Man's got to chew, what a Man's got to chew'.
You remember when there was no breakfast TV and when TV shut down at midnight...
And when there was nothing on TV in the middle of the day except for that test card girl with the stupid clown and a blackboard.
YOU WERE A TRUE CHILD OF THE 80S IF...
You remember Now compilations that had the pig on the front cover.
You never questioned why the A-Team was always imprisoned in places that had sufficient tools to build an armoured tank.
'Battle of the Planets' was your favourite cartoon.
Your lunch times were spent perfecting swan dives and backspins.
You've ever said "bright light, bright light" in a strange high-pitched voice.
You know the theme tune and the names of all the actors and characters in Dallas & Dynasty.
You even wished your hair/clothes/lifestyle resembled the above (or they actually did!).
You fell out with friends during heated arguments about the relative merits of Matt & Luke.
You owned, or wanted a "Frankie says..." T-shirt.
You have even danced (or even worse cried) to Kylie & Jason.
Cerise pink, electric blue and banana yellow have ever featured in your wardrobe or make-up collection.
You even did the top toggle of your coat up around your neck without having your arms in the sleeves, and knew you looked like a super-hero.
You remember when the AHA video was the pinnacle of modern technology, and you can still sing all the words.
Parachuting Action man was your favourite toy.
(Girls) Your best party dress was either a ra-ra or puff-ball skirt.
(Boys) You even owned a thin, black leather tie (and were proud of it), or worse it was patterned like a piano!
You wondered why a popular kids TV programme told you to "Turn off your TV set and go and do something less boring instead".
You wanted to be either Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys.
You have even po-goed or space-hopped.
You remember when Keith Chegwin & Maggie Philbin were the hottest romantic couple...
And when Keith was associated with Cheggers Plays Pop rather than Cheggers drinks alcopops.
You wondered why your walkie-talkie didn't have the same range as those in the Red Hand Gang.
You were shocked by the controversial plot lines in Degrassi Junior High.
You remember watching a house inhabited by a jester, a pantomime horse, and a woman who sneezed, and thinking that this was perfectly normal.
You know who Joey Deacon was.
You tried to convince your Dad to fit a strip of red lights on the front of his Capri so it looked like KITT.
"Ca-vey Wa-vey!" means anything to you.
Remmington makes you think of something other than shaving equipment.
You wouldn't say no to a milkshake
You've even had more than 10 sweets in a 10p mix-up.
Not only did you wear luminous clothing, but they were mismatched finger-less gloves and towelling socks.
When Yoda said 'There is another Skywalker' you wished he was talking about you.
Wearing your hair like buns on the sides of your head seemed like a good fashion statement.
You remember when Betamax was at the cutting edge of technology
You hid behind the sofa whenever you heard the word Exterminate.
Vimto or Dandelion & Burdock even featured in your diet.
You were really pleased when Pacman got a girlfriend.
After ET, you wanted a Speak & Spell even though you were top of your class
You remember when PC had one meaning, rather than three.
(Girls) You owned a pair of Pixie Boots, generally worn with leg warmers!
(Boys) You owned a pair of pale grey slip-ons, generally worn with white toweling socks, a cardigan with a Y on it, waffle trousers, or shiny grey flecked suits.
You grew up in Trumpton, Chigley or Camberwick Green.
You've rolled the sleeves of your suit jacket up
Ooh, you could crush a Grape!
You've even held a chicken in the air, or stuck a deckchair up your nose.
You went to school with Pogo Patterson, Gripper Stebson, and Ro-land.
Long scarves, K9, and a time-travelling police box ring any bells.
Giant Haystacks and Big Daddy have ever featured on your Saturday afternoon
You wore legwarmers, tried to do the splits while jumping in the air, while singing you were going to live forever.
Fingermouse
You were proud of your picture appearing in the Gallery, just before watching a lump of plasticine who couldn't speak English.
You fantasised about those girls from that Robert Palmer video.
You know all the words to Hey Mickey (well nobody knows past the first verse anyway).
You remember Look In magazine, and when it was only 20p
You can remember what Quatro tasted like.
Your best mate had a soda stream at home and you were jealous.
The Yuppie next door caught you nicking the VW badge off his Golf GTI
You remember mobile phones that had briefcase size battery packs attatched
You remember ZX Spectrums being the most powerful games console ...
The Onion | America's Finest News Source™
The Onion | America's Finest News Source™: "Turkmenistan Whistles Casually, Moves Border
A Few Miles East"
The Onion, still funny as hell..
Check out "A second dose of angels...."
A Few Miles East"
The Onion, still funny as hell..
Check out "A second dose of angels...."
Yahoo! News - THE BEGINNING OF THE END?
Yahoo! News - THE BEGINNING OF THE END?: "Lying about Niger yellowcake pales next to Bush's other evil chicanery: hobbling the U.S. economy with debt, feeding corporate corruption, opening concentration camps for Muslims and bombing thousands of people to death. But those acts are almost too monstrous to comprehend. Americans easily understand the myriad of little lies--the faked Jessica Lynch 'rescue,' the phony Saddam statue toppling and now the Niger uranium story--and how they add up to the character of a man unworthy of the office he holds. "
BBC NEWS | Politics | E-government 'needs rebooting'
BBC NEWS | Politics | E-government 'needs rebooting': "Computer literate people should gradually be forced to go online to use public services, says a leading think tank.
Savings from making the middle classes do things like file their tax returns online can help improve other services for those uncomfortable with computers, says the Work Foundation. "
Hmm, interesting. So, exactly how do you tell whether or not someone's 'computer-literate' or not? What is 'computer-literacy'? The ability to read a computer?
Anyway, that argument aside. Why the hell should I use my bandwidth to fill in forms?
Next point. How exactly are HM Gov planning on "forcing" me to do this? Arm twisted behind my back? (shit, my typing's bad enough already). Gun to my head? Wouldn't surprise me.
Are all the middle classes computer-literate? The article seems to think so.
Their intentions are good, but the execution sucks ass.
Savings from making the middle classes do things like file their tax returns online can help improve other services for those uncomfortable with computers, says the Work Foundation. "
Hmm, interesting. So, exactly how do you tell whether or not someone's 'computer-literate' or not? What is 'computer-literacy'? The ability to read a computer?
Anyway, that argument aside. Why the hell should I use my bandwidth to fill in forms?
Next point. How exactly are HM Gov planning on "forcing" me to do this? Arm twisted behind my back? (shit, my typing's bad enough already). Gun to my head? Wouldn't surprise me.
Are all the middle classes computer-literate? The article seems to think so.
Their intentions are good, but the execution sucks ass.
News
Independent sets new standards in Journojism...
News: "Biker is jailed for speeding at record 157mph is jailed"
Wonder what his punishment was??
News: "Biker is jailed for speeding at record 157mph is jailed"
Wonder what his punishment was??
Hangingday :: Publishing :: London
Laugh. Out. Loud.
Hangingday :: Publishing :: London: "The security bulletin states: 'An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain complete control over an affected commerce web server. This would give the attacker the ability to take any desired action on the server, including changing web pages, reformatting the hard cock. See Jenny take 8 men @ once/ / Great value Dental Finance available here. R U tired of a limp dick?"
Hangingday :: Publishing :: London: "The security bulletin states: 'An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain complete control over an affected commerce web server. This would give the attacker the ability to take any desired action on the server, including changing web pages, reformatting the hard cock. See Jenny take 8 men @ once/ / Great value Dental Finance available here. R U tired of a limp dick?"
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Cost of occupation: £5m a day - human cost extra
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Cost of occupation: £5m a day - human cost extra: "The cost to British taxpayers of invading and occupying Iraq will be far in excess of £5bn, with £1bn being spent even before the first shot was fired, defence sources said yesterday.
This far exceeds the size of the special 'war chest' which the Treasury has offered.
With the government already budgeting for a £27bn deficit this year, some estimates put the cost of maintaining 11,000 troops in Iraq and the Gulf region at about £150m a month, or £5m a day. "
This far exceeds the size of the special 'war chest' which the Treasury has offered.
With the government already budgeting for a £27bn deficit this year, some estimates put the cost of maintaining 11,000 troops in Iraq and the Gulf region at about £150m a month, or £5m a day. "
Wednesday, July 16, 2003
How to control how kids use the internet...
OK, in the wake of this story about the 12 yr old who ran away with a 31 yr old she met on the internet, people are up in arms again about how children can be preyed on through chat rooms etc etc.
First of all, it seems she may have been the one doing the preying, we will have to wait and see.
Secondly, how on Earth are people like Carol Vorderman (big campaigner for this sort of thing) going to stop people using chat rooms? They say legislation. OK, let me clue you in a little here. WWW stands for World Wide Web. How the fuck is passing legislation here in the UK going to stop someone hosting a chat room in the US? Or denmark, or Ireland or wherever??
Its just a convenient bandwagon to jump on. Who gets to control the way kids use the internet? Parents. Limit the amount of time your kids spend on it. Get parental control software. Monitor how they use it, or, as a guy at work said today, "make sure you have a reall shit connection speed" ;-)
I've just noticed I've used 'how' twice in the subject line. My English sucks and I even live here.... :-(
OK, in the wake of this story about the 12 yr old who ran away with a 31 yr old she met on the internet, people are up in arms again about how children can be preyed on through chat rooms etc etc.
First of all, it seems she may have been the one doing the preying, we will have to wait and see.
Secondly, how on Earth are people like Carol Vorderman (big campaigner for this sort of thing) going to stop people using chat rooms? They say legislation. OK, let me clue you in a little here. WWW stands for World Wide Web. How the fuck is passing legislation here in the UK going to stop someone hosting a chat room in the US? Or denmark, or Ireland or wherever??
Its just a convenient bandwagon to jump on. Who gets to control the way kids use the internet? Parents. Limit the amount of time your kids spend on it. Get parental control software. Monitor how they use it, or, as a guy at work said today, "make sure you have a reall shit connection speed" ;-)
I've just noticed I've used 'how' twice in the subject line. My English sucks and I even live here.... :-(
I have no idea who this girl is...........
but she's very funny, can't swim and seems to hang out with people called 'Vapid'. I kid you not.
Go to I can't even float in water this deep right now. Check out the list and quotes on the left.
but she's very funny, can't swim and seems to hang out with people called 'Vapid'. I kid you not.
Go to I can't even float in water this deep right now. Check out the list and quotes on the left.
INTERNALMEMOS.COM - Internet's largest collection of corporate memos and internal communication
INTERNALMEMOS.COM Think twice before applying for that job with e-bay.
Tuesday, July 15, 2003
BBC NEWS | England | Manchester | Missing schoolgirl 'unharmed'
Just how wierd is this story becoming?BBC NEWS | England | Manchester | Missing schoolgirl 'unharmed': "Missing schoolgirl 'unharmed'"
BBC NEWS | England | London | Head 'spent £7,000 on shoes'
BBC NEWS | England | London | Head 'spent £7,000 on shoes': "A headmistress has been found guilty of stealing £500,000 from her school which she used to fund a life of designer jewellery and trips on the Orient Express. "
Herald.com - Your Miami Everything Guide
Herald.com - Your Miami Everything Guide: "Attention, consumers with bodily hair: The razor industry has news for you! You will never in a million years guess what this news is, unless your IQ is higher than zero, in which case you're already thinking: ``Not another blade! Don't tell me they're adding another blade!!''"
Monday, July 14, 2003
News
News: "20 Lies About the War
Falsehoods ranging from exaggeration to plain untruth were used to make the case for war. More lies are being used in the aftermath."
Falsehoods ranging from exaggeration to plain untruth were used to make the case for war. More lies are being used in the aftermath."
Sunday, July 13, 2003
BBC NEWS | Politics | Blair made WMD mistake says Blix
Hans Blix speaks out against Tony BlairBBC NEWS | Politics | Blair made WMD mistake says Blix: "The former head of the UN weapons inspectors has said Tony Blair made a 'fundamental mistake' in claiming that Saddam Hussein could deploy weapons of mass destruction in 45 minutes."