Yes, it's that time again - i.e. I am bored and it has been a while since the last one... enjoy :)

From the BBC - "The father of a toddler who drowned in a holiday park's pond must repay £40,000 in compensation and costs."

It goes on to report that "The Court of Appeal quashed the order saying accidents could happen to children without anyone being at fault".

While the parents have my sympathy on the sad loss of their child I cannot help but think that in these increasingly litigious times this ruling is as the Daily Mail might put it 'a victory for common sense'. I know this may come as a shock to those in the legal professions but sometimes an accident is just that with no malice, no intent and no fault.

I'm guessing this was on Thursday, fortunately I was in the red camp...

It is nice to find a service that allows links to Gopher sites so I thought I would share...

I've recently be having a play with the on-line bookmarking service provided by only2clicks.com and much to my surprise it allows gopher links. So you can see what I'm talking about I've made my FOSS and Maps folder public at www.only2clicks.com/pages/frood - if you visit you will notice a working link to the Floodgap Gopher server (not the http proxy) and SDF Gopher server in the FOSS folder (do not try clicking the gopher links unless you are using a browser that supports the gopher protocol such as FireFox with the Overbite add-on).

It does not automatically import an image for gopher links but it does have a facility to upload your own images.

I've been having a little play with Wolfram Alpha. It is not a Google killer nor do I think it is meant to be, I can see it becoming a useful research tool.

Here are some examples (for you to click) of what Wolfram Alpha can do...

London weather
2πr²
Exchange rate between th UK £ and the US $
Spencer Perceval
Marple

Currently:

Your BMI result is:

24.94

You are in the healthy weight range.

From my late teens early 20's when I was working full time, at Uni full time and out clubing at least 4 nights a week and slept on tube trains:

Your BMI result is:

15.80

Your weight is in the range that is classified as underweight

www.bbc.co.uk/health/healthy_living/your_weight/bmiimperial_index.shtml

This is just a quick plug for the aTunes music player which I have of recent become quite enamored with.

"aTunes is a full-featured audio player and manager, developed in Java programming language, so it can be executed on different platforms: Windows, Linux and Unix-like systems, ...

Currently plays mp3, ogg, wma, wav, flac, mp4 and radio streaming, allowing users to easily edit tags, organize music and rip Audio CDs."

It's time for another peek at my current computer desktop...




Debian Lenny with openbox, conky, firestarter, volumetray.py & parcellite.


..and before any one asks the wallpaper is from Deviantart.

Last Monday my Internet connection stopped working so I phoned up the support people and after they done what they do they decided it would require an engineer to come out and fix it. The soonest they could get an engineer to me was Friday. Come Friday the engineer arrives and proceeded to make a phone call and then informs me it's now working.

The Nissan Primera (2001 on a Y plate) has been sold (and I pity the new owner because after 200,000 miles it's pretty knackered) and I am now the new owner of a dark blue 2004 (on a 54 plate) Ford Mondeo 2.0 TDCi. After the Primera the Mondeo is like driving a go-kart, it has had one careful previous owner... the Army!

"Details of user e-mails and net phone calls will be stored by internet service providers (ISPs) from Monday under an EU directive."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/technology/7985339.stm

I've just installed Spotify.





I've held off installing Spotify before now as there is no native Linux version but I have succumbed to peer pressure and given it a whirl and I am pleased to report that the MS Windows version of Spotify appears to run flawlessly on Linux using Wine and so far I'm impressed - lots and lots of music plus built in scrobbling support for Last.FM :D

If you do read the article over at http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/03/12/subscription_only_internet/ and then start contacting your MEP's and MP's to let them know what you think of the UK governments ideas and get your friends to do the same.

In summary the great idea is that Internet Service Providers (ISP's) should be allowed to tailor their offerings so that you only get access to specific web-sites, so if your ISP does not offer Google or the BBC or Wikipedia tough luck in the future imagined by the UK government

It's amazing how hard it is to find any evidence that a TV show called Riviera ever existed but I think I got some evidence... http://www.verymedia.com/Will%20this%20Soap%20Find%20Happiness%20in%20Europe%20David%20Appell.pdf

I've just finished re-reading Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy Red Mars, Green Mars & Blue Mars - WOW what a blast...

These books are a future history of Mars looking a the period from 2026 when the first colonist arrived on Mars to 2212 when there is an independent fully viable terraformed Mars. Now despite these books being first published back in 1992 they do not feel dated in their treatment of future science and are still very readable and as such I do recommend them to anyone who likes this sort of thing.

Easy run down the M1 and timed my arrival with the shift change at the local Police Station so parking wasn't much of an issue either - only had to drive round the block four or five times :)

Now in day two of being Up North. Hopefully my Dad should be done with me later today and I should be heading back to the Big Smoke this evening suffering the joys of the M1 during rush hour, all I can hope for is a better journey back than the one up - no traffic as I travelled in the wee hours of the morning but rain and fog (well at least low flying clouds as I was going over the hills) all the way.

On Sunday around the world people gathered for the old ritual of a Burns Supper and among them was me and a group of my oldest friends at an event hosted by Craig (originally from North of the Border). Haggis, Neeps and Tatties was eaten, fine malt whisky drunk, toasts made and poetry read (Craig doing a particularly fine version of "Tam O'Shanter" although I fear my rendering of "The Wounded Hare" was not quite up to the same standard) then the conversation drifted off to the deeds from times of old when the waists of all our trousers was two sizes smaller - the nights that went into mornings, the afters parties where we insulted the stars, the women, the drink, the debauchery, the friends that came and went and about how we were the ultimate party animals and so on. Eventually we left the Dining room and retired up to the TV room to watch some classic Billy Connolly and we the ultimate party animals promptly all fell asleep in front of the TV :-/

( The Scary Bit... )

First of all I'd like to wish everyone a somewhat late Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and a (late) Happy Birthday to amy_paperlady.

The PSU on my PC blew up for Christmas hence my lack of on-line activity recently and on the 27th the engine on my car decided to follow the computers example. That said I still had a good Christmas/Birthday/New Year (despite the fact that I spent over five hours on trains on my Birthday – Thank you Virgin trains) spending some time with friends and some time with family.