Go figure.

This morning I have mostly been playing with Opera as an alterative to IE and Firefox. I wrote a blog extolling its virtues and how I am tempted to move across to it as my browser of choice.

And then I opened up a new tab, and visited this website.

Opera crashed and I lost my blog.

Whiteboard.

I can't immediately see a use for this, but it looks fun!

Solution.

The mystery toy from yesterday is a chin-up bar. I've been suffering from a bad back of late, and someone recommended that I try one, just to hang from.

The middle bits fold out to hang on the door frame, while your weight from the top bar pushes the lower bar against the doorframe, supporting some of the downward force. Takes seconds to put up or take down.

The intention is that when my back is feeling a little stronger I may be able to actually do some chin-ups on them... But we'll see.

Oh, and if anyone plays the game, you've just lost. Fnar.

New Toy.

Can you guess what it is?

Best News Ever.

Read the first paragraph, then skip to the end.

Typical BBC attention to detail.

Widget.

Oooh. Lookit. A test thingummy.

Things Wot I Have Done.

As per Stu and DoGGa. Those in bold are those I have completed.

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain - Pen Y Fan and Snowdon
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said ‘I love you’ and meant it
09. Hugged a tree - Yes, though I'm not entirely sure why I did now
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise - Still never done this, still mean to
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa (now closed to the public) - been there, couldn't walk it
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip on a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Got drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope.
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment - yes, and usually in meetings
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight.
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can - same as Stu (driving to work), and then back home again
32. Held a lamb - I imagine pieces of lamb don't count
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking.
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was shit faced - and been taken care of too. Not proud.
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign.
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach.
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken for longer than when you were in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your cds
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day - Not as much fun as you might think
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Had a one-night stand
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents - thankfully not yet
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Created and named your own constellation of stars
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country - I expect France doesn't count
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived.
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds - Yes, though I imagine this isn't what is meant here.
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane - funnily enough, yes!
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart - Sadly yes
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol - all three
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse - and a camel! But not at the same time...
119. Had major surgery - depends what you consider to be major.
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states - Well, the U.S is forren and I've only been twice so yes.
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days - 100 mile canoe test (twice!)
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper - and a few other times
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions - hasn't been one yet, or at least not one they've told me about
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts - not in its entireity. Always started from a bought PC and expanded in a hideous Frankenstinian direction
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146: Dyed your hair
147: Been a DJ
148: Shaved your head - a bit tamer now
149: Caused a car accident
150: Saved someone’s life

Baraculous.

With reference to Rich's rather weak joke the other day, there's a similar email going round at the moment - you know the sort, a mocked up BBC news item roughly the same text and BA's head in the image space.

We showed the image to a 20-year-old temp we have working here, and her reply: "Yeah, I heard about that."

US:"Sorry, what? Have you even looked at it?"

HER:"Yeah. BA has cancelled their flights."

US:"Did you look at the picture?"

HER:"Yes. It's a black man."

US:"It's BA! BA Baracus!"

HER:"Who?"

US:"The A-Team?"

HER:"Who?"


I suddenly feel old.

A Slightly Smaller Gap.

Interview went fine, ish. First test (numerical reasoning) was, well, reasonable (but bloody hard). Second test (problem solving) was OK, I think (also bloody hard).

But still doesn't feel "right". Not in a "I really think I could do a good job and be happy here" kind of way. That, and exams are evil.

Glad I've got the second interview at Company B now.

Nerves Of Steel.

About four hours to go until the big interview.

I believe that the correct term is "bricking it."

A slightly bigger gap.

While sending emails back and forth confirming the interview for friday, another one pops up offering an interview for someone else next week... one that (if truth be told) I'm slightly more interested in.

Fuck me, it's a funny old world.

A Gap In The Clouds.

Funny how things can happen, seemingly instantaneously, which have the prospect of turning your life around.

E4 aired the episode of Scrubs last week where much is made of Doctor Kelso's ability to walk home without the weight of the day on his shoulders, much to the annoyance of everyone else. Something at the back of my mind clicked; that's how I could be, how I was. Putting every effort into the daily routine, but not letting it trouble me or affect the all important home life. Make the tough arguments, work hard, but (and this is the important part) live.

So I start singing along to Mr. Bojangles (yes, THAT version) and Lose Yourself on my way to work (it's an eccentric mix tape, but it works for me) and while in the words of Homer Simpson, "I hate my job", I am starting to get home with a smile on my face.

Or at least I was, until today. For some reason I drove home wondering why none of the recruitment agencies had managed to acquire a single interview. Am I really that unemployable... Maybe I have been of late. Buck your ideas up boyo!

Step in the front door, dump keys and wallet on table, pull phone out of pocket and plug in to recharge when, (and this is where luck steps in) I notice someone is calling. The phone is on silent. I don't recognise the number.

It's the employment agency. Bless them.

I have an interview on Friday.

It's a three hour beast of an interview... And I'm kinda looking forward to it, though you might want to check that with me again Friday morning. But for now, at least, the smile on my face is slightly bigger.

Help!

Not a Henry type of Help, but 'please help I'm a bit stuck'.

All of a sudden, the display on my PC has gone a bit haywire. Everything functions, but some images, well, just don't display right. It's most noticeable in web browsers... any web browser, but seems to be the case outside of it as well.

The problem:-

• Graphics look "blocky" - for example, the Google logo has definite lines of transition between one shade of blue/yellow/red to the next, rather than a smooth flow.
• Lines lack definition. for example, PVP is pixellated, rather than fluid pen strokes.

And more but you get the general gist. It's almost as if I am running with too few colours. But I'm not - settings are set to true color.

Attempts to correct this include:-

• Changing the display properties
• Upgrading the graphics card display driver
• Rebooting (always worth a shot)
• Checking all connections

Any ideas?