I took a quiz :)

Which File Extension are You?

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[link]   Posted @ 21:57

So. Whats been happening in the little world of Tudor since last week?

Well, Monday saw me posting stuff from my eBay sales and changing sterling into Euros. And then we went to Belgium! We got the 16.30 SeaFrance crossing and then made our way to Brussels. Eventually, we found our hotel.

Now Brussels is an interesting city - from a driving point of view. It has an outer ring road (the R0) and an inner ring road (R20) that contains the old city of Brussels and this inner ring road is big. It contains a 2x 2 lane tunnel system in the centre and a 2x 2-3 lane system running alongside them. The problem was, we entered a tunnel about 300yds from our hotel and finally managed to turn round about 4 miles later.

But we got there and found our hotel, the Comfort Art Hotel Siru. It is situated next to the Sheraton, Crowne Plaza and a Hilton hotel in Place Rogier. But isn't quite up to their standards. It was clean and tidy and pretty cheap though. The rooms are all individually decorated by an artist and I would class the decor as "different" :) The next morning we got up and visited the large shopping mall opposite Place Rogier, so that Shell could shop at the Brussels branches of Pimkie - her favourite shop in the world.

Then we made our way to Clinic Beaucare on the outskirts of Brussels, so that Shell could have breast augmentation. We turned up for her appointment at 16.30 and she went in with a 32B bust. We left about 19.30 and was now a 32D bust. She has been in lots of pain (one of the doctors at the clinic likened the pain to "being run over by a truck") since the operation (especially on the Tuesday evening and Wednesday) and today she has finally been able to lessen her painkiller intake.

Currently, she is very swollen and her boobs are huge! Waaaay too big (I'm not a "tit-man"). And she has this massive support bra thingy that she has to keep on for a month to make sure the implants don't move about while they are settling in. But when all the swelling has gone down... Well, HELLO

A couple of weeks ago, I found my old Palm V in the garage and since then I have been mucking about with it. I've bought a couple of items for it (incl a Bluetooth sledge) and have been trying out various pieces of software/games on it. God its good - even in B&W. So good, that I have managed to bag a Palm Tungsten T off eBay, along with a Bluetooth GPS receiver for less than �100!

I know its old technology (I'm like that), but its cheap and it will do what I need of it. Especially with some decent mapping software installed like ViaMichelin Navigator.

And yes, I'm still trying to find a cheap HP Jornada 720 to use...

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[link]   Posted @ 16:06

My eBay auctions have been going well. Selling stuff I don't need or want anymore is proving reasonably profitable. I have some Job Lots to put together over the weekend of various PC items (CDroms, cables, cards, etc, etc), so that should clear a load more space.

Then I shall start on clearing my Amiga stuff out of the garage - keeping just what I need. That, plus I have a complete A4000D in a Mediator case with gfx, network, 060 card, etc that I will put up there. That should net me a tidy sum (although some is owed to the guy that gave me it in the first place).

I noticed yesterday on one Amiga.org that a guy in the UK had sold his a600.net machine. An A600 with a 68030 card and loads of extras - it went for �62 odd. The '030 card is worth �100 alone. If only I had kept an eye on that one. Ho-hum!

While walking out of the school playground this morning, after dropping Rhiannon at her classroom, I overheard 3 mothers talking about something technical. How to get MP3s onto an MP3 player. Technology is everywhere, but unfortunately, some people still haven't grasped it properly. The conversation went like this:

Mother1: So how do I get the MP3s onto it?
Mother2: Have you downloaded some?
Mother1: Downloaded what?
Mother3: The MP3s?
Mother1: I have to download them? Where from? How do I do that?

(at this point I realised how much people don't know. She had an MP3 player - probably bought because "other people have got them" - but didnt really know why she was buying it... The other mothers then recommended varying sites to get them from)

Mother1: So once I have downloaded some, what do I do next?
Mother2: On the "thingy", you have to take the cover off the end and plug it in.
Mother3: Yes. Plug it into the "wotsit ports" on the PC.
Mother1: Wotsit ports?
Mother2: Yeah - the [thinks] "UPS" port.
Mother3: Yeah. Then the PC sees the "thingy" and you can just copy the MP3s to it
Mother1: Just copy them? How do I do that?

And therein, lies the problem.

MP3 players are incredibly simple pieces of technology, designed so that the most basic of consumers can operate them. Unfortunately, the manufacturers rely on the fact that the consumer in question has some inkling of how to actually use a computer in the first place and can understand how to get the MP3s onto the MP3 player to listen to them!

And getting advice from people who obviously aren't completely sure about what they are talking about anyway, is a sure fire way to get even more confused than you were in the first place.

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[link]   Posted @ 10:50

I have been wondering recently why my favourite soft drink "Diet Vanilla Coke" was becoming hard to buy - but I now know why. See this article on the BBC from November 2005. It seems it is being phased out and replaced with something else "On Thursday Coca-Cola said it would end sales of the two vanilla flavoured drinks in the UK early next year [2006], and replace them with Diet Coke With Cherry."

Today I had my first bottle of "Diet Coke with Cherry" and its damn good. Not as cherryish as Cherry Coke but damn tasty and it smells gorgeous. I mean, I like Diet Vanilla Coke, but this is ace. It smells like an acidic version of Dr Pepper (which I truly adore) but the taste is more "in yer face". I will miss Vanilla Coke, but fortunately I appear to like its replacement. It may of course be re-introduced at some point, which is nice.

Fortunately, they are scrapping the with Lemon for good - which is a good thing, as it is fucking hideous!

A few weeks ago, when I was going through loads of paperwork and shredding stuff (just after Xmas) I discovered a rogue payment that was being taken by Pipex from one of my credit cards.

I'd tried contacting them a couple of times but had no joy. Then today I got hold of a number to call but always ended up being dumped or on hold and then lost.

So I spoke to one of my friends who works for Pipex and he gave me the number for Customer Relations. So I gave them a call and explained the situation.

Essentially, I used to pay �14.99 for my Pipex Dial solution until I upgraded to having an ADSL connection. As part of the ADSL account, I got a reduced price on the Dial account - down to �7.05. Unfortunately, since I got ADSL (early 2003) they have continued to take the �14.99.

So today my credit card was credited with �261.73 which was what they had overcharged me. Huzzah!

Todays link 112 Translations of "Oh My God, there's an axe in my head!"

Apparently, in America it is now illegal to annoy people on the internet. Hopefully, this will see a large amount of crap and users being removed from the 'net and making it better for the rest of us. But I doubt it :)

In other news, I am planning on getting myself a Palmtop. Not a PDA like the iPaq or Palm, but a Palmtop PC. Preferable something like an

HP Jornada 720

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[link]   Posted @ 14:27

My Blue LED USB Mouse Mat arrived today (see below) and with it came a very small printed manual (read: small slip of paper). On one side were the instructions in Chinese, with English on the other.

Erm. If you can call it English.

Below you will find the instructions verbatim from the manual.

Enjoy!

Operation instructions

Welcome to use aurora player's evil spirit cushion, please read a manual carefully, in order to understand in an all-round way and use a product correctly.

Main characteristic of the products
1. the auxiliary interface of the multi-functional computer is designed;
2. make the magic board of the high printing opacity up multi-functionally;
3. the colorful or blue aurora is designed;
4. more than row spacing high-accuracy PC magic board is designed;
5. take precautions against earthquakes and steep the cotton in high strength
6. the steady multiuse +5V safe power is offered
7. is it join or fetch through USB port equipment of cable use through USB data to suitable for;
8. is suitable for all WIN95/98/ME/2000/XP and use upgrading one edition of operating systems.

Operating sequence
1. open the color box and protect the membrane, take out the color box, keep flat down in the front, take the color box out to be deducted safely;
2. open the top cover, remove the sponge hands and hold the organism both sides, there should not be damaging, scratch to check the evil spirit cushion, otherwise should get in touch with local distributor
3. take out USB connecting wire insert corresponding interface, USB of computer, it, watch mouse cushion front should have getting blue better aurora send out
4. mouse, move hard disk or other USB equipment insert in USB interface 1-4 should see new hardware insert the instruction in sequentially, should try to insert to insert unusually or reactionlessly many times;
5. is it watch USB mouse indicator move situation, is it measure mouse sensitivity and working range level to come at the cushion in mouse to put.
6. finish using, or does not use for a long time, please have USB equipment pulled out from interface and appear, in order to educe computer load.

The precautions
1. computer this auxiliary equipment suit job electric current following products use in 500MA, the beyond the scope of this working power, it reduces by USB the equipments to be to spend performance, or can't steady work not normal;
2. this equipment should be used on the regular workbench, use on the workbench moving, whether it is good to notice the interface USB equipment being exposed to the situation;
3. this equipment is used or moved and handled with care in Great Britain in the middle, prevent shaking violently, so as not to influence serviceability;
4. equipment this adopt PC high printing opacity raw materials make, improperly use cause is it can cause to throw result subside aurora to scratch; This equipment working range adopts the high polyester PC diaphragm to formate, the extraordinary particulate of line, please don't use high cutin articles so as not to cause the working range to damage the influence result of use on the working range.

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[link]   Posted @ 18:42

I have been eBaying like made the last week or so and I am planning on continuing to get rid of as much crap (sorry, "quality goods") from my house/garage as possible. Not doing too badly at the moment (apart from the fact I keep buying things as well).

We did the Cheddar Car Boot on Sunday morning - and after paying my fees, eating, etc I walked away with �1 more than I went with. Shell came away with a clutchful of notes and a bag of coins, so she did quite well.

Picking the kids up this evening - their Nan has them until Sunday and then I have them until Friday - school and all! Sandwiches and breakfast every morning...

Todays Links
Make Einstein write on his blackboard

How to vanish without a trace in the USA

SpamRadio - listen to Spam emails

The Ikea game - can you identify the product from its name?

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[link]   Posted @ 10:32

I have now bought myself a couple of USB items to sit on my desk at home - part of a tidy up I am planning to do - sort out the rack, clear the desk, make some space, etc, etc

Here is what I have bought:

LED Mouse Mat with 4 port hub

USB Powered LED Desk Lamp

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[link]   Posted @ 10:15

Shells birthday bash on Friday night went well. Andy from work came down for it (Martin couldnt) and we went out and got well mashed. When we got home in the early hours of Saturday morning - I got the hump over my toast being stolen, so went and fell asleep on the sofa. Shell had a time trying to get me up and into bed apparently...

We were meant to go out on the Saturday night as well, but we were still waaay too tender, so we stayed in instead.

Yesterday when I returned home, I found a parcel containing my new USB Cup Warmer & Hub had arrived. Clicking the picture will take you to the place I bought it from, which was the cheapest (incl P&P I could find.

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[link]   Posted @ 10:26

I have bought several books in the sales...

"Let It Bleed" and "Black & Blue" Omnibus - Ian Rankin
9 Crime Novels Boxset
The Lonely Dead - Michael Marshall
Recursion - Tony Ballantyne
Empire State - Henry Porter
The World According to Clarkson - Jeremy Clarkson
Sleepyhead - Mark Billingham
Does Anything Eat Wasps?: And 101 Other Questions - The New Scientist

Total cost - around �25! I love the sales sometimes. The only other thing I bagged was a new pair of Jeff Banks jeans for work from Debenhams.

This evening and tomorrow evening is our yearly celebration weekend of Shells birthday, generally marked by copious amounts of alcohol, lewd behaviour and much hilarity.

But before that, a couple of links for you...

100 things we didn't know last year

The most amazing monitor in the world?

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[link]   Posted @ 11:28

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[link]   Posted @ 10:45