Found this earlier and thought I would reproduce it here:

In Japan, they have replaced the impersonal and unhelpful Microsoft error messages with Haiku poetry messages. Haiku poetry has strict construction rules - each poem has only 17 syllables and 3 lines; 5 syllables in the first, 7 in the second, 5 in the third.

They are used to communicate a timeless message, often achieving a wistful, yearning and powerful insight through extreme brevity. Here are 16 actual error messages from Japan. Below, the essence of Zen:

Your file was so big.
It might be very useful.
But now it is gone.

The Web site you seek
Cannot be located, but
Countless more exist.

The Tao that is seen
Is not the true Tao until
You bring fresh toner.

Stay the patient course.
Of little worth is your ire.
The network is down.

Chaos reigns within.
Reflect, repent, and reboot.
Order shall return.

A crash reduces
Your expensive computer
To a simple stone.

Program aborting:
Close all that you have worked on.
You ask far too much.

Three things are certain:
Death, taxes and lost data.
Guess which has occurred.

Windows NT crashed.
I am the Blue Screen of Death.
No one hears your screams.

You step in the stream
But the water has moved on.
This page is not here.

Yesterday it worked.
Today it is not working.
Windows is like that.

Out of memory.
We wish to hold the whole sky,
But we never will.

First snow, then silence.
This thousand-dollar screen dies
So beautifully.

Having been crashed
The document you�re seeking
Must now be retyped.

Serious error,
All shortcuts have disappeared.
Screen. Mind. Both are blank.

As an aside, according to this page, we share 50% of our DNA with a banana! That would explain quite a lot I suppose...

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[link]   Posted @ 14:33

Yesterday was Su's birthday. I wont say how old she is though, for fear of my life :)

We went out to St. Catherines Inn (Hungry Horse) for a meal and that was pretty cool. Spent some time chatting to Dave about his upbringing, boats, etc. Of course, Su and Shell were bored as they'd heard it all before... He wants to go Marlin fishing in the Carribbean - and that sounded like pretty good fun!

Ace comic from Real Life. That is so me, its crazy!

Off to the Foreign Exchange at lunchtime to collect my money for Prague - we fly out on June 17th and come back on the 22nd (I think). Which reminds me that I need to get my phone setup for international roaming :)

I still havent managed to get my mail server up and running either, but I think I will have a good crack at it this weekend when Shell is working. I have downloaded SME Server and it starts to install but then dies. Either there is something wrong with the CDROM drive itself (judging by the error) or possibly with the PC. I'll get that sorted out and then get it all working. I want it sorted for before I go away, so I can still access my mail while I am away (when you get 200+ emails a day, you need to keep on top of it!). Although, with SpamAssassin involved, my spam should end up quite a bit less :)

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[link]   Posted @ 09:21

Yesterday was a bad day for Shell. She called me when she had finished work (around 2pm) to let me know that one of her clients had passed away while she was with her. She then had the job of cleaning her up and laying her out ready for the funeral directors to collect. Quite distressing and last night, as I gently got her to talk about it, her thoughts and feeling sorted themselves out. She's a tough cookie, is my Shell, but dealing with dead people - its a hard thing to do (having had a close friend die while talking to him, I can understand somewhat what she is going through). She has a couple of days off now, so it should all be OK when she goes back in.

You know I mentioned about buying DVD-Rs from Staples on Sunday? Well, 2 things to add to that. Firstly, the price. My friend Gemma (see the second thing) got me staff discount, so I paid �11.30 for 10 discs. Yesterday, I ordered 50 discs from SVP for less than �24 delivered! And Gemma - well, she's got engaged to Ben (her ex-manager). He is a great chap and it looks like they will be tying the knot in June next year. Way to go Gemma! I wish them every happiness and hope to get an invite :)

Oh - and this morning - one of those Datawrite Reds burned perfectly in my ND2500. Bloody things!

Looking for places to find a good breakfast/snack? Then look at this site - eggbaconchipsandbeans and also if you need a good place for a cup of tea and a think

Want to know how gay you are? Check out How Gay Are You? test. I rated at Slightly Undergay

I've been looking at some concerts today as well. Gotta go and buy some tickets at lunchtime for someone else, but while I was looking I came across the following that I'm interested in:- Magnum are playing the Bristol Bierkeller on October 3rd 2004. I'll be going to that for definate, which will be maybe the 15th time or so that I have seen them. Then I noticed that Whitesnake are playing at the Colston Hall in Bristol on October 18th. So that looks like October sorted out for live music :)

And now for a bit of D&D...

I Am A: Neutral Good Elf Bard Mage

Alignment:
Neutral Good characters believe in the power of good above all else. They will work to make the world a better place, and will do whatever is necessary to bring that about, whether it goes for or against whatever is considered 'normal'.

Race:
Elves are the eldest of all races, although they are generally a bit smaller than humans. They are generally well-cultured, artistic, easy-going, and because of their long lives, unconcerned with day-to-day activities that other races frequently concern themselves with. Elves are, effectively, immortal, although they can be killed. After a thousand years or so, they simply pass on to the next plane of existance.

Primary Class:
Bards are the entertainers. They sing, dance, and play instruments to make other people happy, and, frequently, make money. They also tend to dabble in magic a bit.

Secondary Class:
Mages harness the magical energies for their own use. Spells, spell books, and long hours in the library are their loves. While often not physically strong, their mental talents can make up for this.

Deity:
Oghma is the Neutral Good god of knowledge and invention. He is also known as the Binder of What is Known, and is the Patron of Bards. His followers believe that knowledge reigns supreme, and is the basis for everything else that is done. They wear white shirts and pants, with a black and gold braided vest, and a small, box-like hat. All priests of Oghma are known as Loremasters. Oghma's symbol is a scroll.

Find out - What D&D Character Are You?

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[link]   Posted @ 11:19

I havent updated for a few days due to various reasons:

Thursday - spent the day in court and with Shell, so didnt get close to the 'puters
Friday - induction (or should that be abduction course, then work in another building
Saturday/Sunday - spent with Shell so no computing again

Not touching the 'puter for a few days is good for the soul, I think. The only thing I did with them over the weekend was using DVD Shrink (naughty, naughty). Shell's mum had Angel Season 4 delivered and we got hold of it on Saturday. We are currently on disc 4 of 6...

The outcome of Thursday and the court thing: no short term wins, but long-term should be better. The judge said that the whole situation needed investigating and has assigned the family officers to do a full and proper investigation and statements to be filed in June. Bimbos mum was granted leave to apply for contact as well. So I should be seeing the kids in July with the court officer at least. Have to see how it goes. It sucks so much its ridiculous. If it wasnt for Shell I would be a hollowed out husk of a man by now - thank god for Shell!

On another note, I had to resort to buying some DVD-Rs from Staples yesterday, as the Datawrite Reds that I had bought are intensely disliked by both my burners! Gonna place an order for some DVDs today, as otherwise I'll be running out.

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[link]   Posted @ 09:43

As you may have noticed - I added a comics section to the sidebar a couple of days ago. Anyhoo - its something I've been doing for a while, but recently I've started branching out and reading more and more. Today I found another one - You Damn Kid - and it will be added to the left later today. I recommend you go and start reading from the very beginning, as it is truly hilarious.

Leaving work early today, as I need to go home and work on building a network sniffer laptop for work. The one I built a few months back is too underpowered, so we have a P4 one to use for a while. So I will be building that from home later on, as well as starting on my linux email/webmail server.

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[link]   Posted @ 11:42

Went out on Friday but came home early(ish). I was back in Weston for 1am - mainly to see Shell and let her know I love her. She's my backbone - and I hate to think what my life would be without her.

When I woke up Saturday morning (at Shells mums house) I walked to my car - a good 45 minute walk in the searing heat that was Saturday morning. My shirt was wet by the time I got to the car - most unpleasant. I then spent Saturday at home as Shell was working, cleaning, vacuuming, computing, etc.

Updated the desktop (and icons) on my A4000T - looks much better than it did. Used VisualPrefs and PowerIcons to do it.

When Shell got home at 8 - she had flowers waiting in the bedroom, a candlelit bath and then a 3 course dinner - prepared by me. She'd had a really bad week and was stressed to fuck, and I think I made a difference to her and got her through it.

Yesterday afternoon, we went shopping and I saw the kids! Literally saw, not spoke to or snuggled though. It was good just to see them (although I would have loved more - but there was no way I was going to cause a scene - especially as I will be in court on Thursday). They looked good, clean, happy, etc. Dumbo and Bimbo made sure that they didnt see me though :(

I've also updated my sidebar - a little re-arrangement and also added a list of the comics I read on a regular basis. Real Life is possibly one of the funniest things I read. Some of my favourites are 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. Enjoy!

Couple of links today (which were also from Real Life) - Villain Supply and 20th Century Castles.

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[link]   Posted @ 09:22

OK. Heres a thing not to try:

1/ Find a website that requires you to submit a picture of yourself
2/ Go and view your own online gallery to see if there is a picture of yourself
3/ Find loads of pictures of the kids (who you have been prevented from seeing for months)
4/ Sit at your desk crying for 10mins, remembering how happy they looked in the photos and hoping they will be happy with you again.

:(

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[link]   Posted @ 15:55

(I have no idea what that means btw, but it sounded cool, so I thouhg I would use it)

Sunny (not) Thursday brought me into work via a convoluted way this morning. I dropped Shell off at work (after asking her if she thought I was still attractive to her, as we haven't been *close* for a few days, and she still does, she's just tired. Maybe I'm just oversexed. Where can I buy bromide?) and then headed to the train station.

The 8.04 train-doodah was sat there waiting for me, so I settle down with my ArrowWords and coffee and waited for it to pull away. But it didnt. Then there were some undecipherable announcements and the people from the other platform got on the train. Then people started shouting at the guards, etc and I sat quietly drinking my coffee and doing my puzzles. The doors finally closed and the train left the station.

Only it went the opposite way than I was expecting it to!

Instead of heading towards Bristol, it was headed for Taunton. It then stopped at Highbridge and the guards told everyone to get off and the train pulled away into a siding. the driver swapped ends and it came back to the station so we could all get back on.

Then it headed towards Bristol. Thank god. Made me 25mins late for work, but hey-ho. All due to a car accident on one of the bridges over the railway on the loop line from my station to Bristol. What a joy! Yet another boy-racing-my-exhaust-is-bigger-than-yours-yet-I'm-a-cock probably caused a crash. Excellent. I used to be one of them. Oh god! The shame...

Yesterday (while travelling back from a meeting in Reading) I was discussing with a colleague about being a geek/nerd. We were talking about some of the people we know who spend their entire time working/playing with computers, to the degree that they have no non-computer life at all. I mean, some people have an excuse (some online buddies have this as their only contact due to circumstances - and thats good) but some have partners and families but have no life. I have a life!

I proved this by going to the pub last night with Shell, where I brought up the earlier conversation. Shell pointed out that I indeed also had no life, as I spent loads of time mucking about with my computers, including every morning and evening. My defence then rotated around proving that I went out drinking, clubbing, spending time with her (non computer based) and therefore had a life and the times she mentioned was me dealing with the dizzying amount of email I get. She reluctantly agreed. Yay me!

But I am think that maybe I should simplify all over again. Sell off the all the stuff I have that I dont use regularly, etc and get back to just the basics. It might even make me some money!

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[link]   Posted @ 09:51

Had an ace weekend. Went out drinking on Friday night (and might have danced at some point, but I'm a bit hazy on that subject) and then got home before 3am. Spent virtually all of Saturday in bed, which was really cool.

Saturday night was a bit wonky. I was dead tired and fell asleep and so Shell (thinking I was cranky) went home. She texted me just before midnight to say "Good night. X" which woke me up. I then frantically searched the house trying to find her before texting "Where are you?" to her. She was at her mums in bed, about to fall asleep! We chatted for a while and then we both went to sleep, only for me to arrive at her house for 8am to be with her. All a misunderstanding, so thats OK.

Sunday was spent shopping and feeding the ducks at "Backwell Lake Nature Reserve" - ok, Shell :)

Work today has been quite "deep". Am working on a project to implement a DR solution for our external email that will include creating 2 new VLANs, setting up VRRP between 2 firewalls on 3 of their interfaces, plus running HSRP on the internet facing routers along with setting up BGP on them as well. Its pushing my Cisco and Checkpoint skills a little, but I know what I need to acheive and am fairly happy with all the setup. Looking forward to the challenge!
Sounds damn technical though, doesnt it?

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[link]   Posted @ 15:20

I'm back at work today. Not feeling 100% but miles better than I was, although I appear to have to keep drinking water to keep food down. I'm not sure thats good really, but I'm coping :)

Yesterday, Shell and I nicked discs 1 & 2 of Angel Season 3 from her mum, and we watched the first four episodes last night. That show just gets better and better!

Nothing of excitement today although I will have some links from home tonight, which I will post before playing and beating Ben at snooker...

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[link]   Posted @ 14:59