when it rains … it pours

I’m a network geek by trade. I build networks. Two years back I decided to take on a bit of extra work by teaching. I’ve been teaching for the last two school years – the subject being computer architecture. I’ve also taught PC maintenance and introductions to computing. Teaching is fun, sometimes it really stretches … Continue reading “when it rains … it pours”

I’m a network geek by trade. I build networks.

Two years back I decided to take on a bit of extra work by teaching. I’ve been teaching for the last two school years – the subject being computer architecture. I’ve also taught PC maintenance and introductions to computing. Teaching is fun, sometimes it really stretches the mind.

Well….the term is coming to a close and I’ve been asked by entirely another source to do some training over the summer – not teaching – training. Turns out that this company is meant to be providing Mac OS X training and they don’t know anyone who knows enough about the system to actually do the training. That’s where I come in.

Oh…and I have to give a 1 hour lecture at the local university about IT Strategy.

Makes me think that if I was at a loss I could probably make the readies in teaching, training and lecturing….

Toys for the boys

I’m looking at buying a new palmtop. My Newton was retired about a year or so ago and I’ve been using a PalmVx since then and frankly I’m not that impressed. It does the job but whwre’s the fun. I remember having lots of fun with the Newton. Anyway…it’ll either be a Casio E125 or … Continue reading “Toys for the boys”

I’m looking at buying a new palmtop. My Newton was retired about a year or so ago and I’ve been using a PalmVx since then and frankly I’m not that impressed. It does the job but whwre’s the fun. I remember having lots of fun with the Newton.

Anyway…it’ll either be a Casio E125 or an ipaq H36xx. Not sure and it’ll be a couple of months before I can afford the bugger but that’s the plan anyway…

diablo…oni…work…training

The training course was great – the Passport 8000 really is a neat piece of kit. Beats the knickers off anything else out there. Off work tomorrow…dentists appointment…ewww… Oni….ack…i’m going to have to mail order this…I’ve waited enough… Diablo II….’er indoors is whacking ehr way through it. With the speakers attached to the iMac it … Continue reading “diablo…oni…work…training”

The training course was great – the Passport 8000 really is a neat piece of kit. Beats the knickers off anything else out there.

Off work tomorrow…dentists appointment…ewww…

Oni….ack…i’m going to have to mail order this…I’ve waited enough…

Diablo II….’er indoors is whacking ehr way through it. With the speakers attached to the iMac it makes some pretty sounds…

Anyway…just starting to cook. Better go stick the turkey on…

tired

Just spent four days in Maidenhead. Without a ‘net connection. Over four hundred emails awaited for me. Just. Finished. Reading. Them. Sheesh… Related posts: The Broadband Blueprint (re DETI Telecoms Consultation) four things meme Onlive: Gaming in the Cloud review Almost too tired to blog

Just spent four days in Maidenhead. Without a ‘net connection.

Over four hundred emails awaited for me.

Just. Finished. Reading. Them.

Sheesh…

never miss it til it’s gone

My ISDN is down…. *insert long belaboured sigh* Which means that, for the time being, I’m stuck with a little modem router with a 56K modem and refuses to connect at anything faster than 33K. I know it’s not the quality of the lines – it’s the ISP. Last night I was at a friends … Continue reading “never miss it til it’s gone”

My ISDN is down….

*insert long belaboured sigh*

Which means that, for the time being, I’m stuck with a little modem router with a 56K modem and refuses to connect at anything faster than 33K. I know it’s not the quality of the lines – it’s the ISP.

Last night I was at a friends house (I mentioned him, Paul) and he has a Cable modem runnign at a spritely 512Kbits. Compared to my ISDN that’s depressing (a massive 128Kbits) but compared to modem hell I’m feeling certainly hard done by.

Course, I should count myself lucky. I live in a church, in a field. I should feel lucky I have a phone at all. Better check NTLBroadband (uh..nope) BTOpenWorld again…

Holy ****

Jinks! It says yes! Holy ****

I need no steekin’ experts

I know an expert. This guy is a professor in an IT-related discipline… And he can’t get a simple IP connection to work between two computers. Driving me mad I tell you… After a good nights sleep and a couple of simple phone calls I feel muchly refreshed. Haven’t had brekky yet – going to … Continue reading “I need no steekin’ experts”

I know an expert. This guy is a professor in an IT-related discipline…

And he can’t get a simple IP connection to work between two computers.

Driving me mad I tell you…

After a good nights sleep and a couple of simple phone calls I feel muchly refreshed. Haven’t had brekky yet – going to wait til L. gets back and then we’ll have a brunch. Just the usual cup of Tetleys to wake me up a little.

I’m a network guy but I’m still really interested in things like perl, python, UNIX, and the network services therein. I sorta miss the ability to work on the whole range of things and I think I see specialisation as being the death of creativity. I’ll have to settle for being a network geek in work and an “everything else” geek at home. Makes me sorta sad. I recall in the old days that versatility was actually appreciated while these days everyone wants specialists. I used to be very much a jack-of-all-trades and the cross-discipline knowledge often meant I could easily see where solutions lay. I’m not sure I can ever be as techie in the network arena as some of my colleagues but I have to try!

Add to that the desire to be a published writer (actually achieved but why stop at two or three books) and doing the odd bit of (admittedly poor) web design…

Anyway, hope ya have a good day…

interesting tech talk and mail crashed

I was talking about some interesting techie stuff with John via email but mail crashed before I sent the message so I’m feeling some small amount of hostility towards humanity right now. Anyway…it was all about Semantic Web Agents http://www.scientificamerican.com/2001/0501issue/0501berners-lee.html I think tim B-L labours the point a little when we’re really looking at what … Continue reading “interesting tech talk and mail crashed”

I was talking about some interesting techie stuff with John via email but mail crashed before I sent the message so I’m feeling some small amount of hostility towards humanity right now.

Anyway…it was all about Semantic Web Agents

http://www.scientificamerican.com/2001/0501issue/0501berners-lee.html

I think tim B-L labours the point a little when we’re really looking at what “cookies” are doing for us. Example: I’m not interested in alcohol, cigarettes or gambling. Therefore advertisements for those products are completely wasted on me. Some privacy nutters worry about targetted advertising – I say…where’s my darned targetted advertising! I want to be targetted. I don’t want to see ads for booze and gambling because it’s both a waste of my time, a waste of the advertisers time and don’t get me started on SPAM…

Send me ads about cool techie gear (I already subscribe to several email lists that are nothing more than promotional vehicles)

Anyway…rant over. i’m off to bed.

Aggro lists

Everyone should have an aggro list. There are two columns. The first had the header: Aggro List for Today. The second has Permanent Aggro List. Underneath each column you write the names of people who have causes you aggro (aggravation or annoyance). Some people go on the “day” list almost immediately, some people make it … Continue reading “Aggro lists”

Everyone should have an aggro list. There are two columns. The first had the header: Aggro List for Today. The second has Permanent Aggro List. Underneath each column you write the names of people who have causes you aggro (aggravation or annoyance). Some people go on the “day” list almost immediately, some people make it onto the permanent list. It’s also easy to graduate someone to the permanent list. It’s hard to justify relegating them to the day list…
It goes without saying (but I will anyway) that if you do keep one. Keep it private and don’t pin it up in your workplace. No sense in becoming an addition on someone elses aggro list.

meeting blues…

It’s a long meeting and I’m getting a little bored during it. I’m in work, writing this article via Airport on OSX from a nice little Bay Networks (oops, Nortel Networks) Baystack 660. It’s only 2 mbits but it’s sweet enough for surfing. Lordy I’m tired. Related posts: The Hub of 21st Century Enlightenment Northern … Continue reading “meeting blues…”

It’s a long meeting and I’m getting a little bored during it. I’m in work, writing this article via Airport on OSX from a nice little Bay Networks (oops, Nortel Networks) Baystack 660. It’s only 2 mbits but it’s sweet enough for surfing.

Lordy I’m tired.

awake, in bed, checking the email

That’s the fun thing about this Internet life we lead. I wake when the radio reads me the local news then I sit up, grab Pismo, boot OSX and read my 55 emails (this morning…in about 6 hours I got 55…jeez), go online with Yahoo and see if my team are online (we’re spread over … Continue reading “awake, in bed, checking the email”

That’s the fun thing about this Internet life we lead. I wake when the radio reads me the local news then I sit up, grab Pismo, boot OSX and read my 55 emails (this morning…in about 6 hours I got 55…jeez), go online with Yahoo and see if my team are online (we’re spread over Europe and Yahoo Messenger is a nice MS-free environment to tell us if the guys are online).
Twenty minutes later I’ve finished, replied to a select few, checked the network in work and then I’m starting to think about breakfast as the coffee taste starts to get a little sour. A bacon buttie would be nice but I’d settle for cereal. Gotta get to work.