Category: Commentary

Happy birthday….

Yesterday Apple previewed Panther (Mac OS X 10.3) and also released Safari 1.0 and iChat AV. iChat AV is the thing I’ve gotten most used to at the moment due to the niftiness of having access to an audio and video stream – the quality is somewhat amazing as well – it’s the first time I’ve ever seen video this good over a videoconferencing link and I’ve been playing with this sort of thing since about 1995.

They also announced the Power Mac G5 which is a big deal though most people won’t realise it. Frankly, in terms of processing it’s like comparing a modern computer to a computer from more than 10 years ago. We’ll not see the benefit of it right now and people will wonder how useful it was.

Looking forward to the future….

I’ve written my Calculator app, and given it an icon…and I’m pretty chuffed with the result. Next step, if you pardon the pun, is to get a little more familar with the system. I mean – it’s not as if we need another calculator application in the world is it?

I’ve started Cocoa programming and I’m preety happy with the results. Less than 24 hours and already I have a calculator application written that adds two numbers and can restrict the answer to two decimal places.

Yes. It sounds crap but this is an application that you double-click, it responds to mouse clicks and all sorts. It behaves just like a proper application.

Very pleased with me.

So..

I’ve started to learn to program. Frankly I’m making much more headway with C and Objective C than I ever did with Java.

Here’s hoping that I’ll get my first application out by the end of the summer.

I want to be able to get up in the morning and go to work on foot.
I want to not worry about pay or revenue targets.
I like fixing things and I like being thanked for fixing things…

Ah well, the week goes on

Essentially due to poor business acumen and an unwillingness to prosecure one of the directors who embezzled tens of thousands from the company, Macinni is going out of business.

If it was up to me I’d have prosecuted. But it wasn’t and now we all have to pay with our jobs. Our managing director is simply not going to involve the law and is covering up for her. Amazing what some men will do for sex.

Makes me think he was in on it all along….

Over a month since I last wrote. I guess I’m not as stressed as I think I am.

Meggan is now walking and almost running. She’s also trying hard to speak. We have “No” and “Mine” well established in her vocabulary. She can also say “Ba Doh” (Bad Dog) and “pwee” for please. I’ve been teaching her “Bottle” but she can only manage “P’tle”.

It’s fun. I think she likes talking.

Cabinet reshuffle means different priorities.

One sales, one administration, one technical. What does it mean?

Who’s the BMOC? Who’s got the cojones?

And I bloody refuse to work tonight. I’m on strike. I’m sick to the teeth of writing this training course so I’m having a night off.

I’m sick to my stomach. I can’t believe that we went to war.

“Obviously common people don’t want war: not in Russia, not in England, not in Germany. This is understandable. But, after all, it’s the rulers of the country who resolve on politics, and it is always easy to sway people, either in a democracy, in a fascist regime in a parliament or in a communist regime.
Whether they have a say or not, people can always be bent to the will of their chief. It is easy. All you need to do is tell them that they are being attacked, and blame pacifists for lack of patriotism since they are pushing the country to a danger. It works the same way in every country”.

Those were the words of Hermann Goering, a war criminal.

I think there’s real danger of the US becoming increasingly introspective and only leaving their shores to strike out at enemies, real or imagined. As for the UK, I’m ashamed of my government. I’m ashamed of the Unionist politicians who voted for the war.

On the other hand, good news at work. I’ve got my support contracts sorted, we’re working on a new venture, I’m on page 7 of my training course (only about 113 more to write)…first training course in late April. Plenty of time 🙂