Hey look it's me.

I didn't get much sleep last night, but on the bright side I did write 7 pages of a4 scribble for 'I can has XP' at GUGS. Now all I have to do is type them up and combine them with what I have already, ripping large chunks of that out.

It's all good.

On a side note I still haven't booked any accommodation for Gaelcon as I've been waiting to hear back from various people who haven't been in touch. If I don't hear something soon I'll just book myself something and work it out.

On a side note I realised I've been playing RPGS longer than most of the members of GUGS have been alive. Next Thursday being the 27th anniversary of me getting my first copy of D&D. Oh and my birthday, apparently.

I do keep thinking of things to post there but then don't get round to them so here's a quick round up.

• People who drive with one hand on top of the steering wheel should be avoided, especially if they are driving an Audi, BMW or Mercedes.
• Did I mention I'm running Conflagration in Glasgow this year? Well I am. We now have definite dates of the 21st and 22nd of February so y'know, if you'd like to come to Glasgow in the winter an play lots of games this would be a really good chance. Ok the website is a bit sparse right now but keep an eye on it.
• Work on my RPG has stagnated again due to my laptop going kaplewie but I'm hoping to get a new rewrite done incorporating the really really really cool ideas I had the other day.
• Of course half the time I'm not even sure I want to write a game, or a book. I think it's the ego thing, I don't have much of one and don't think my ideas are actually any better than anyone elses. Which is strange really because day to day life should have cured me of that idea.
• Dropbox is really rather good an actually useful.
• Did I mention that I've been very busy writing stuff for Teletext Holidays? Well I have. That's cool, as is my new job, and I'm not just saying that because I know my boss reads this.

There were probably more things, like the new RPG campaign (well I say new it's actually me thinking about recycling one of my old ones) I'm planning on running. Why my Dark Heresy game collapsed (short story the holidays, long story it had become too much like a game of D&D plus the adventures in the book which I was using had some flaws).

Oh and Spore is out. I've been playing it a lot, I wish it was better and I wish EA hadn't been such dicks about bits of it but I'm having fun.

Played Spore a lot at the weekend. It was fun. For those who are interested my Spore Screen Name is, wait for it, 'scimon'. Which was hardly surprising really.

Feel free to post me yours here or comment on one of my creatures. The fact that you can't see who is subscribing to you is a bit of a pain but there you go.

Have fun folks. More soon.

Sporeday! Sporeday! Sporeday!

Sporeday! Sporeday! Sporeday!

Sporeday! Sporeday! Sporeday!

Sporeday! Sporeday! Sporeday!

Sporeday! Sporeday! Sporeday!

Sporeday! Sporeday! Sporeday!

Sporeday! Sporeday! Sporeday!

Sporeday! Sporeday! Sporeday!

Sporeday! Sporeday! Sporeday!

Sporeday! Sporeday! Sporeday!

Sporeday! Sporeday! Sporeday!

Sporeday! Sporeday! Sporeday!

Sporeday! Sporeday! Sporeday!

Sporeday! Sporeday! Sporeday!

Sporeday! Sporeday! Sporeday!

Hey at least I posted something.

Just not in the mood to talk much.

More later maybe.

So my Laptop is a brick, a possibly fixable brick but generally a brick. This is annoying. Especially as the most recent copy of 'I can has XP' was on it.

Not that I've managed to get any enthusiasm together to write it recently.

Do websites need to look exactly the same in every browser?

Is now the only thing I get from my laptop. This is rather depressing.

I have a theory, George Lucas just isn't going to rest until everyone who ever liked Star Wars hates his lumberjack shirt covered guts. He thought he would manage it with the Prequels, but even their insipid plots and laughable characters where not enough. There are still people who will, in polite society no less, explain to me, in mind numbing detail, why I just don't get it and really the man is a genius and so on and so forth.

So in his ongoing plan to rape my childhood he brings out 'Clone Wars' the movie that's set between Episodes 2 & 3 and apparently includes cute little baby Hutts. A movie that is being so well recieved Lucasfilm is having to get the reviews pulled from websites. Maybe now the truth will out.

Probably not though.

Me and polli went to Kilcreggan last night. Which was nice, well the drive and the view was, Kilcreggan itself is not much to look at. Still it was a very nice way to spend the evening, except maybe for the bit when we were driving past Faslane which really is a blot on the landscape, miles of very tall fence topped with Razor wire. Lovely.

Thought I'd add a few new definitions to the Scimon English Dictionary today.

Sporegasm

What happens when you watch 4 videos about Spore back to back. Can be a bit messy.

Marketoidrage

The general upwelling of anger felt while having to plow through reams of marketing speak trying to find useful information.

Forgerage

Related to marketoidrage but brought on by wading through reams of narrative gaming theory. I'm not a fan.

Zoot

An tiny Anal retentive alien in a Human costume and expensive suit, easily mistaken for humans except for their complete lack of a sense of humor and their belief that laws and rules are more important than people. Considered dangerous in large amounts.

Canvas ActiveX control for IE. That could be useful, canvas is very nice and almost totally cross browser (working on the theory that people who don't use IE tend to update to the latest version of their browser quite quickly), so being able to easily use it in IE could really help. Which reminds me to get the canvas based mapping thing written. As usual I've got more ideas than I have time for.

It's true, you've got to be careful with these things. One minute it's playing around with video display drivers and the next thing you know you're up to your arms in C code.

I personally haven't tried to recompile the kernel for a number of years now, this is probably because I did quite so badly at it the last time I tried. These things happen.

GUGS was good last night, explained XP to a bunch of people and got a pretty good response. The fact that the system can be explained in a few seconds is good. Also came up with some more background material which I'm going to try and get written down at lunch time or tonight. More about Zoot Suit's later, it's all good stuff.

Anyway everyone have fun I have code to write.

Yes it is I, Lobster Boy! With my amazing lobster powers I will sit in the corner whining about my rather annoyingly itchy arms and trying to hide the really stupid sunburn on my forehead.

In other notes the Luss Highland Games yesterday was rather warm.

Is that rather than not watch them I can instead boycott them. It has the same effect ("Simon doesn't watch the rather dull sporting event") but make it look like I am a caring person and all that.

While I sit in my house full of stuff that was made in Chinese sweat shops watching a DVD on my DVD player and TV made in..... you get the idea.

As I do I was listening to Radio 4 last night and they were discussing the works of Olivier Messiaen during which the mentioned one of his symphonies Turangalîla-Symphonie.

I may have broke out laughing at this point. Score one for Matt Groening.

Do want.... it's like a Telsa but with faster charging batteries and made in the UK. I'm all in favour of the build an electric sports car plan, it's historically viable. Of course I would love to upgrade my Smart to a Smart EV, whenever that happens. Currently I figure it's costing 10-11p a mile for the car, not including the payments and insurance and stuff.

It had to be done. (Note to marrog, this is not revenge I promise.

I thought I'd posted that.... Hmmm. Well here it is now.

On another matter here is a good reason not to use Front Page. Chortle.

Which do you think sounds better?

• Unobtanium
• Handwavium
• Technobabblium
• McCoyvium

Think big. I make web applications, if someone had asked me when I was a kid "What do you want to be when you grow up" I wouldn't have said that. Not because I don't enjoy it, I do it's a great creative job that I love doing, but because it didn't exist when I was a kid.

Who knows what's going to be possible when my nieces and nephew 'grow up' (I've never been a fan of that phrase either, it implies finality, I think only by continuing to learn can you excel).