All these things that I have done

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 13:25:14 GMT

Oh joy! Have just discovered gMail supports IMAP. No longer will I have to look at the horrible interface, I can just use Thunderbird without having to give up having all my mail labeled and organised the same on all my computers. I know, it shouldn't make me that happy, but there you are, I'm an odd person.

Having now spent a little time playing Rock Band, I can safely say that it is just as much fun as I thought it would be. I need to get more into practice on the guitar again though - I'm getting rusty. If you could play it with the guitars I've got, I would get the PS2 version just so that I could play some of the tracks on guitar - there's some really good fun stuff on there.

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:40:12 GMT

Curses! Bellowhead's Cardiac gig clashes with Reading week :( I could have sworn it was a different week, but no. In theory, I suppose, I could day trip to Bristol or Northampton on the weekend after but I doubt I'll have the time as I'll be getting ready to go back to school then. Ah well, there'll be other chances I suppose, but still, very annoying.

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 23:48:41 GMT

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 12:33:25 GMT

In case any of my flisters are keeping anything interesting on .Mac, you might want to be aware that Apples password security is not all that you might want.

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 19:35:13 GMT

OK, the dogems with Daleks was hilarious. Double Doctors (plus nekkidness) was fun. And Donna becoming rather Doctor was also very cool. Having her memory wiped was not (and also called by white_hart). Overall though, thumbs up. I actually enjoyed the end more than the set up which is I think a first for me with nuWho finales.

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 12:20:54 GMT

So, one of the things we have to do as part of my GTP course next year is apparently to keep a reflective journal covering our training and teaching experiences. Of course, being the terrifying geek that I am, I immediately thought "Ooh, I could do that as a blog". I asked and the trainer said I could but that I might want to cut and stick things in it so I should think carefully. I think this is because she doesn't yet know about scanners.

It has to be accessible to our trainers (i.e. they can ask to look at it) but not necessarily to our mentors so I'm thinking of making an LJ for it - that way I can make another account for the trainer and make locked posts for stuff I don't want to share with my mentor or needs too much anonymising. Still, I'm open to suggestions...

View Poll: Reflective journal

I include the option to use this LJ and etc because this LJ is basically inextricably linked with my real name - google charman and oxford and you get my tinyjo.net website, for a start - and I accept that so anyone interested in me as a teacher will find this anyway. On the other hand, that doesn't mean I might not choose to set up a new internet identity for blogging about teaching and keep this one for writing about my outside interests, which is probably the most sensible route.

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 21:46:13 GMT

Well, that was quite a recovery! I thought Murray was being outplayed but he raised his level and Gasquet dropped his a bit. Some truely remarkable gets as well.

Am also now caught up on Who so can safely read friends page tomorrow. Total bollocks overdrive may need to be renamed ~~Maximum~~ Ultimate Red Alert.

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 19:07:05 GMT

Am home. Will upload pics tomorrow (data connection in field not good enough). Watching Murray lose to Gasquet. (2 sets to love, 5-5). Although it's never over until the fat lady etc etc.

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 15:01:28 GMT

After night shift on Weds/Thurs develop flu and gate to sleep in tent for basically 24 hours, only to go for next shift.

After that, perked up enough to go to stuff. The Gossip were good, and The Frattellis. Ben Folds ok and the Editors rocked. Kings of Leon were ok but more summer afternoon stuff so we headed for Alabama 3, who were top.

Saturday was another shift and then out in time for Massive Attack who were fab. Were going to ped the fire show after but I was too knackered so we headed back.

Now at pyramid listening to John Mayer, who is pretty dope. Not sunny but ok. Net up with Angharad and Tristram and just chillin.

Glastonbury: so far, we can has...

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 11:36:02 GMT

So so shifts - night shift tonight, morning on Friday, evening on Saturday. Missing Joan Armatrading and Jeremy Hardy, but catching Kings of Leon, John Mayer, Massive Attack and Groove Armada. Hopefully.

Ok weather - drizzle this morning but all dried off in wind now. Clouds on the horizon but look high.

New campsite - over on far east of site. Nice size (after moving boundary out twice) but just outside the Fence and as far from our shifts as possible.

Nice neighbours - v young but charming, convivial and cute.

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 09:44:48 GMT

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 10:22:00 GMT

WTF? My website has disappeared. I can still log into my control panel and my domain registration appears to be up to date but all the files for my website have disappeared. We are not amused.

Message from my past self

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 15:31:51 GMT

Comment found in my code this afternoon:

This is quite a complicated query built of lots of sub queries so if what follows is unclear, ask Jo about it (if you are future Jo reading this then bad luck, you just have to figure it out :) ).

I actually remember writing this - I wasn't convinced that anyone would be able to follow the explanation I'd written. Actually, reading it back now, it looks fine, although I'd probably use common table expressions to make the structure clearer.

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 22:29:55 GMT

View Poll: #1205918

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 20:20:01 GMT

*catches up with weekend Who*

*glares hard at RTD*

OK, I was going to make a sarcastic comment about how Rose better be evil or going to die, and then I thought....

Maybe (fingers really tightly crossed) Donna pushes Rose off the Medusa Cascade, thus saving the universe. The Doctor acknowledges same but will never speak to her again, explaining why River Song doesn't recognise her.

It would totally cement Donna as favourite nuWho companion :)

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 18:58:58 GMT

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 10:38:30 GMT

Apparently, I'm not the only one who thinks that there's no such thing as a new paradigm in the financial markets.

Dreamwidth

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 19:47:25 GMT

So, another LJ daughter-site is, well not born yet actually, but late enough on in it's gestation that they feel they can start telling people about it. I tend to be very skeptical of idealism in business ("Don't be evil" hasn't added up to much for Google in the long term, for example) but I actually know these people and, well, (a) they mean it (seriously, you should hear D talking about this - she is soooo excited) and (b) they're good at what they do. Really good. Of course, that's not very useful for everyone else, but yes, watching with a very great deal of interest.

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 20:13:11 GMT

Migration

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 15:50:03 GMT

Have spent a surprising amount of time messing around this afternoon trying to decide why I don't just suck it up and pay for Flickr. In the end, I narrowed it down to a few things:

1) The link back policy. I find this annoying. Sometimes I want to use pictures in a purely illustrative fashion and don't want them to be a pointer off to elsewhere. I have a feeling I shouldn't be so precious about this but it's annoying.

2) I get that free users are a drain on resources, but surely by adding more sets, I wouldn't using any more resources than I already am, right? I get the bandwidth cap and I'm fine with it but the sets one is annoying.

3) Lack of customizability. Not a biggie (and something surprisingly few places have, as well) but I'd like to be able to lay out my page as I want it.

On the other hand, I do like the last-to-first aspect of it. And the uploader - last time I tried it it wasn't up to much but now it's pretty full featured and does all the things I used to wish it would do. If only ScrapBook was capable of doing last-to-first, I'd switch over and use that but no such luck. Within a page, yes, but over a whole album, no, not so much. V annoying.

Hmm. Actually, I might be able to fake it after all. This requires some consideration. I wouldn't have the commenting, etc but on the other hand, I never use that on Flickr anyway - I've never really engaged with the Flickr community. I guess I'm just not into my picture taking enough. Hmm. Thoughtful thoughts must ensue. Because I need a new LJ project, oh yes I do.

Cassie relaxing

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 14:34:32 GMT

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 21:08:36 GMT

Doorbell rings while I'm dozing, Alex gets up to answer it and what does it prove to be? The parcel with the stuff I left sarahq for mailing back to me! Talk about timing. Also, it looks like we underestimated the postage costs!

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:14:13 GMT

The cognitive surplus. A very interesting article on why sitcoms are like gin and the internet is the growth of civil society. No really, go read it. Via copperbadge.

Touchdown

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 11:41:44 GMT

We have made it back to these fair shores in remarkably good order. In fact, we've had good transport mojo all the way through the trip, culminating in our flight arriving 20 minutes early and still being met on time by the taxi driver picking us up. Very pleasing all around. We have read and giggled at the reports of the cat sitters - thanks guys! Charlie has already forgiven us our absence, Cassie is still cross but I'm sure she'll come around.

Second round of photos to follow along with a round-up of the second half of the holiday experience when I have brought a bit of order to the bag strewn chaos that is the current state of the living room :)

Thu, 29 May 2008 02:41:30 GMT

Rich folded this out of a straw wrapper!