News Headlines

Wednesday, October 29, 2008 ~ 4 comments so far

Gosh, things are bad aren’t they. Awful. Credit Crunch apparently. No no, recession now. Or is it still a ‘downturn’? Hey it can’t be bad, did you hear the profit announcment from BP?

Enough of that, what about Brand and Ross? What a fuss! Fine them and be done with it. Everyone knows what they are like, and whilst that’s no excuse (and they should be dealt with) is it really the only news of the day?

What about the preview of Windows 7? No?

OK, a cat update. Last night he brought us a dead mouse and this morning, as I opened the front door to leave the house, he appeared with a tiny dead bird. Now I’ve had words with him about this before so he knew fine well that I would be taking the bird from him and disposing of it immediately.

I’m sorry but he needs to learn. Anyway, I have promised him that, the day he brings home a bloody magpie (in every sense of the word), he is free to de-feather, disembowel and generally torture the noisy thing all he likes.

And finally, Pro Evolution Soccer is taking some getting used to but it’s slowly winning me over.

Ummmmm.

So.

How are you?

RunKeeper

Monday, October 27, 2008 ~ 9 comments so far

runkeeper, originally uploaded by Gordon.

First run with this and it’s BANG on the money, you can even see which side of the road I ran down. Brilliant.

It’s still early days, and doesn’t have the same depth of information that a website like Fetch does but it’s quick and works far better than the Nike+ website.

Aimee Mann

Monday, October 27, 2008 ~ 1 comment so far

It was my first visit to the Old Fruitmarket venue in Glasgow last night, to listen to ‘that woman who had several songs on the soundtrack of Magnolia’, Aimee Mann.

I can’t quite remember how I discovered her, but it was only recently that I purchased her previous album Bachelor No.2 and, quite liking it, I soon found I was a bit late to this party. She won’t tick the boxes for everyone and if I’m honest I’m surprised I like her enough to go and see her live.

Still, she has a way with lyrics that I like and a knack similar to Guy Garvey for capturing gorgeous imagery even if she is overly preoccupied with the freaks and failures of life. She does have a great ear for a tune and last night she picked several songs from her new album which does feel a little more upbeat than previous offerings.

The Old Fruitmarket is a small venue so the night had a nicely intimate feel to it, although it probably helped that I was four rows from the front. Aimee has a nice laidback on-stage persona which lends itself to a low key gig that felt well paced and never rushed. I admit I was expecting things to be a little ‘rockier’ than they were but it was far from a disappointment.

Halfway through the main set, she asked for requests and considering how they stumbled through “Dear John” (it took a member of the audience to remind her of the opening line) it was certainly a genuine performance. Supported by a very slick band it was a surprise when they reached the end of their main set, time flies and all that.

Back out for four songs, all requests and then off to politely raucous applause (everyone stayed seated), it was an intimate if somewhat removed show. Highlights included the requested singing of one of my favourite songs, 4th of July, and a solo acoustic version Red Vines which was mesmerising and hauntingly gorgeous.

On not running

Sunday, October 26, 2008 ~ 2 comments so far

Not jogging today as I have a twinge in my back. It happened at some point at work on Friday, just a wee tweak of a muscle I’m sure but I really don’t want to risk it. I’ll try to go out tomorrow night I think.

The jogScotland programme helps when this happens, it’s a slow build from one level to another, so missing one run doesn’t set you back. This morning I had planned, after my run, to go and support some co-workers who are running a local 10K with the aim of supporting Cancer Research. I might still wander down…

But having looked at the weather, maybe not. It’s one thing to go for a run in the howling gales and lashing rain that we’ve experienced this past week, quite another to just stand about it in. A lot of people have expressed amazement that I enjoy running in the rain and the only way I can explain it is to say that it’s very much like being a kid again. Sploshing through puddles and not worrying about getting dirty, it’s fab!

The wind? Yeah not so much, and I’ve already got the running tights looked out for the first of the snow.

What? Ohhh shut up…

My name is important

Thursday, October 23, 2008 ~ 9 comments so far

If you get a moment go check out www.mclean.com or for that matter www.mclean.co.uk. I own neither unfortunately.

Both are high-level domains, both are classed as desirable (read, expensive) and both are currently being used… for nothing. Well I’m sure they bring in money for the person who owns them and has them sitting their forlornly with nothing but adverts on them.

It’s rather sad.

And very bloody annoying.

I pay for the domain names I have and I don’t mind doing so but having contacted the owners of these particularly domain names, domain names which obviously I might, maybe, be interested in using (dear first time reader, let me introduce myself, I’m Gordon McLean). Alas I’ve either heard nothing or the topic turnst to money and some rather large amounts are mentioned.

So, I’m setting up a blog appeal to raise sufficient fu…. no, I’m not really.

I just wanted to say that, you know, it’s annoying. My Mum and Dad have put HUGE amounts of effort into tracing our genealogy and where better to start putting the information than in the domain name for our family.

To be frank it just seems mean that these people are allowed to sit on these domain names and do nothing with them or than earn money for hosting adverts. Isn’t the internet supposed to be better than that?? They are the worst kind of leech and whilst I know that this blog post isn’t going to change their opinion (I’m sure they will point to the $xyz dollars they earn each year by sitting on those domains) it’s just a bit… crap.

iPhone Apps

Wednesday, October 22, 2008 ~ 10 comments so far

I’m still loving my iPhone, despite it’s foibles (why can’t I send a link of my current location from the Maps application to another iPhone user? Or even a weblink to Google maps? Or.. you get the point).

To capture my current usage I thought I’d jot down the apps I currently have installed. Because, you know, blogs, lists.. etc etc. So without further ado other than the default applications my iPhone runs:

• Twitterific – paid version – still a little buggy but easily the most used application other than the SMS and phone functionality.
• Mobile Fotos – after ditching my Windows Mobile phone a couple of years ago, one thing I missed was Shozu which allows you to upload your photos to Flickr. Shozu is available for the iPhone but Mobile Fotos is a more rounded application.
• Digital Clock – I have a dock, and can set this application running, set an alarm (turn on Airport mode) et voila, my own alarm clock. Oh yeah, you need to change the screen timeout as well. ONE app to do all of those settings would be worth money to me.
• Instapaper – paid version – a simple bookmarklet which I was already using to track articles to read later on. The iPhone app lets me read them when I get a few spare moments (yeah, on the loo!).
• Airsharing – free version (was only available free for a limited time) – lets me easily moves files to and from the iPhone meaning I can do away with my other USB drives.
• Zenbe – a list application that syncs from the iPhone app to my online Zenbe account and vice versa. Has replaced TaDa lists for me purely because of the iPhone app.
• Here I am – a simple app that emails your current location (long/lat). Haven’t used it much, kept ‘just in case’.
• Movies – to quickly find the latest movie times, not used often but v.useful.
• Palringo – a bit like Trillian, lets me log into multiple chat clients on my iPhone. Not used often.
• Light – cos sometimes you need a completely white screen when you don’t have a torch handy.
• VNC – so I can VNC to my computer. Works FAR better than you’d think!
• WeightTrack – in an effort to lose some weight I thought I’d gadget/geek up and use my iPhone. Had the application for 3 weeks and entered 2 weights so far. Must do better!
• iChoose – a coin flipper/decision maker type app. Silly but.. MAY be useful someday?
• Cube Runner – simple tilt based game. Navigate the ‘ship’ through the cubes as you fly through them.
• Lightsaber – ohhh shut up. I’m a geek and I like Star Wars, I can’t NOT have this on my phone!
• iPint – really should delete this…
• Monkey Ball – another tilt based game, guide the monkey in the ball through the courses. Simple, frustratingly hard!
• Brain Challenge – a nice diversion which has the added benefit of stimulating your brain, keeps track of your progress too.
• HoldEm – poker game which is curiously addictive and has helped me understand poker a LOT better.
• Oblique – an iPhone app of the Brian Eno Oblique Strategy cards designed to inspire you to think different.
• Last.fm – installed after a recommendation, have yet to do much with it.
• Simplify – iPhone app to hook into the Simplify Media server which runs on my home computer (primarily to let my PS3 see my ‘media’).
• TV Plus – tv listing application that can hook up to your Sky account and send remote record requests! VERY slick and waaaayyyy better than the sky website. In saying that I think my Sky box needs set up again or something as it’s not managed to work for me, yet.
• PhotoFrame – nice idea this, if you set the screen timeout to never turn off, run this app you get a digital clock, date and picture slideshow. Only 6 photos at present but looks good. Another app that would be way better if IT could change the settings for the screen timeout (if it’s docked and getting power, leave the screen on).
• Exposure – location based photo app (amongst other things) which I don’t really use. Can pull Flickr photos based on location… interesting but not hugely useful.
• Vicinity – location based app that will give you listings of useful numbers (restaurant, taxi and so on) depending on where you are. Not often used but COULD prove useful in the future.
• Google – quicker than firing up Safari and going to the search bar there, that’s the only reason I use it.

I also have home screen links to Google Reader and the new iPhone optimised Flickr webpages

Blimey, that’s more than I thought. There are a couple there I should remove and I’ve installed at least twice as many as listed here but ultimately these are the ones that currently work for me.

I know a few of you have iPhones (and yes I know a few of you think they are over-hyped) so do let me know if I’m missing out on the MUST HAVE application, won’t you?

Back on track

Tuesday, October 21, 2008 ~ 1 comment so far

Whilst I can’t say the words are flowing all that freely the past few hectic weeks are behind me and, whilst the next few are still full of plenty of things that need done/attend, they are all mostly things I can envisage and plan for so that, somehow, seems like things are better.

Which makes it sound like things were bad, they weren’t, just busy (and even then a lot of that busyness was mainly in my head).

So. Hello! Welcome to my blog.

Ohhh now there’s a thought. I wonder what it must be like to start a blog afresh, free from conceptions and restrictions, a blank canvas on which to paint which version of myself I choose, an empty space to fill with those areas of my mind which I keep closed off to even myself.

Might be interesting.

But no, don’t bother searching, I don’t have an anonymous blog. Not yet…

Twitter remains a good outlet for the odd random thought and nonsense, which oddly should allow this this blog to go full circle back to the origins which brought it to life. I even switched away from having a miniblog once twitter came along, although I still share links via my delicious account.

But I guess the comforting thing is that my blog has never really had a distinct focus, and as it took quite a while for me to figure out what my ‘voice’ was, I have the luxury of blogging about whatever I want, whenever I want. Doubly so now my other blog is given over to more considered posts centred around my profession.

That said, I did recently clear out a load of old draft posts that I’ve kept hanging about for months in the vague hope I might one day complete but as I’ve not managed that up to now I decide, what the heck, and bye bye draft post.

I’m hoping to take a little more time to consider my posts here, and part of me covets a Post of the Week award, mainly for the pleasure I get from writing. But hey, don’t count on it. Knowing me the next few posts will be about my iPhone.

Ohhh, actually, now I come to mention it…