links for 2005-05-31
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Quick and simple application to easily convert any video format to AVI files with the required settings to be played on iRiver H300 series players.
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MacOsX / Windows 2000/XP application for iRiver H100 or H300 series
Monthly archive: May 2005
links for 2005-05-28
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'The Office of Fair Trading has given the banks six months to come up with a way to transfer the money within one day.' (Bank transfers now can take up to four days. Banks make an estimated £25m during this time.'
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Wanted: extremely overweight suicide bombers (as these X-rays are designed not to penetrate skin, and explosives tucked into flabby body folds'.
You know your life is lacking the lustre it once had…
…when you get all excited if Tesco replaces the contents of the bag of fun-size (translation from marketeese: 'small') apples you go through every week (from striped yellow-reddish South African Galas to shiny deep red USA Empire).
Thank goodness for the upcoming bank holiday. Very tempted to ditch my half-hearted DIY plans, get a fifty quid platinum weekend pass for the White Party Weekend instead and party-partee-partay.
Unless I succeed in stocking up with the rare Tesco Healthy Eating Red Berries Fat Free Fromage Frais (quite a mouthful that one, in more than one way).
links for 2005-05-27
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Instead of 'Belgium' in English, the card reads 'Belguim'. Cunning indeed. Might work if the misspellings are not widely advertised though?
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Apparently, the ultimate mastermind diet consists of a breakfast of beans on toast with Marmite, omelette and salad for lunch, rounded off with a yogurt and lots of berries – eaten while listening to Mozart. (And if all else fails, there's always modafinil.)
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Like, including 'complications with scanning fat fingers, dark-complexioned people and older individuals'.
links for 2005-05-26
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A detailed history of relational databases, and an overview of lighter-weight alternatives for tomorrow's mobile technologies
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How the LexisNexis hack (310,000+ people database) started with an AOL security breach
links for 2005-05-21
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'Telephone numbers beginning with the prefix 020 3 are to be issued from next month, it has been announced.'
My EuroFiction Song Contest
Leaving witty comments to he who does it better, these is my bare personal votes on last night's Eurovision Song Contest qualifier contestants.
Vocal performance, stage presence and costumes, just like I used to do as a young Eurovision fan twenty years ago. With the added help of a spreadsheet.
Ah, technology.
| Country | Voice | Moves | Style | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country | Voice | Moves | Style | Total |
| Austria | 9 | 7 | 6 | 22 |
| Lithuania | 6 | 5 | 5 | 16 |
| Portugal | 4 | 6 | 5 | 15 |
| Moldova | 8 | 8 | 6 | 22 |
| Latvia | 5 | 6 | 5 | 16 |
| Monaco | 7 | 5 | 6 | 18 |
| Israel | 6 | 5 | 6 | 17 |
| Belarus | 5 | 8 | 8 | 21 |
| Netherlands | 8 | 6 | 6 | 20 |
| Iceland | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| Belgium | 7 | 5 | 4 | 16 |
| Estonia | 6 | 8 | 6 | 20 |
| Norway | 8 | 7 | 8 | 23 |
| Romania | 8 | 8 | 6 | 22 |
| Hungary | 6 | 9 | 8 | 23 |
| Finland | 8 | 6 | 5 | 19 |
| FYR Macedonia | 7 | 5 | 5 | 17 |
| Andorra | 7 | 6 | 7 | 20 |
| Switzerland | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| Croatia | 6 | 6 | 5 | 17 |
| Bulgaria | 6 | 5 | 5 | 16 |
| Ireland | 6 | 5 | 4 | 15 |
| Slovenia | 8 | 7 | 8 | 23 |
| Denmark | 8 | 6 | 5 | 19 |
| Poland | 7 | 8 | 7 | 22 |
So, the ten countries going through to the final with my votes would be:
- Norway, 23 points
- Hungary, 23 points
- Slovenia, 23 points
- Austria, 22 points
- Moldova, 22 points
- Romania, 22 points
- Poland, 22 points
- Belarus, 21 points
- Iceland, 21 points
- Switzerland, 21 points
links for 2005-05-20
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Sound of cracking skull edited out from final cut. And the Doctor is the object of Captain Harkness attention in episode 8.
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Cybernetic system to allow physical interaction over the internet, via haptic suits. Tried out on chicken.
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'The sartorial elegance of the Italians has been shattered, with news that woolly socks helped their ancestors' conquest of northern England.'
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Researchers are developing a new form of DRM for DVDs using RFID tags and some sort of biometric data, like a fingerprint or iris scan.
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Presenting Gmail, news (including BBC), maps, weather and more on a single customisable page. Future plans include universal RSS support.
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It was bound to happen. Hours after the theatres release, it's already on the BitTorrent file-sharing network.
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Da Vinci's Last Supper, starring Star Wars characters
Everything is ready for the Eurovision Song Contest 2005
Everything is ready for the Eurovision Song Contest 2005
Originally uploaded by bitful.
Everything is ready for the Eurovision Song Contest qualifier.
TV tuned and connected to loudspeakers, and VCR ready to go.
Traditional Eurovision food at hand: a selection of home-made sandwiches, this year sans the distinctive flags-on-cocktail sticks.
Gallons of diet lemonade and frozen yogurt in the fridge.
The Icelandic flag proudly displaying on my laptop.
And Dr B. conveniently at his Ju Jitsu training.
links for 2005-05-18
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Twelve questions to complete stage 1 towards the final prize: a place, with all your fees paid, to study for a degree in the Department of Computer Science at Queen Mary, University of London
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Pros and cons of doing cardio at various times during your workout week
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Tips on how to bypass estate agents and sell your own home.
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Claims to be 'thoroughly subjective, and not at all comprehensive'. With bonus added catty remarks.
links for 2005-05-15
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When strips go bad.
links for 2005-05-14
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'The Department of Trade and Industry is to revert to its name after briefly being re-branded as the Department for Productivity, Energy and Industry.'
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'Abbey National has revealed its second rebranding in 18 months, saying that a logo rolled out at a cost of £11 million would be ditched to reflect the bank's takeover by Santander Central Hispano.'
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Mother washed iPod with clothes. Teenager son opens it with screwdriver to fix it. iPod explodes. Teenager breathes fumes and has to be treated by paramedics.
links for 2005-05-13
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Halfway between fascinating and plain scary: 'In a little more than a minute, a simple three-cube robot can make a copy of itself [...] That offspring version can then make further copies.'
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'…if you're desperate for a bit of pay-per-hump action, look no further than Kent County Constabulary HQ'
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Off-white (the official colour name is Chill) and sleek, it stands on one end, comes with a wireless controller and a 20GB removable hard drive.
links for 2005-05-12
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A full cooked breakfast can be healthy. Although at 620 Kcal you must perform a pretty intense workout regime to make the most of it.
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Fascinating thread originating from an Apple employee disclosing the direction his company is taking re. video playback.
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'The calculator below will give you are reasonable estimate of your current daily calorie intake. Using this you can calculate how many calories you can have to start reducing your weight.'
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UK launch of a small, blue box that provides a search function for the intranets or public websites of small to medium businesses.
links for 2005-05-11
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Security researchers have discovered two unpatched vulnerabilities in Firefox, the popular alternative web browser. The security bugs affect even the latest version of Firefox (version 1.0.3) and create a means for attackers to seize control of vulnerable systems using cross-site scripting attacks.
Out. And out!
Gay Haiku is finally out.
And so is Faustus, its author.
Well done!
(Should you want to buy the book, doing so via the Amazon.com link in this post gives the author a kickback.)
links for 2005-05-10
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A constantly update page with links to several (77 at last count) possible ways of using or improving del.icio.us
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Important issues for web developers about Google Web Accelerator. Although if the code produced is valid, compliant and accessible there shouldn't be too many problems with Google clicking every link and ignoring JavaScript confirmations.
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'A Roman Catholic cardinal and a priest in charge of Vatican Radio have been convicted of polluting the atmosphere with powerful electromagnetic waves [...] Two scientific studies have suggested a field of Vatican Radio broadcasting antennas north of Rome may have caused high rates of cancer in the area.'
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I am delighted to hear that the unsung work of first-class translators is finally going to be officially recognised with an award. I equally wish there was a 'Golden Raspberries' (Razzies)–style award for the worst literary translations ever.
Rebel without a cause
Damn. I have been cornered into driving my mother to the local cemetery today.
I am so glad I remembered to pack my tight Barbie hot pink polo shirt. And I so hope my nipple ring shows through.
The man has been dead for twenty years now – time to sort out my issues with my father perhaps?
Yesterday I went to Brasil and did a Paula
Went for a run in the Italian countryside yesterday and found out that:
- people do not run here. Either that, or my fly was undone, which would explain why people kept staring at me.
- Running on a treadmill in an air-conditioned gym is far, far easier. And it wasn't even hot.
- Some people have set up fully equipped kitchens in their garages. I asked why. It's to keep the kitchen upstairs spotless. Freaks.
- The stretch of wilderness that used to run between my village and the next one, nicknamed "Brasil" because, as a seven-year-old one could get lost in its jungle-like tangledness (not that I did, mind you), is now reduced to a couple of sorry bushes behind which I had a mid-run wee.
- Timing the final stretch of the run with the very moment people got out of Sunday mass was a stroke of genius. There's nothing as exhilarating as feeling like the village heathen. Next time I'll wear shorts with a red tail sticking out.
- Stretching properly before running is essential. I forgot. My body is reminding me today.
Picture it: Italy, 1979. A young fresh-faced Eurovision fan…
My intention was to spend two whole days with my mother, and for the occasion we returned to the family house (she moved in with my brother after a knee injury two years ago).
Three hours into the stay, I panicked. Was there enough food in the house? Did I have enough to read? Was the telephone line working so that I could go online? Did I remember to pack my mobile charger?
I was terrified to be cut off from the world, the very same feeling I had throughout my years there.
So, a quick dash to the supermarket and the newsstand later, I settled for a quiet evening in with mother in front of the telly.
And suddenly I was twelve again. I had my secret stash of food hidden away (if my mother saw the quantities of nosh I can put away in one session she'd be horrified and worried that I had developed diabetes like my dad). I sat down on the sofa and spread out the Guardian and a couple of books around me.
After a quick look at what the Italian TV landscape had to offer (tits and arse, none of which interested either of us), I switched over to HRT and saw the gorgeous blondeness of Feminem (yes, no kidding) singing this year's Bosnian Eurovision entry. When I realised that all this year's participants were performing on this preview TV show, with voting and all, I got all excited and told mother how I'd always liked the Eurovision Song Contest and only now that I live in the UK I get to experience the build-up publicly and talk to people with like-minded interests and this year I had already received two invitations to Eurovision parties and I was hoping to host a small one myself for the qualifying round before the live final but Dr B. was not too happy about it being a school night and all, and look, that's Anjelica Agurbash from the Belarus, wearing what looks like a chocolate wrapper with green muppet fur sticking out of it…
I turned around. Mother had gone to bed. Out came the food, and the familiar feeling of sticking out like a sore thumb.
When exactly did I turn into a lewd old man?
I mean, up until yesterday I had never even remotely considered anyone under thirty-five as a recipient of lust.
Yesterday though, as I was settling into my seat on the plane (last row, so that I could beat all the other passengers and be the first one out as I had no luggage to collect), this vision in combats and black t-shirt walked in. Looked at the two empty seats right next to me that were screaming 'Me – pick meee…' – and walked past.
Ooh he was gorgeous. And not a day over twenty-five. The confidence he oozed single-handedly reminded the whole world why Italians are renowned for being striking.
He went past me again on the way to the toilets. Alas, he did not leave the door slightly open for me to sneak in past Natividad and Katri (too busy anyway flogging the airline's scratch cards – WTF?).
A closer look at his clothes showed he must have ramsacked the queeniest end of the latest H&M's collection – just as well, as I told myself that he probably sounded as camp as a row of tents. Or had a lisp. Or that he was one of these annoying Italian straight men who send out gay vibes and jam my radar.
And as I turned back to my fiendishly difficult Su Doku I realised I had turned into an old fox who could not get to the grapes. Or something.
links for 2005-05-08
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Powered by TypePad. Featuring Pamela Anderson.
It's a bit like catching a bus
So I'm off to Italy for just two days. So often have I travelled there during the last three months that it feels like a non-eventful short trip somewhere outside London – and so it should be, considering the ridiculous cheap fares.
OK, so this time I splashed out in order to be able to travel on a Saturday and not have to take Friday off (yesterday's Government's reshuffling meant it was the busiest day of the last four years at my job).
Still, this weekend's ticket only cost slightly more than what I blew on a single night out last weekend. Scary.
It feels good to be able to catch up with friends and family whenever I feel like. This time I'm going to see my mother, because during my last trip there with Dr B. I only briefly saw her at lunch twice in four days. She did not once voice her disappointment, but that crushed puppy look on her face made me promise I'd try and go just a couple of days to be with her only.
The words 'passive-aggressive' and 'Catholic guilt' inevitably spring to mind.
If you're British and you know it cast your vote
Please please please go to the nearest polling station and help decide who is going to run the United Kingdom for the next few years.
My future depends on your choice. Unfortunately I will only be able to apply for British naturalisation in a little over two years (the fifth anniversary of becoming a British resident) and until then I am not eligible to vote.
Do it for me. Don't waste your ballot. Think of all the people who fought hard for you to hold this privilege.
links for 2005-05-05
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Skinfold test with four measurements
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Fat caliper and tape measurement methods for men and women
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The Yuhasz Technique for measuring body fat uses six sites as opposed to the three of four sites used in many other tests.
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An explanation why body fat percentage measured with scales that calculate BIA against height and weight can differ greatly at different times during the same day
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Detailed descriptions of which results you are likely to expect from each exercise, if performed correctly
Gone phishing
I would have thought that it is common sense never to trust any email that asks you to go to your bank's website and enter your details. If in doubt, report the email to your bank asking to confirm its legitimacy.
And as the average email inbox, unless protected with anti-spam filters, can receive dozen of such emails a week from different financial institutions who randomly target users–does this not make people suspicious?
Apparently not, as one in 20 online users admit to having fallen for internet scams.
Sometimes it's as simple as checking the URL. If your bank's website is located at http://freeweb.cz/freeusers/yourbank/index.html?user=gullible_twit, you know where you stand.
links for 2005-05-03
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Nokia Lifeblog automatically builds your diary as you take photos and videos, and send and receive messages. You can easily share your Lifeblog items with friends and family online. All a Lifeblogger needs is a weblog account from a Nokia Lifeblog compatible provider
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Mobile phone with 2 Megapixel camera and 4GB storage. Planned in the fourth quarter of 2005
links for 2005-05-01
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The iPod based workout routines include illustrations viewable on iPod Photo. All workouts can also be spoken to you on your iPod.
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The display uses little balls that are painted black and white, containing the same pigments found in laser printer toner cartridges for black, and sunblock and paint for white. The content self-destroys in 60 days though.