Well almost.
Last night the regulars of Team Detritus, Peter, Phil and myself, managed to get all our brain cells lined up and we took 3rd place out of 12 in the quiz, with a magnificent score of 20 out of 40. If you don't think that sounds very good, then don't mock, read this old post to find out how hard it is.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Barry Taplin, Stag Do
Had a very enjoyable weekend at an old friend's Stag party. We did some Clay Pigeon shooting, followed by Greyhound Racing. I've uploaded some pictures here
Friday, May 12, 2006
Pointless functionality - Part 1
I've called this part 1, because once I have started I am sure I will add more. I was just browsing LinkedIN, if you don't know it, it's a network community site which I have found useful making connections etc.
Anyway, I was looking for a connection in one of my friends networks and browsing through the list my eye was drawn to my own name. Now this wasn't because I love myself and like seeing my name in print, but because LinkedIn have chosen to add a little graphic arrow with the word "you" next to it.
I can just imagine the product meeting that came up at:
"So what new and innovative functionality are we going to add to the site this week?"
"How about we add a little graphic to people's network lists that highlight their own name?"
"Why?"
"Well maybe someone is browsing their friends networks when they are feeling a little insecure and it would be good to see that someone values them, or they could be drunk or maybe they are just having a schizophrenic moment and need reminding who they really are!"
"Sounds cool, that works for me, let's do it"
Maybe I will start a website where people can vote for the stupidest bit functionality on a website...
Anyway, I was looking for a connection in one of my friends networks and browsing through the list my eye was drawn to my own name. Now this wasn't because I love myself and like seeing my name in print, but because LinkedIn have chosen to add a little graphic arrow with the word "you" next to it.
I can just imagine the product meeting that came up at:
"So what new and innovative functionality are we going to add to the site this week?"
"How about we add a little graphic to people's network lists that highlight their own name?"
"Why?"
"Well maybe someone is browsing their friends networks when they are feeling a little insecure and it would be good to see that someone values them, or they could be drunk or maybe they are just having a schizophrenic moment and need reminding who they really are!"
"Sounds cool, that works for me, let's do it"
Maybe I will start a website where people can vote for the stupidest bit functionality on a website...
Monday, May 08, 2006
Town Planners, who put them in charge?
I've always had a bit of barely repressed aggression in relation to Town Planners. It usually surfaces when I am sitting a traffic queue to get in or out of a badly designed retail park, but last week it rose up on my regular journey to work.
Day 1 - traveling to work over Staines Bridge, I see a yellow sign advertising an impending Bridge Closure, for NINE days from May 9th to May 18th. Bloody hell I thought, that's going to make traffic interesting. The bridge will only be from 9 until 4.30pm, but as my usual departure for work is about 9.15, it looks like I am walking/cycling a for a few weeks. I keep saying I am going to get more exercise that way
Day 3 - traveling from work - The sign has been changed, blue and white writing over original yellow and black - it now says May 9th for just 2 days, ho hum, there goes my exercise routine.
Day 5 - traveling to work, red sign saying delayed over blue and white, over yellow and black, you get the idea. No more dates, no idea if/when this will happen.
Day 7 - traveling from work - sign on this side of the bridge has lost it's red delayed sticker back to plan B
In summary, words such as piss up and brewery spring to mind. How hard can it be to:
a) Plan for the work to be done and how long it will take
b) Advertise it
A footnote, whilst looking for a pretty picture of Staines Bridge for this blog I spotted this fine document all about the closure. They estimated one week, which is shorter than nine days and much longer than 2 days.
But this isn't the end of it, oh no. This all happened in the same week that we received at home notification of the intention to knock down the Spelthorne Council Office and build a block of flats with "90 dwellings"
Why has this annoyed me? Well last year, I had a planning application turned down to turn an unused first floor balcony (which overlooks the school field and said Council Offices) into a conservatory off our main bedroom. The reason given, because it was not in keeping in the character of the surrounding area, despite the fact that the only people that would be able to see it, would be those working at the Council.
So now, it's OK for the council to tear down a very nice looking historical building and fundamentally alter the character of the area by adding flats, complete with residents, cars, kids, noise and everything else that goes with neighbours, but it is not OK for me to make a small and virtually invisible change to my house. That's local government for you.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Evolution
Anybody who knows me will know that I find the theory of Evolution interesting, fascinating even, and it is a theme that crops up in conversation on many occasions (stop yawning over there).
My two favourites examples of evolution are
The Heike Crab
For those of you who don't already know (I can see you yawning, but I know you really, really want to hear this again) is a crab from Japan with an unusual history.
Old Japanese legend has it that in 1185, after defeat at the battle of Dan-no-ura in the Genpei war, the Emperor Antoku and his Taira warriors, committed suicide by throwing themselves into the sea. From this time, the heike crabs in this area are believed to hold the spirits of the dead warriors and any crab caught that has a carapace which resembles the face of a samurai warrior are thrown back into the sea.
Thus over the last 800+ years, crabs that carry this resemblance are more likely to survive and breed, thus forcing them down an evolutionary path, in this case artificial, not natural selection. The end result, you can see for yourself, is remarkable.
The Internet
Well actually that should really say something like "business models of companies primarily using the internet as their trading medium", but "the Internet" is a bit snappier when you're having this conversation in a pub.
So many different examples to use, but a good one to quote is the rise of the Internet Search Engine, such as Yahoo, Google, or remember Alta Vista?
There is a lot of talk in Internet circles about the dominance of Google at the moment and how it seems to be expanding into lots of new areas. I've been online since late 1994 and I've watched with interest the changing search landscape and just have one thing to say, well a couple of things really:
So what does that all mean?
Basically what I am trying to say (and if you don't stop yawning, I'll start talking about Schrodinger's Cat again) is that the rapid pace of technological change as illustrated by the Internet in all it's glory, has also accelerated the process of evolution.
This example, the evolution of search engines, I think illustrates all of the above points and I hereby predict that somebody, someday, sooner rather than later, will invent a better search engine than Google and it will become the dominant player. I also predict that this new search engine would not have been possible without the pioneering work of it's predecessors, i.e. "Standing on the shoulders of Giants"
I also predict that it is quite possible it will be ex Google people that do it!
Two other more esoteric references to evolution, I remember reading a book, "Oath of Fealty" about the development of earth's first Arcology and the impact it has on the society surrounding it's location, Los Angeles I believe. I remember a phrase from the book that stuck in my mind, "It's just evolution in action", which in the book referred to the stupidity of some intruders into the arcology that ignored clear signs that they could be killed if they continued to break in. They carry on and guess what? They get killed. I often wondered if this book had an influential effect on the founder of the Darwin Awards.
Finally (honestly), my last reference to Evolution is from one of my favourite Clint Eastwood movies, Heartbreak Ridge. AS tough guy, Gunny Highway, Clint refers often to the US Marine Corps motto: Innovate, adapt, overcome! Now if that isn't an evolutionary call to action I don't know what is.
Phew, this has to be my longest blog post ever. Well it is a bit of a big topic...
My two favourites examples of evolution are
- The Heike Crab
- The Internet
The Heike Crab
For those of you who don't already know (I can see you yawning, but I know you really, really want to hear this again) is a crab from Japan with an unusual history.
Old Japanese legend has it that in 1185, after defeat at the battle of Dan-no-ura in the Genpei war, the Emperor Antoku and his Taira warriors, committed suicide by throwing themselves into the sea. From this time, the heike crabs in this area are believed to hold the spirits of the dead warriors and any crab caught that has a carapace which resembles the face of a samurai warrior are thrown back into the sea.
Thus over the last 800+ years, crabs that carry this resemblance are more likely to survive and breed, thus forcing them down an evolutionary path, in this case artificial, not natural selection. The end result, you can see for yourself, is remarkable.
The Internet
Well actually that should really say something like "business models of companies primarily using the internet as their trading medium", but "the Internet" is a bit snappier when you're having this conversation in a pub.
So many different examples to use, but a good one to quote is the rise of the Internet Search Engine, such as Yahoo, Google, or remember Alta Vista?
There is a lot of talk in Internet circles about the dominance of Google at the moment and how it seems to be expanding into lots of new areas. I've been online since late 1994 and I've watched with interest the changing search landscape and just have one thing to say, well a couple of things really:
- It's tough being number one, everybody is out to get you
- It takes genius to invent, it takes engineering to replicate
- Somebody is always trying to build a better mousetrap
- If I have seen further it is by standing on ye shoulders of Giants
So what does that all mean?
Basically what I am trying to say (and if you don't stop yawning, I'll start talking about Schrodinger's Cat again) is that the rapid pace of technological change as illustrated by the Internet in all it's glory, has also accelerated the process of evolution.
This example, the evolution of search engines, I think illustrates all of the above points and I hereby predict that somebody, someday, sooner rather than later, will invent a better search engine than Google and it will become the dominant player. I also predict that this new search engine would not have been possible without the pioneering work of it's predecessors, i.e. "Standing on the shoulders of Giants"
I also predict that it is quite possible it will be ex Google people that do it!
Two other more esoteric references to evolution, I remember reading a book, "Oath of Fealty" about the development of earth's first Arcology and the impact it has on the society surrounding it's location, Los Angeles I believe. I remember a phrase from the book that stuck in my mind, "It's just evolution in action", which in the book referred to the stupidity of some intruders into the arcology that ignored clear signs that they could be killed if they continued to break in. They carry on and guess what? They get killed. I often wondered if this book had an influential effect on the founder of the Darwin Awards.
Finally (honestly), my last reference to Evolution is from one of my favourite Clint Eastwood movies, Heartbreak Ridge. AS tough guy, Gunny Highway, Clint refers often to the US Marine Corps motto: Innovate, adapt, overcome! Now if that isn't an evolutionary call to action I don't know what is.
Phew, this has to be my longest blog post ever. Well it is a bit of a big topic...
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Go Detritus!
Either we are getting smarter, the questions are getting easier, or we had a lucky night. Whatever the reason we got one of our best scores in the Pub Quiz last night, 21 out of 40 (don't mock at that until you have tried it.)
Not only that we were 6th out of 11 teams, only about 7 points behind the winners!
What was just as annoying was the couple of questions we were convinced we knew the answer too, but just couldn't tease the information out of our beer dulled brains.
Convinced that there must be a name for this condition (apart from forgetfulness)I did a quick search on Google and found an interesting article on Wikipedia about a phenomenon known as "Presque vu" related to the more common Deja Vu, the term is from the French language, meaning "almost seen," the expression means almost, but not quite, remembering something. Often very disorienting and distracting, presque vu rarely leads to an actual breakthrough. Frequently, one experiencing presque vu will say that they have something "on the tip of their tongue".
This exactly describes how I felt last night, there were several questions where I could feel the answer just out of my grasp in my memory. I can remember related facts, where and when I had heard the name before, could even describe a person, but just couldn't quite bring the name into focus - very frustrating.
What is mildly worrying, is that the article goes on to say: "Presque vu is often cited by people who suffer from epilepsy or other seizure-related brain conditions, such as temporal lobe lability. This condition is related to people who exhibit strong artistic or imaginative abilities, however also related to the theory that Alien Abductions are most often psychic incidents, i.e. the person imagines the abduction, but at such a detailed level that they strongly believe it is true. Such a phenomenon is also knows as False memory syndrome.
I have always been fascinated by memory and how it is triggered by smells, sounds, even colour. I think more reading is required...
Not only that we were 6th out of 11 teams, only about 7 points behind the winners!
What was just as annoying was the couple of questions we were convinced we knew the answer too, but just couldn't tease the information out of our beer dulled brains.
Convinced that there must be a name for this condition (apart from forgetfulness)I did a quick search on Google and found an interesting article on Wikipedia about a phenomenon known as "Presque vu" related to the more common Deja Vu, the term is from the French language, meaning "almost seen," the expression means almost, but not quite, remembering something. Often very disorienting and distracting, presque vu rarely leads to an actual breakthrough. Frequently, one experiencing presque vu will say that they have something "on the tip of their tongue".
This exactly describes how I felt last night, there were several questions where I could feel the answer just out of my grasp in my memory. I can remember related facts, where and when I had heard the name before, could even describe a person, but just couldn't quite bring the name into focus - very frustrating.
What is mildly worrying, is that the article goes on to say: "Presque vu is often cited by people who suffer from epilepsy or other seizure-related brain conditions, such as temporal lobe lability. This condition is related to people who exhibit strong artistic or imaginative abilities, however also related to the theory that Alien Abductions are most often psychic incidents, i.e. the person imagines the abduction, but at such a detailed level that they strongly believe it is true. Such a phenomenon is also knows as False memory syndrome.
I have always been fascinated by memory and how it is triggered by smells, sounds, even colour. I think more reading is required...
Thursday, April 06, 2006
I have escaped the Digital Stone Age
I have just returned from almost week stuck in the Digital stone age, also known as "visiting family".
A typical day for me usually involves me never being away from a fast internet connection for more than a couple of hours at a time:
Usually when I go "Up North", the slow dial-up connection via my mobile GPRS is quite sufficient for picking up email and I just grumble quietly about not being able to do too much as the cost of 1Mb data over GPRS is something akin to a cheap laptop on eBay
However, this trip, was poorly timed and I had some serious work to do, unfortunately on various web based services which meant I was going to use a serious amount of data. Luckily, my T-mobile provider has just started offering an all you can eat GPRS access for just £7.50 per month, bargain I thought.
If only it had been that simple, not having to worry about the cost, I set about doing my stuff only to discover that the so called GPRS connection has a theoretical max speed of about 115kps, but an actual speed of data glacial if you try to do anything serious. So what would normally have taken 30 mins took about 3 hours of excruciatingly slow page refreshes.
The next day, I tried a different approach and tried to find a WiFi connection. First I tried a Cafe Nero, supposedly part of the Surf and Sip network, except, the staff there couldn'tt spell internett never mind work out why their wifi connection was appearing for only about 1 second every five minutes.
Second I tried a local bar, supposedly part of the same network, the conversation went something like this:
"What can I get ya?" asked bored looking female bar staff.
"Is your wifi connection working in here?" I asked politeley
"Our what?"
"Your internet connection, you're supposed to have a wifi hotspot here?"
"Our hifi connection? What's that? The jukebox uses CDs, we havent had hifi here for years"
"Never mind"
Finally, I drove out to another pub and sat in the car park trying to pick up the hotspot signal - success, it was there but a poor connection. So I went inside and ordered a beer, asking the bar man where was the best spot for his wifi connection.
"What's that?" he said looking puzzled.
"Your wifi hotspot, the connection was a bit weak in the car park, where is your router?"
"We don't have an internet connection here", he said looking a bit baffled, "maybe you are picking up a local house?"
"OK, I'll just sit over here quietly", I said, not having the energy to argue.
For the next half an hour I enjoyed wifi/broadband bliss, whilst occasionaly giving knowing glances to the puzzled looking barman.
And the moral of this story, just because your wifi provider says there should be a hotspot there, don't you believe it, I'm off now to look at the price of a 3G laptop PCMCIA card....
A typical day for me usually involves me never being away from a fast internet connection for more than a couple of hours at a time:
- Home - 1Mb connection
- Office - 512k connection
- London - Up to 1Mb connection in wifi hotspots, e.g. Starbucks
Usually when I go "Up North", the slow dial-up connection via my mobile GPRS is quite sufficient for picking up email and I just grumble quietly about not being able to do too much as the cost of 1Mb data over GPRS is something akin to a cheap laptop on eBay
However, this trip, was poorly timed and I had some serious work to do, unfortunately on various web based services which meant I was going to use a serious amount of data. Luckily, my T-mobile provider has just started offering an all you can eat GPRS access for just £7.50 per month, bargain I thought.
If only it had been that simple, not having to worry about the cost, I set about doing my stuff only to discover that the so called GPRS connection has a theoretical max speed of about 115kps, but an actual speed of data glacial if you try to do anything serious. So what would normally have taken 30 mins took about 3 hours of excruciatingly slow page refreshes.
The next day, I tried a different approach and tried to find a WiFi connection. First I tried a Cafe Nero, supposedly part of the Surf and Sip network, except, the staff there couldn'tt spell internett never mind work out why their wifi connection was appearing for only about 1 second every five minutes.
Second I tried a local bar, supposedly part of the same network, the conversation went something like this:
"What can I get ya?" asked bored looking female bar staff.
"Is your wifi connection working in here?" I asked politeley
"Our what?"
"Your internet connection, you're supposed to have a wifi hotspot here?"
"Our hifi connection? What's that? The jukebox uses CDs, we havent had hifi here for years"
"Never mind"
Finally, I drove out to another pub and sat in the car park trying to pick up the hotspot signal - success, it was there but a poor connection. So I went inside and ordered a beer, asking the bar man where was the best spot for his wifi connection.
"What's that?" he said looking puzzled.
"Your wifi hotspot, the connection was a bit weak in the car park, where is your router?"
"We don't have an internet connection here", he said looking a bit baffled, "maybe you are picking up a local house?"
"OK, I'll just sit over here quietly", I said, not having the energy to argue.
For the next half an hour I enjoyed wifi/broadband bliss, whilst occasionaly giving knowing glances to the puzzled looking barman.
And the moral of this story, just because your wifi provider says there should be a hotspot there, don't you believe it, I'm off now to look at the price of a 3G laptop PCMCIA card....
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Making a Complaint
I saw a TV advert on Sunday that, for the first time, made want to make a complaint. The advert was quite short and simple, for BUPA and made a simple claim, if you go with BUPA you will be treated in a clean and comfortable hospital. You can see the advert here
Personally I was shocked, what idiot at BUPA decided that slagging off the NHS was a good way to promote private health care? In my experience, using negatives like this in advertising rarely results in a successful campaign. The advert does not mention the NHS by name, that would have gone way too far, but what other source of hospital care is commonly available in the UK? Any intelligent viewer would draw the same conclusions as I did.
Consequently, if I worked in the NHS (I don't, but mother worked as a nurse for many years), I would be deeply offended by the advert. There has been lots of talk over the past few years about cleanliness in hospitals and MRSA, but I am not aware of any research that shows private hospitals are any cleaner than NHS. In fact a quick search of the BUPA website shows no information to substantiate the claim, there is an article which claims that "access to a clean hospital" is the deciding factor in choosing health insurance, but no independent verification that BUPA hospitals are any cleaner than their "competitors".
We can debate the rights and wrongs about NHS funding, how the funds are used and the effectiveness of NHS management, but my reaction to the advert was more on behalf of the average NHS employee. I am sure the vast majority of these people are doing their best every day in a challenging environment and seeing an advert like that would be very irritating and annoying. I am sure people will tell me if I am wrong...
Anyway, it annoyed meso, I went along to the ASA website and registered my complaint. I know from personal experience that the ASA has the power to review an advert even if only one person complains. Of course, it is better if more do it too. So if you agree with me, don't sit there and do nothing, go to the ASA website and add your own complaint against BUPA.
Personally I was shocked, what idiot at BUPA decided that slagging off the NHS was a good way to promote private health care? In my experience, using negatives like this in advertising rarely results in a successful campaign. The advert does not mention the NHS by name, that would have gone way too far, but what other source of hospital care is commonly available in the UK? Any intelligent viewer would draw the same conclusions as I did.
Consequently, if I worked in the NHS (I don't, but mother worked as a nurse for many years), I would be deeply offended by the advert. There has been lots of talk over the past few years about cleanliness in hospitals and MRSA, but I am not aware of any research that shows private hospitals are any cleaner than NHS. In fact a quick search of the BUPA website shows no information to substantiate the claim, there is an article which claims that "access to a clean hospital" is the deciding factor in choosing health insurance, but no independent verification that BUPA hospitals are any cleaner than their "competitors".
We can debate the rights and wrongs about NHS funding, how the funds are used and the effectiveness of NHS management, but my reaction to the advert was more on behalf of the average NHS employee. I am sure the vast majority of these people are doing their best every day in a challenging environment and seeing an advert like that would be very irritating and annoying. I am sure people will tell me if I am wrong...
Anyway, it annoyed meso, I went along to the ASA website and registered my complaint. I know from personal experience that the ASA has the power to review an advert even if only one person complains. Of course, it is better if more do it too. So if you agree with me, don't sit there and do nothing, go to the ASA website and add your own complaint against BUPA.
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
15 Goals in 3 games!
It's been a frustrating season for Liverpool fans, with so few goals this year and a run of bad luck in important games. Then look what happens, 15 goals in 3 games, admittedly against some of the less proficient teams in the premiership, but nevertheless, last night's performance against Birmingham was fantastic.
What is even more amazing is that the team that started last night had five different players than the match against Newcastle on Sunday. There is lots of discussion about the need for a comprehensive squad of players especially with the heavy schedule of games for any club involved in European football. Last night's performance demonstrated to me that the size of the squad is less important than the training and integration of the players.
Hats of too Raf for keeping the first team squad at a level of performance that has allowed players to slot in and out of the team on the pitch and function effectively with different team mates and sometimes in different positions.
The team performance over the last few games also bodes well for England. Apart from his total f**kup against Arsenal:
Gerrard has been magnificent, especially last night, setting up 4 of the goals.
Carragher has been the linchpin of the defense, time and time again. He provides a solidity and dependability for the team that allows them to push forward and take the game to other side, confident that they are well defended from the fast break.
Finally, Peter Crouch, long the concern of England and Liverpool fans alike is now showing the capability that others have seen in him and he has certainly won over the Liverpool crowd, very unhappy with his substitution last night, denying him the chance for a hat trick. Ask any Liverpool fan if they would have been concerned about that several months ago and they would have just laughed at you.
Come on you mighty Reds!
What is even more amazing is that the team that started last night had five different players than the match against Newcastle on Sunday. There is lots of discussion about the need for a comprehensive squad of players especially with the heavy schedule of games for any club involved in European football. Last night's performance demonstrated to me that the size of the squad is less important than the training and integration of the players.
Hats of too Raf for keeping the first team squad at a level of performance that has allowed players to slot in and out of the team on the pitch and function effectively with different team mates and sometimes in different positions.
The team performance over the last few games also bodes well for England. Apart from his total f**kup against Arsenal:
Gerrard has been magnificent, especially last night, setting up 4 of the goals.
Carragher has been the linchpin of the defense, time and time again. He provides a solidity and dependability for the team that allows them to push forward and take the game to other side, confident that they are well defended from the fast break.
Finally, Peter Crouch, long the concern of England and Liverpool fans alike is now showing the capability that others have seen in him and he has certainly won over the Liverpool crowd, very unhappy with his substitution last night, denying him the chance for a hat trick. Ask any Liverpool fan if they would have been concerned about that several months ago and they would have just laughed at you.
Come on you mighty Reds!
Web 2.0
There is lots of talk in the news about Web 2.0 and I just found this really useful list of Web 2.0 applications, thanks to another blog Sacred Cow Dung. Even more interesting is that one of the sites I am involved in, BlogCode.com is in the list :)
Take a browse through and look at some of the amazing ways people are adapting internet technology to create or serve a need.
Take a browse through and look at some of the amazing ways people are adapting internet technology to create or serve a need.
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Barcelona 1 (3) : 1 (2) Chelsea
As a lifelong Liverpool fan, I am not dispapointed in the least by the departure of Cheslea from the Champions League.
Especially because the behaviour and comments of Chelsea manager Mourinho seem to grow more bizarre by the day.
In this article on the BBC, he blames "bad luck" for his teams loss and with reference to the sending off of del Horno in ther first leg he said "We have not seen two games where we had 11 players versus 11, so we have not seen Barcelona win against 11 - that's all I can say,"
What a great comment, he then went on to say: "This season we played one hour in the first leg with 10 men, but if Barca are in the next round they must be the better team"
I think that about sums it up, such insightful words of wisdom.
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Pub Quizzes
For the past few months, several friends and I have been attending a regular Tuesday night pub quiz at the "Wheatsheaf and Pigeon" in Staines. The quiz is particularly difficult, either that or we are just plain dumb.
According to Wikipedia A pub quiz is "a quiz held in a pub" - doesn't that just show you how useful open source websites are :)
Our team, "Detritus" varies from the hard core of two, Peter and myself, regular contributor Phil and occasional attendees, James, Louise, Wendy and Janne.
Considering there is usually only two or three of us, against teams of 4-8, it is not surprising that we consistently come either bottom or near bottom in the quiz.
However, I am sure it has something to do with the third round (of four), called the Bastard round.
Let me give you an example: How many of you, without looking it up in Google, know which Polish Concert Pianist became Polish Prime Minister in 1919? We certainly didn't, but if you really want to know, click here.
The final factor I am sure is about beer, our scores do tend to deteriorate during the quiz. Last night we got one of our worst scores, 14 out of 40 and for the second time only we got 0 out of 10 in the 3rd round. Ah well, better luck next time.
You may wonder why we do it, especially when you hear that the quiz master, Chris, takes great delight in ridiculing wrong answers as he reads out the scores. But then, I think that adds to the atmosphere and the challenge of thinking up a stupid but funny answer when you don't know the real answer.
But it would be nice not to come last so often, so if you are reading this and live near Staines, come on down and join in the fun, but only if you got the question wrong above, we don't need any more smart competition.
According to Wikipedia A pub quiz is "a quiz held in a pub" - doesn't that just show you how useful open source websites are :)
Our team, "Detritus" varies from the hard core of two, Peter and myself, regular contributor Phil and occasional attendees, James, Louise, Wendy and Janne.
Considering there is usually only two or three of us, against teams of 4-8, it is not surprising that we consistently come either bottom or near bottom in the quiz.
However, I am sure it has something to do with the third round (of four), called the Bastard round.
Let me give you an example: How many of you, without looking it up in Google, know which Polish Concert Pianist became Polish Prime Minister in 1919? We certainly didn't, but if you really want to know, click here.
The final factor I am sure is about beer, our scores do tend to deteriorate during the quiz. Last night we got one of our worst scores, 14 out of 40 and for the second time only we got 0 out of 10 in the 3rd round. Ah well, better luck next time.
You may wonder why we do it, especially when you hear that the quiz master, Chris, takes great delight in ridiculing wrong answers as he reads out the scores. But then, I think that adds to the atmosphere and the challenge of thinking up a stupid but funny answer when you don't know the real answer.
But it would be nice not to come last so often, so if you are reading this and live near Staines, come on down and join in the fun, but only if you got the question wrong above, we don't need any more smart competition.
Monday, February 27, 2006
My first rant - Invasion
***Spoiler warning***
**rant**
I've been watching this show on Channel 4 and E4 for weeks now, to be honest I am not sure why. Perhaps its because I can't wait to see what other unusual names they will come up with for key characters, after "Meriel" and "Larkin" who knows?
Or perhaps I am still hoping that it will actually turn out to be a bit more interesting and live up to some of the potential shown n the first few weeks.
So there I was last night watching the latest episode and actually getting quite interested, crazy Dave has met up with some other people that believe in his EBE theories; his brother-in-law has decided to start using his brain and put together all the whopping big clues that all is not right in his part of the Everglades; and Tom the sheriff decides that his inquisitive one-armed deputy (what is that all about) is being a bit too curious, plus he finds out his loyalty is not to spooky Tom, but to a higher power, namely the big JC himself.
So what does he do? He lures him out to a popular beach, popular that is with strange glowing EBEs in the water and then looks all surprised when he is taken off for an unplanned underwater excursion.
Finally we get to see a bit more of the EBE, in all its glowing orange proboscises and how the "pod people" get taken, nice.
Then after all this (almost) excitement and the feel of ponderous plotlines actually shifting into 2nd gear, the producers go and spoil it with the most ludicrous plot twist of all. One armed deputy, turn into two armed "pod person" glorifying in his miracle, so what does spooky Tom do, take him out into the woods with a chain saw and a contrite explanation about how God got it wrong and didn't mean to give you your arm back and "people don't like things they cant explain" speech.
You think you can guess the rest, disbelief; a struggle; the sound of a chain saw starting; spurting noises muffled by screams. Oh no, almost but not quite. No, we get asked to believe that Mr stupid deputy, is so stupid and loyal that he will willingly go off into a derelict cabin and do the deed himself.
Maybe I am missing something, maybe next week's episode will start with Deputy Dim running away fro the cabin with both arms pumping whilst making tortured screaming noises. Somehow, I don't think so, I look forward to see how the writers try to cover up the fact that is well healed stump of an arm has suddenly become a bit more troublesome overnight
With at least ten more weeks to go, plenty more time to suspend disbelief. And to think I watched this live and chose to record 24. Ah well, at least that means I can get my Jack Bauer fix sans adverts
**/rant**
**rant**
I've been watching this show on Channel 4 and E4 for weeks now, to be honest I am not sure why. Perhaps its because I can't wait to see what other unusual names they will come up with for key characters, after "Meriel" and "Larkin" who knows?
Or perhaps I am still hoping that it will actually turn out to be a bit more interesting and live up to some of the potential shown n the first few weeks.
So there I was last night watching the latest episode and actually getting quite interested, crazy Dave has met up with some other people that believe in his EBE theories; his brother-in-law has decided to start using his brain and put together all the whopping big clues that all is not right in his part of the Everglades; and Tom the sheriff decides that his inquisitive one-armed deputy (what is that all about) is being a bit too curious, plus he finds out his loyalty is not to spooky Tom, but to a higher power, namely the big JC himself.
So what does he do? He lures him out to a popular beach, popular that is with strange glowing EBEs in the water and then looks all surprised when he is taken off for an unplanned underwater excursion.
Finally we get to see a bit more of the EBE, in all its glowing orange proboscises and how the "pod people" get taken, nice.
Then after all this (almost) excitement and the feel of ponderous plotlines actually shifting into 2nd gear, the producers go and spoil it with the most ludicrous plot twist of all. One armed deputy, turn into two armed "pod person" glorifying in his miracle, so what does spooky Tom do, take him out into the woods with a chain saw and a contrite explanation about how God got it wrong and didn't mean to give you your arm back and "people don't like things they cant explain" speech.
You think you can guess the rest, disbelief; a struggle; the sound of a chain saw starting; spurting noises muffled by screams. Oh no, almost but not quite. No, we get asked to believe that Mr stupid deputy, is so stupid and loyal that he will willingly go off into a derelict cabin and do the deed himself.
Maybe I am missing something, maybe next week's episode will start with Deputy Dim running away fro the cabin with both arms pumping whilst making tortured screaming noises. Somehow, I don't think so, I look forward to see how the writers try to cover up the fact that is well healed stump of an arm has suddenly become a bit more troublesome overnight
With at least ten more weeks to go, plenty more time to suspend disbelief. And to think I watched this live and chose to record 24. Ah well, at least that means I can get my Jack Bauer fix sans adverts
**/rant**
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Yet more science fiction becoming fact
One of my favourite books by Arthur C Clarke, is The Fountains of Paradise. I read this in my teenage years and was inspired by the theory of the "Space Elevator", where cars, running down a magnetic track anchored between an asteroid in orbit to a ground station on Earth, generate electricity to power cars rising up the same cable. Such a system would make traveling into low Earth orbit, cheap affordable and relatively safe, when compared to sitting on top of a chemically powered rocket.
Like almost all of Clarke's novels, the idea had a solid foundation in fact and only lacked the technical capability of its time to implement. One of the things I love about good science fiction is seeing the some of this scientific dreaming become reality. Consequently, I was delighted to read this article about a real project to build a Space Elevator by 2018 and a recent successful test by a private company LiftPort which involved a 6 mile high cable tethered to a balloon and a robotic lifter which managed to climb 460m up the cable.
I'll watch this project with interest...
Like almost all of Clarke's novels, the idea had a solid foundation in fact and only lacked the technical capability of its time to implement. One of the things I love about good science fiction is seeing the some of this scientific dreaming become reality. Consequently, I was delighted to read this article about a real project to build a Space Elevator by 2018 and a recent successful test by a private company LiftPort which involved a 6 mile high cable tethered to a balloon and a robotic lifter which managed to climb 460m up the cable.
I'll watch this project with interest...
Fascinating article about perception of time
I found this article on the BBC News website, which IMHO is one of the best news sites around.
Have you ever experienced your own personal time dilation? Usually this happens at a stressful time, such as in a car crash, where you perception shifts and time seems to slow down. Is it real or is it just a psychological memory blip?
Well a team from the University of Texas came up with a plan to test and measure if this actually happens. They invented a device called a "perceptual chronometer" which flickers between two displays of an LED screen. Normally the flicker is so fast you only see a blur. But if during a time of stress, such as falling backwards of a 33 foot high scaffolding, then if time perception slowed down, you should be able to read the display.
After repeated jumps the "victim", sorry the test subject actually made out a random number on the device, proving that his perception of time had slowed down and he was able to read the LED screen - fascinating stuff.
After this I went on to speculate about the practical applications of this? Surely the next step is to try and determine what physiological symptoms cause this shift in perception and if it is possible to recreate it at will. I am sure the military would find a use for a heightened perception "switch", but maybe they wouldn't like a perpetually terrified platoon of soldiers. Good material for a short story I think...
Have you ever experienced your own personal time dilation? Usually this happens at a stressful time, such as in a car crash, where you perception shifts and time seems to slow down. Is it real or is it just a psychological memory blip?
Well a team from the University of Texas came up with a plan to test and measure if this actually happens. They invented a device called a "perceptual chronometer" which flickers between two displays of an LED screen. Normally the flicker is so fast you only see a blur. But if during a time of stress, such as falling backwards of a 33 foot high scaffolding, then if time perception slowed down, you should be able to read the display.
After repeated jumps the "victim", sorry the test subject actually made out a random number on the device, proving that his perception of time had slowed down and he was able to read the LED screen - fascinating stuff.
After this I went on to speculate about the practical applications of this? Surely the next step is to try and determine what physiological symptoms cause this shift in perception and if it is possible to recreate it at will. I am sure the military would find a use for a heightened perception "switch", but maybe they wouldn't like a perpetually terrified platoon of soldiers. Good material for a short story I think...
Note to Blogger.com
I just saved my first post for this blog and used the built in spell check facility. I found it very amusing that the Blogger spell check function didn't recognise the words "blogging" and "blog". Errmm, bit of a fundamental oversight I would think...
Update: When spell checking this post, it didn't recognise "Blogger" either
Update: When spell checking this post, it didn't recognise "Blogger" either
Blogging again, but this time it is personal...
I recently added a blog to my business website Third Aspect, but this one is to be a mix of personal interest, random musings and anything else I feel like. Will anybody read it anyway??
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