Oh no, the big 3-Oh

cotswald cottageOur good friend from This Ordinary Life was turning 30 the other day.
To celebrate this sad joyous event he and his wife had organised a wonderful weekend away in the Cotswald area for 14 people.
They found a charming cottage in Far Oakridge which together with the adjacent stable cottage comfortably fitted 14 guests.
From the outside the cottage looks very charming and authentic with it’s thick stone walls and low ceiling. On the inside however you’ll find all the modern conveniences you’ll want for a comfortable weekend away.
Fully equipped kitchen, power showers, central heating, multiple fire places, BBQ, games, books, flat screen TVs, DVD players, hifi and much, much more. Even a large trampoline in the garden which should have a warning sign “not to be used while intoxicated”.
Some of the available activities in the area are horse back riding, hiking, clay pigeon shooting and village exploring. Naturally me and the boys chose the shooting.

While the other guests were mainly couples, our little family turned up in full force: mom, dad, baby boy and two hairy beasts.
To our relief everyone had a great time socialising with the little one and getting the occasional lick from the hairy ones.
Once the baby boy was sleeping soundly, shortly after 8 pm, there was time for celebration dinner and drinking games until 3 am.
The next day the others had the pleasure of sleeping in until lunch time but we had to be up by 6 am to again start pleasing the youngling.
All in all a fabulous weekend away despite a few (canine) accidents in the back of the car.
Every time I get away from London I try to cherish every ounce of fresh air and every bit of peace and quite.
The English country side truly is a feast for the eyes.

Piracy is just a business model

…said the Disney Co-Chair Anne Sweeney at the Mipcom festival.
I find this quite a refreshing statement compared to the standard RIAA/MIAA stance. They keep insisting on theft, crime, punishment and so on which only seems to create more piracy and distance the customers.
Maybe a better approach would be to compete with piracy in quality, availability and price.
Let’s have a look at what that might look like.
Quality
Pirated content is often using the latest video and audio compression. This results in a 90 minute movie in DVD quality being below 800MB, often with 5.1 channels audio and optional subtitles.
With TV shows, the pirated content can often be in high definition if the source was HDTV as well.
It will be hard for a legitimate service to compete in terms of quality. The target should be to at least match the quality of pirated content.
The biggest issue for legitimate content providers will be how to apply copy protection without reducing the quality of the content.
The current digital rights management (DRM) solutions are very restrictive and result in the user renting content instead of purchasing and owning (see an anlysis of Amazon Unboxed).
I for one would accept an invisible/discreet and user specific watermarking but I can not accept DRM solutions where I cannot use the content on any device I choose or where the content can become unusable after a certain amount of time or if the original provider, God forbid, goes out of business.
Availability
TV shows are available as pirated content a few hours after their first official broadcast. DVDs are available as pirated content just a day after their official release.
This is especially valuable to potential customers from regions where the broadcast or DVD release is delayed by up to a year due to region restrictions.
Legitimate content could become superior to a pirated version by being available at the same time as the broadcast/DVD release or even better, a symbolical amount earlier.
Having one single reliable and secure location (shop) to get legitimate content is a great advantage instead of searching various more or less obscure areas of the Internet.
Price
Here pirated content clearly has an advantage by being for free which is a difficult price level to compete with.
A few online services have however shown that users are willing to pay for content if the other criteria above are met.
Paying the same amount (or more) as for the physical version of the content just doesn’t make sense to the end user.
Especially since the digital version is often crippled by various digital rights managements solutions decreasing the perceived quality and thus value.
The controversial MP3 online store AllOfMp3 has a very low price point ($0.20/song, $2/album) and while their prices may be unrealistic for other service it should be noted that user are willing to pay!
Conclusion
Summarising the options above one must admit that at the moment it looks a bit bleak for legitimate digital content.

Probably the best dad in the world

Obi-Wan-Kenobi-smallSorry about the title but if Carlsberg can get away with it without being lynched, maybe I can too!
The missus was away for 3 days and I was in sole charge (nanny term) of our baby boy.
For the last 5 months it has been the missus solely getting up first 6 times then 4 and now 1 to 3 times a night.
My biggest issue has been just rolling over and managing to fall asleep again as soon as possible.
So my feelings were mixed when I was told I was to command the ship for a few days and nights.
On one hand I was anxious to see whether I would be able to manage by my self and especially curious just how bad the nights would be – there are torture methods based on sleep deprivation you know.
On the other hand I was well worried that the experience would be simply overwhelming and that I would break down.
To my aid was our nanny which is here 8 to 5 and so takes the heat most of the day while I was away at work.
I am glad to report that I am still here and it all went mostly well.
The wake up calls in the middle of the night required just a cuddle or repositioning of the soother – 20 minutes all in all.
Also once the baby boy was in bed by 7 pm there was still time for pizza, beer and a Playstation2 session!

Fixing a processor with a broken pin

amd64 x2 4800 broken pin processorAt first I was grandiosely excited about the shiny new dual core AMD 64 X2 4800 processor I was about to upgrade my system with. Then I was bombastically disappointed when the computer did not start up after I had fitted the new processor on the motherboard.
After checking that all kinds of sockets, cables, wires and buttons were in place I removed the CPU to see if it had possibly been inserted inadequately.
To my horror I noticed that one of the minisculus processor pins had been bent all the way down to the surface of the processor.
In my 10 years of building custom computers and therefore fitting aplenty of CPUs, this was the first time something had gone as horribly wrong.
I accredit it to the fact that it was late in the night, I had had a double (single malt) scotch and I was too lazy to move the PC to a flat surface so I was fitting the CPU in a 45% angle.
Not giving up instantly, I tried straightening the pin with a tiny screwdriver but it snapped like only a dry stick could do.
For a brief moment I suspected that maybe the CPU had come like this from the shop but realised that no warranty return was possible after having further mutilated the CPU myself.
I decided to cut my losses and put the CPU up for auction on eBay clearly stating that it was not working. Then I proceeded to ordering a second AMD 64 X2 4800 from the same shop.
The following day I started looking into ways of repairing a broken pin on a processor. Just out of curiosity because a) the replacement processor was on the way and b) I didn’t really think it was possible.
Almighty Google came up with a few possible solutions:

  • give it to a gold smith; he might give it a go if he is brave enough (or silly enough I thought)
  • break of a pin from an old VGA cable and drop it into the socket in exact position where the CPU is missing the pin
  • try super-gluing the pin back on the processor
  • there is a myth of some guy in the USA that fixes broken pins for $50
  • the missing pin may not be used by the system so try the processor again

Only the last suggestion sounded like any fun so off I went to the AMD website for detailed specifications on the socket 939.
Figuring out the name of the missing pin was a bit confusing due to the orientation of the CPU but at last I had a position; AF-12 aka [STRAP_HI_AF12].
Looking up the functionality of that position I struck gold.
The specification said “Not used by the system” for that location. Two other locations said the same thing so this seemed to be a 0.5% (1 in 200) chance.
So I attempted a second, careful, insertion of the processor and the PC booted up like a champ. I ran a few tests and benchmarks and all indicated that the processor was working just fine.
Then there was the dilemma of the replacement processor being on the way and the auction stating non-functional processor whereas it was now seemingly fully working.
Luckily enough the shop had a “7 day cooling off” period within which you could return items without any hassle (still waiting for the refund though).
The auction was won by an Italian buyer who insisted that I tested the CPU before he would pay.
It did not matter how many times I wrote in poor Italian that the auction specifically said the item was not working so I could not give any guarantees.
I guess it worked out for the best that we decided not to trade since the handicapped CPU is now running my PC and doing well. I am getting quite attached to it actually.
So the moral of the story is twofold:
Don’t be a meat head when inserting a new processor and if things go wrong, don’t despair until you have Googled it!

A Mini Adventure

summer putney wharf london

Once addicted FRIENDS fans, we could not believe our ears when yesterday evening somewhere behind us in the restaurant we suddenly heard Janice’s hysterical laugh.
For the not so familiar with the Friends TV series, Janice was Chandler’s ex girlfriend and had one of the most irritating, high pitched, ridiculous laughs ever.
It all started one fine Sunday afternoon when feeling a bit sad to see that our weekend was vanishing before our eyes.
The husband proposed that we go out for a walk, maybe stretching it all the way to the Putney Warf for a nice bite (remember that with a 4 month old even the most common place things are mini adventures).
We packed all the 567 essential items for the baby, and head off on our mini adventure.
All being well, a very pleasant night was falling around us when we found a perfect spot at a grill restaurant by the river Thames.
Baby cosily asleep in his pram, nice champagne was ordered (again, with a 4 month old ANY opportunity is a GOOD opportunity to celebrate) and we started to unwind when a sudden shriek was heard from behind.
An airplane turbine? A motorcycle crash? Pig slaughter? Noooooo, just Janice who was having a laugh behind us!!!
For the next 50 odd minutes we had to cope with what seemed to be a fantastically funny night out for the girls behind us. Nothing wrong with that if only JANICE wasn’t part of the group; laughing away in her painfully witch-like laugh.
Well, thankfully enough, my company (hubby) was excellent, and so was the dinner and the chocolate drenched brownie dessert.
To top it all up like a nice fat cherry, walking back home with my fabulous husband and amazing kid in what could be one of the last summer nights was truly a treat.

Lost african python in London

People in London often say that the London tube is a bit of a jungle. If the below python makes it there, it will take it to a whole new level.
missing African python in London
Reward: Lost 8ft African python “Sandra” was last seen in the alleyway behind shop. Please call 07977xxxxxx Thanks.
If you do see a python without an owner do send me an email and I will notify the person who put up the above notice.
I was also about to tell you about current office politics at my office.
Despite being required 110% on a current project I had to accept a 50% working solution in order to prevent other staff QUOTE wanting the same thing UNQUOTE.
But there are no office politics at my office so there is nothing to talk about.
PS For some time ahead I am 50% available for any commercial propositions

Identity Fraud and Identity Theft in the UK, you next?

identity theft and fraudThere was quite a surprise in my latest Vodafone mobile bill. Two new accounts had been created and during almost a month they had incurred over £800 of charges.
After a short while on the phone with customer service, Vodafone quickly assured me that I would not see any of the charges on my bank statement.
It was almost too easy to get cleared from the charges and this to me seems to suggest that it is a frequent occurrence.
This happened just 2 days after a suspicious courier required my signature for a “signed delivery”. The courier looked very amateur and when I asked who the delivery was from he did not know.
The delivery turned out to be a just a random advertisement so obviously the person was collecting signatures. I’m really glad I put down a phony signature that cannot be used.
To be on the safe side I reported these two incidents to the local police station. It is good to have a crime reference number in case of some later complications.
Reporting the first incident took around 1 hour. Reporting the second incident took an amazing 3 hours because two separate crime reports had to be filed as the two different frauds occurred in two different police wardens.
CIFAS is a fraud prevention service in the UK. The CIFAS web site contains useful advise on how to prevent identity fraud and theft and what to do if you are a victim.

Brazil 3, Argentina 0 at the Arsenal Emirates Stadium, London

brazil-v-argentina-emirates-s.jpgThe beautiful game; even more beautiful when your team is winning in front of nearly 60,000 spectators!
A friendly match was played between Brazil and Argentina at the Emirates Stadium in London but anybody who knows those two teams also knows that they are not friends.
brasil-v-argentina-emirates-arsenal-stadiumIt was a pleasure to visit the new Emirates Stadium.
All seats in the stadium seemed to be padded, there was plenty of leg room and all spectators were under cover.
There seemed to be many food and beverage outlets but still it took over 20 minutes to get a freaking pint at half time.
Some of the more noteworthy players in the Brazilian line-up were Robinho, Kaka and Baptista. Noteworthy Argentinian players were Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano.
It was the Brazilians’ second game with their new coach Dunga; first was against Norway.
There may have been some reservation back when Dunga was selected as the new coach but these two recent internationals have shown that he can lead the world famous players very competently.
bra-1-0-argA very early goal by Elano created a lovely atmosphere at the stadium; for the Brazilian supporters that is.
Elano then followed up with a second goal in the 67th minute.
In the very few last minutes, the 89nth minute to be precise, Kaka benefited from a Messi mistake and charged ahead with the ball.
Kaka started way down on his own half but rushed ahead and managed to pass a fair share of Argentinian players before pummeling the ball into the Argentinian goal. Cue mad celebrations.
Brazilian colors hugely outnumbered the Argentinian colors in the audience but a large number of the Brazilian supporters were non-Brazilians.
With a bit of bad luck, our group ended up with a few Argentinian supporters just in front of us.
One of the supporters was a (posh) older lady and she wasn’t too impressed with my wife’s passionate cheering. Several of our good friends are Argentinian so I won’t go into details but let’s just say that mas que um viado was shouted many times.
All in all a fantastic game and Arsenal supporters have a great season ahead at the Emirates Stadium!

TDAI: Hat-trick

tdai hat-trickhat trick; Function: noun; 3 : a series of three victories, successes, or related accomplishments.
We had been away in Prague so the destruction was understandable and quickly forgiven… despite the sentimental value that had just been so efficiently decimated.
Krtek (hedge hog) is a children’s classic in the Czech Republic and I guess his colourful hat was simply too tempting not to tear into. It made also a spectacular mess across a large area.
Kasper was a children’s book and it’s fatal characteristic was that it had a squeaking cow at the center. Once again too good to pass up on.
Finally we have the present that was not yet delivered and never will be after the butchery. A lovely Vera Wang on Weddings book. Hardcover, extra tasty.

Prague and Residence Nosticova

Tossed Old SquareSo the word on the street was that Louis Vuitton is to celebrate his birthday on the Charles Bridge and have it closed for two days for a measly €40k.
The word was also that Madonna is to perform for him.
Whether this is true or just an urban myth we did not find out but we managed to have a great long weekend away in Prague nevertheless.
The reason for our trip was twofold. We wanted to introduce our son to my Czech family and my wife was craving her yearly Prague fix.
The introduction went very well, everyone got a squeeze or two and Dominick enjoyed his stay at Residence Nosticova very much.
The experience was unfortunately a tad bittersweet because of my auntie being very ill at the moment. We are hoping for a speedy recovery.
My wife has been yearly to Prague since 1996. She knows central Prague very well from her many walks and Mala Strana (Lesser Quarter) is the focal point of her Prague obsession.
residence nosticovaFor her a trip to Prague would not be the same without a stay at the tiny boutique hotel Residence Nosticova.
Positioned in the heart of Mala Strana, on the right side of the river Vltava to avoid drunk party goers, it is a little gem of comfort.
We have viewed all the rooms at Residence Nosticova and the Arcimboldo room is by far the prettiest standard suite for 2 people. If you book it next time we were planning to go, we will
Prices vary somewhat during the year but at the special price of €150/night, Residence Nosticova is good value for the luxury and service you get.
That is if you manage to avoid raiding the mini-bar like *somebody* did several nights in a row.
[As always there are photos from Prague 2006]