Category: Random

Bizarrely lacking designs of our time Verisign can’t answer the question – ‘how do I renew my domain name’. This is particularly amusing considering the question they suggest you ask them…

So Amazon listmania has finally hit plasticbag.org – presenting The Best 4AD albums ever – the guitar years, by yours truly.

Like Haughey, I’m rapidly approaching my thirtieth birthday – and so, like Haughey, I’m fascinated by the Bill Keaggy: Age 30 project A different photo, each and every day, for his entire thirtieth year. Many of my friends have taken their thirtieth birthday as an excuse to get the hell out of the country. I’m thinking of doing this too – perhaps a trip to LA and San Francisco this summer? I could go and pay homage to the Blog Pioneers…

You know one day I’d like to unashamedly sing Neil Diamond’s “Forever in Blue Jeans” to someone I think’s pretty cool. That would rock in a really lame way.

Money talks
But it don’t sing and dance
And it don’t walk
And long as I can have you here with me
I’d much rather be
Forever in blue jeans

Honey’s sweet
But it ain’t nothin’ next to baby’s treat
And if you pardon me
I’d like to say
We’ll do okay
Forever in blue jeans

Maybe tonight
Maybe tonight, you and I
All alone by the fire
Nothing around
But the sound of my heart
And your sighs

Money talks
But it don’t sing and dance
And it don’t walk
And long as I can have you here with me
I’d much rather be
Forever in blue jeans, babe!

So the first upgrade to the iPod appears – they now come in two varieties – one with a 10Gb Hard disk. The interesting stuff for those of us with older, less happening machines, is that there’s now a new set of software for it which allows you to hold your contact information on them as well… I’ll be doing that when I get home from the office!

In days to come, when the world’s moved on, will older men – wise and bowed with years – move their hunching fingertips and gesture clumsily to their young? “An honest day’s typing for an honest day’s wage – you young folk don’t know you’re born…. We had none of this thought-control in the old days….”

For several years now, the ‘holodeck’ – a place where ‘force-fields’ and holograms are co-generated to create real-as-life environments – has been a staple of Star Trek storylines. The applications of such a creation – which in theory provides a totally flexible environment – have never really been fully explored. Certain tremendously interesting ideas have been presented – such as using a solid holographic form as the host for an artificial intelligence – but others have been left woefully unexplored – such as entirely solidly holographic (and hence totally flexible and adaptable) space-faring ships. One of the applications that has been explored – albeit in a very slight fashion – is the idea of the holographic interface. While most sci-fi shows have present holographic displays, Star Trek has (once) presented apparently solid interfaces, meshed with pre-existent computers, which were completely adaptable and changed according to the circumstances. What is my point? That one of the first completely light-based interfaces now exists – a projected keyboard that senses how you are using it. The future could be almost completely non-physical interfaces. How exciting is that?

I never realised producing a flow-chart could be so satisfying. I’ve spent much of the last couple of hours producing my first Visio flowchart and there’s something tremendously rewarding about the process. Turning complexity into simple choices, finding a logical sense of development – taking a mess of stuff from all around you and assembling something clear out of it – something with process – something manageable.

Breaking news: someone none of you know has had a haircut. And doesn’t it look nice?!

Paul’s back. I think. Which reminds me… How many bloggers can you see?