So long since my last post and so many things to write about! Start og the rugby season... Brighton vs Northampton... new LP deck... Colin McRae Gathering.... Mrs Aitch's Finest Marmalade... but one that's more urgent.

Steam have the entire id Collection available for $34.99 this weekend only. After then it reverts to $79.99.

I bought in; the collection contains a rediculous amount of software, most of which I own but most of which doesn't work any more. Well, with Steam it does - and I know it'll work forever more. It's also a great opportunity to backfill holes in my gaming career - for example, Q2MP2 and Hexen / Heretic series. You also get all of the Commander Keens, all the Dooms (1,2, Ultimate, Final, 3, 3MP) - all for just over £20.

Buy it. Buy it now because the deal ends today. You'll not regret!

-(C) H out

Hi all,

Today's post has two topics that are linked by one thing: intellectual property.

First up:  I posted a while back that Nine Inch Nails (NIN) released an album, Ghosts, for USD $5 as a lossless download.  Well, they've recently gone one more.  Halo 27, "The Slip", is available as a free download in any of FLAC, 320k MP3, Apple (urgh) or WAV format.  To save bandwidth, Reznor uses BitTorrent for the large downloads. 

What interested me is that this album is (so far) much more interesting than Ghosts.  Ghosts could be considered nice background music, but actually it's a bit bland - if I'm honest, I've heard it twice.  This album is rockier, it has (shock) lyrics; it's much closer to a "real album".  So, given the content is better than Ghosts, why did NIN make the download free - especially given the quality?  They are selling a number of limited edition CD / LP physical media so I presume they're hoping for a lot of sales - and also concert tickets.

Something else I was impressed with was their photo stream.  Rather than re-implement yet another web gallery, NIN have embraced Web 2.0 and use Flickr! For example: this graph.

While his music sometimes blows hot and cold, I'm having increasing respect for Trent Reznor as a techie who's doing the right thing.

Someone else for whom I have always had respect is John Carmack.  He's the physics, graphics and maths genius who created Commander Keen, Wolfenstein, Doom, Quake (which he wrote when he was my age) and Rage; that's in addition to having code that he owns embedded in every Valve FPS still being released.  I recently heard an interview with him performed by Julian "Rabbit" Murdoch on the Gamers With Jobs podcast (specifically, episode 89), in which he talks about intellectual property, patents and open source.

His views are no secret; he abhors patents and states in the podcast that patents are destroying the industry. Murdoch asks him what he would do with the current US patent system; Carmack states he would disband all software patents apart from a few.  He talks about how the patent office was almost useful when working on his current project, Armadillo Aerospace and how he has never patented code in his career, preferring specifically to deal with infringements using copyright.

The interview starts approx 67 mins into the podcast (though you should really listen to the whole thing, it's ace) and lasts half an hour; I thoroughly recommend listening.  The man speaks perfect sense and rings in my ear as a pure note.  I support his views entirely and this has furthered my respect.

Oh, and Carmack just happens to be on record as a big fan of Nine Inch Nails.

-(C) H out.

Hi all,

After many months of protesting, distrust and general scepticism, I've taken the plunge and created a Facebook account. If you know me, feel free to befriend me; you know who I am. It's not that the general distrust and scepticism has gone; far be it. Facebook has proven itself untrustworth on a fairly regular basis, with the last exploit (AFAIK) coming out in May. But then Windows has critical patches released every month. It's also proven itself to be responsible for the destruction of Spain, but I haven't got a villa so I'm presumably safe.

So, what are the first impressions?

Impression 1: I was already there. It's quite disturbing. I signed up using my regular e-mail address. Despite my complete avoidance of Facebook, I found no fewer than nine friend requests pending. Nine. So, despite the fact I didn't want to be there, nine lovely people had made reference to me, indicating that I definitely existed and leaving a big old H-shaped hole.

Impression 2: Social connection graphs. The "Find a Friend" option on Facebook is quite impressive. I was expecting some kind of pseudo-introduction agency where people with like minds are introduced; perhaps a dating agency for those who have their "relationship" status as "Free & Single". Instead, Facebook created a graph of people I knew and people that they knew. In one scenario, I was friends with five people; they were all friends with someone else. There's therefore a high probablility that I was friends with the sixth and so Facebook presented them to me as a potential friend. Extrapolate this and the social graph one could create with the Facebook data is really quite scary.

Impression 3: Real names. Everywhere else in the world, IT people tend to use aliases. Handles. "Cdr Aitch" isn't my real name. However, on Facebook, I'm me - and so are all the other people I know. Fade isn't Fade; Sariel isn't Sariel. iBob isn't iBob and Doza isn't Doza. I've never known any of these people use anything but their nicks on the Internet. What makes Facebook different?

That third one's actually caused me trouble - there are some people on the Find a Friend screen who I'm sure I recognise but don't actually know, as I don't know their real name!

So far, so good. I'm still carefully exploring at the moment - I exepct I'll either get hooked or ditch it in a month. Time will tell...

-(C) H out

Following the remarkable victory by the Conservatives in the Crewe and Nantwich by-election, The BBC are reporting today that Brown 'must change course' to win the next general election. Couldn't agree more; he needs to start wearing a lot of blue.

I'm perplexed as to why this is a surprise; the cracks in Labour were appearing towards the end of Blair's reign and pretty much everyone knew that Gordon Brown was unelectable.  To my mind, the Tory government of 2009 was pretty much a dead cert as soon as Labour decided to appoint El Broon as Supreme Commander instead of holding a leadership election.  So why the fuss?  Commissar Gord is unelectable; the Lib Dems will continue to gain seats at a slow but stead pace; the Tories will win by default. 

It'll be interesting in 20 years when the Lib Dems have grown strong enough to genuinely challenge for power; but I don't see it happening for a little while.  Next government is Conservative - signed, sealed, delivered. 

From the Daily Telegraph, 7th May 2008:



Matt_cartoon_668402a
Originally uploaded by Cdr Aitch

Hello!

I am pleased to report that Operation Trusty Steed Phase IV was complete!

I took my motorcycle test at 10:14 this morning and passed, with two minors. As I'm over 21 and took the test on a 500cc machine, I have a full class A licence and am now licenced to ride any motorcycle I like! Woohoo! I'd forgotten how good it feels to pass a driving test :D

Here is the Trusty Steed, in all its glory - a Honda VFR400 R3 (NC30):




Here are a couple of other shots that I took while in an arty photo mood. The first is an infra-red picture of the can after the bike had been running for a few minutes; the second is an oblique photo of the rear wheel. Both slightly cliched, but I'm happy with how they both came out :)





To celebrate the passing, I've just gone on a 25-mile ride for fun - stopping off on the way to have a coke at a pub and to pick up some boot laces. I've not had this much fun on a motor since I got rid of my old 406 Coupe - it's spine-tinglingly, goosebump-raisingly, breath-catchingly good! All I need now is a few more thousand miles under my belt - the more experience, the better. I barely took the bike over 9,000 rpm today - it comes alive at 6,000 and red-lines at 16,500. I'm guessing I'll not take it too high for a while!

One moment to put that in perspective: my 210bhp Peugeot Coupe 3.0 V6 came alive at 3,750 and red-lined at 7,000. The present diesel comes alive at 2,000 and red-lines at 4,500. The bike comes alive at 6,000 and red-lines at 16,500. Sweeet!

Here's to happy riding - and bikers everywhere :)

-(C) H out

Afternoon,

Pleased to report that Operationg TRUSTY STEED, Phase III, is now complete, was a resounding success and was thoroughly enjoyed. The fourth - and final - phase will take place during the week, from the 21st - 23rd.

The following photo was obtained by one of our highest placed TRUSTY STEED operatives.  For your eyes only:


While not undertaking daredevil antics, Mrs H and I have been busy decorating the lounge. We ripped the fireplace out over a year ago and haven't every gotten around to finishing it. Well, we booked a carpet to arrive this week so we really have to get a move on. We've hung about 2/3 of the paper, so now we just have to finish that and paint! Before Friday.

Wish us luck - and if you're nearby and fancy popping in to give us a hand, please do :)

-(C) H out

Secret agent 00H here.  I'm currently engaged in a top secret operation, TRUSTY STEED.  Can't tell you else I'd have to shoot you - but Phase I was completed on Friday; Phase II arrived yesterday.  Phase III takes place on the 19th of April - and Phase IV from 21st - 23rd.  So far so good... wish me luck, comrades

Last post was my own handiwork.  This poem isn't:
Oh take me home  
United Road
To the place
Where I belong!
To Old Trafford
To see United
Oh, take me home
United Road

Yesterday, Dad and I went to see United - Villa at Old Trafford.  First time I'd been to OT (or seen United, for that matter) for fourteen years.  It was spine-tingling to walk down Sir Matt Busby Way, past his statue, and into the stadium.  To see the hallowed turf of the Theatre of Dreams!

We were right at the top of the stadium in the West Stand, a long way from the pitch - but the view was superb.  The seats were so steeply raked that the back of the next seat in front only came up to my shin!  We had 100% visibility of the pitch - no supports occluding our view whatsoever.

 Being so far from the pitch did have one problem though - you couldn't make out players' faces, you had to tell who was who by body language, shirt numbers and haircut.  When you're 100+m from the pitch it's surprising how much Carlos Tevez  resembles Oliviera Anderson!

United won 4-0, thanks to two goals from Rooney, one from Ronaldo and one from Tevez so we went back down the M6 happy.  Hopefully it won't be another 14 years before we see them again :)

-(C) H out 

While I'm filling up my cup, I sit awhile and think;
Of how, without this magic bean, the world would surely sink.
Fuel for teachers teaching class and coppers copping crooks;
For mathematicians summing sums and writers writing books.
Without its power the earth would dim and wonders go unseen;
Thank God! - says I - for southern climes, and their magic bean.