Andrew's diary

Friday, 31 January 2003

Started the beta programme for the new TV site before heading down to Folkestone for the weekend. This was obviously tempting fate as Phil upgraded Perl and my code wasn't robust enough to handle the library differences: crash, bang, wallop - one site which doesn't work. Fortunately, lots of nice users emailed me to say "it doesn't work!" :-)

Thursday, 30 January 2003

We're getting married! The vicar's confirmed the date and time we wanted as being fine, so we're getting married at 2pm on Saturday, 3rd April 2004 at St. Michael's Church, Stockton :-)

Wednesday, 29 January 2003

Heard on Today: environmentalists want a moratorium on development of nanotechnology products so we don't "make the same mistakes we made with nuclear power and genetic engineering". In addition to overblown hyperbole about current technologies, their concerns nicely include quantum computing (huh?!), self-replicating machines, Michael Crichton's latest technology-runs-amok bestseller (no, not "Jurassic Park" or WestWorld, but "Prey"), paranoia and a good dose of Ludditism.

Got the new TV site's search facility tidied up. I hope to be mailing account holders sometime this week about a beta programme.

Tuesday, 28 January 2003

...and on the sixth attempt, lo! A working microwave was delivered. Unfortunately it isn't exactly the same measurements as the old one (no idea why) and so the mounting kit will need to be rearranged.

Also started looking at printers, network printers, print servers and other bits and bobs. Mel reckons we can tidy under the stairs enough to have any new printer connected directly to the server: alleviating the need to have a seperate print server. Now just got to choose what printer we want.

Sunday, 26 January 2003

Completed the "marriage application form" and got a nice little troll moaning about my customer service on the TV pages. I've got users, but definitely don't have any customers (it is, after all, mostly run for my own benefit).

Tony Blair was on Breakfast with Frost this morning: there is only one circumstance in which the UK will take military action against Iraq without a second UN resolution (ie. a followup to 1441). That circumstance is where they feel that a member of the Security Council uses their power of veto to block the motion. Therefore, the only reason they'd act without a second resolution would be when they couldn't get one. Hmm, at least it's logical.

Saturday, 25 January 2003

Right, Glen's moaning; Dave's moaning; Phil's moaning and I'm moaning. Yes, I'm sitll alive :-)

Been busy: Robert's been here for last two weeks and been doing work experience at Hursley; beta of new TV site is close to being ready; lots of wedding planning; went to BETT; did New Year with family (including grandparents); Christmas went well - and that's roughly in reverse chronological order.

Oh, and the microwave still hasn't been fixed.