Planet Sillicon

Keep a straight face

By blog on Jul. 21, 2009.

I just heard a song that reminds me of something funny, so I figured I’d share. This entry is about those times in life when something occurs to you as being funny, but you know without a doubt that it would go over very, very, badly should you actually laugh. This entry is about a few of those that relate to each other, because they all involve look-alikes, like that website; totallylookslike.com.

This video here belongs to a French semi-spoof band, Fatal Bazooka. That’s all well and good, I actually like most of their songs. Now, in my local games store, the manager looks exactly like the lead singer. Whenever I am in there, I have to try really hard to keep and straight face, and I am constantly running through the scenario in my mind of what I just blurted out that this guy looks exactly like the lead singer of Fatal Bazooka? I would never be able to shop there again!

Now, the other look-alike funny stories both relate to being at University. When I was at Uni, I had a lecturer that my SO thought looked strikingly similar to Merriweather from Disney’s Sleeping Beauty. She’s the fat one in blue. Can you imagine how difficult it is to have serious discussions with someone your SO has announced repeatedly as looking like a fat fairy? Rather difficult, actually.

This last one is just great. My course coordinator for my degree at University looks strikingly similar to John Malkovich. This man looked so much like John Malkovich that my SO and I called him Malkovich between ourselves at all times. I was once having a discussion with the man in his office, sitting there, talking normally, and then all of a sudden it popped into my head just how much he looked like John Malkovich that I wanted to howl with laughter, I think partly because I knew how rude that would be.

Hopefully if you find yourself in my situation, you too can keep a straight face!

Playing as a Burglar

By blog on Jul. 21, 2009.

Well hasn’t everything been a mad house of late!? It has, I can attest to that, which is why my SO and I have had no time for LOTRO in the past few weeks, but this weekend that all changed, and we decided to kick back in with something new.

In this case, I finally dropped my ‘No Hobbits’ rule, and created a Hobbit Burglar. Cute little fellow, that I had a surprising amount of fun with. He played well, the Burg skills were fun to use, interesting, and just something a little bit different. I duoed this character with my SO’s Hobbit Burg, and we had a lot of fun stealthing around the place. Good times! The combination of the two Burgs meant we knew what the other was capable of, and that can make all the difference.

The going was pretty quick, surprisingly so, actually. In just a few days my SO and I had hit level 19. Alas it couldn’t last… I saw all those awesome Dwarves running past and I felt less than thrilled with my tiny little Hobbit. I have to say, though, that even though I am no longer playing that Burg, I do have a much greater appreciation for the Hobbit folk, not that I didn’t like them before, but I like them more now.

Like this fellow here, he has a blog, he is a Hobbit, his blog is The Hobbit Herald, and I think that’s funny. Whilst I am at it, another LOTRO blog I have found useful is The LotRO Follower – very handy for when the servers are down, as this site has that sort of info listed up to date on there. And just because I like some of the comics, and lots of the maps, here’s a link to The Brasse, another LOTRO inspired blog.

Anyway, so I’m not playing a Burg anymore. It is good, but not what I want, in the end. So I am playing a Dwarf Champ and my SO gets the Minstrel she always wants to play. Now we’re both content with our characters!

Still excited by my job

By blog on Jul. 19, 2009.

I am still excited about my job due to the prospect of working from home. The boss gives me the option, take a promotion, or work from home… Knowing me, it’s hard to believe he even had to ask!

Okay so I have been busily going through which of the leased line providers would be the best for my work. I have checked, I do and have business SDSL availability in my area, so that is quite good to know. Now it is just a matter of deciding which of the broadband companies has a deal that is good enough for me, and cheap enough for my boss.

My current broadband connection is good, don’t get me wrong, but because I am a web designer, it would be better to have something with a bit more bite to it, especially when it comes to my upload rate, as my download rate is fine. Most standard net connections offer a certain download rate, with the upload rate being much, much reduced from that of the download. That’s find for most people, but it can become a pain for those who are posting, hosting, creating, big web documents or other hefty HTML files, as with websites.

On a side note, today I had one of those letters from banks where they offer you hefty amounts of credit? I got one today and had to think, what am I, stupid? As if I would be taking out any large credit lines at this point with the economy the way it is, nuh uh, no thank you! It’s just something banks do with people whose credit ratings are good, but I am not interested in any old bank account! I like my own bank account, thank you, and the only change I would consider would be one destined for investment purposes, and that would be an offshore bank account.

Okay that is enough of a ramble from me! I’m off!

Had to chat with the neighbour again

By blog on Jul. 19, 2009.

I had to chat with the neighbour again, you know the one I mentioned earlier this week, the oddball one that goes on and on about security measures? Well today I had the fun of listening to her talk about crazy conspiracy theories…

For instance, today she stopped me at my letterbox, and noticed that I had my cordless phone in the pocket of my dressing gown, because I was expecting a call. She then spent the next FIVE MINUTES without a word from me talking about the difference in security measures of regular telephones and cordless telephones. Can you imagine how unlikely anyone out there who has the know-how would give a rats ass what this lady was saying over the phone? Enough to connect into the right frequency of her particular handset? I think she has a better chance of being struck by lightning than having someone that interested in what she is saying to other people on the phone.

I was so tempted to tell her that ‘The Panasonic KX are bugged by the government’ but I thought that wouldn’t be very nice, or fair to her mental health. She started going on again about how I should get call logging, did I get it yet? Well I should have it by now, what was I waiting for, we talked about it days ago… I told her flat out I wasn’t going to get it, I didn’t see the need. She just looked at me like I was a little crazy, and left it at that, though did drop hints about it, really, really obvious hints. She told me how cheap her call logging was because her telecoms companies knew that people really wanted it so they were dropping the price on it… I don’t think that’s true in any way, but anyway.

Goodness, I think I am going to get a robot to go out and collect the mail. This would work for two reasons, one, she probably wouldn’t talk to it, and two, if she did, it’s a heartless robot, she can’t fault it for not stopping to chat.

Side tracked again

By blog on Jul. 18, 2009.

I had readied this big entry about something that has seemed interesting of late, investments in Philippines real estate, but then I got all side tracked with blogs and Scribblenauts.

See, what’s really annoying about a game that should be really good, is that often it doesn’t live up to it, and often, you are waiting for what seems like a hundred years before the damn game comes out! Today I stumbled across this article about Scribblenauts on IGN, and now I just want to play the game. I hate that! There isn’t an official UK release date as yet, but US and Australia get it mid September this year, so supposedly I shouldn’t be waiting for long.

But then there’s always the option that the game will be pushed back, because seriously, this game hasn’t been known about for all that long, and that isn’t a great sign in terms of when the game will be out. The same thing happened with The Sims 3 (still haven’t bought or played it, EA, you scum), they announced the game pretty close to the initial release date, and sure enough, the game was delayed by a few months. I really hope that doesn’t happen with Scribblenauts, because as I said, I really want to play the game.

I also got side tracked looking at blogs… I don’t know why I care, but I find myself reading other people’s blogs. I suppose that explains why I am always so surprised if someone leaves a comment (a non spam comment, you damn spammers… I hate what you do!) because it means someone was really reading my blog!

I think I have to go lie down for a while, now. See, my SO has been going through some pretty severe back pain of late, which has meant that she can’t sleep properly, so I haven’t been sleeping properly either. So now I’m going to go rest whilst I can.

Fighting to get reception

By blog on Jul. 18, 2009.

That’s what I have been doing for the last half an hour or so… fighting to get reception on my TV for those damn free to air digital channels. I think ‘But I am good with tech’ but in this case, apparently not good enough!

A while back I bought a fantastic wide screen LCD TV from Samsung. I’m really happy with it, it’s been a great TV. Now, when I bought the TV, I was told that I didn’t need to buy a set-top box because the TV automatically tuned into digital TV. Okay, excellent. It’s what spurred me on to get a bigger (and more expensive) TV than I had originally planned.

So today I figure I have had it for a while now, I should tune in the DTV channels… half an hour later I realise I’m not getting anywhere, and this bloody thing just isn’t picking up the channels like the dude at the store said it would. Now, keep in mind, I am talking about free to air DTV, not Sky and not anything from those Virgin Media folks, just the regular DTV channels.

So I jump on the net, my trusty fix-it tech tool. I realise that I was lead down the garden path, sure the TV itself can show DTV channels, but I still need either satellite help, or some kind of set-top box that actually picks up the DTV channels, like the Eurovox thing that is on the market or the Dreambox one.

I can’t believe that I was duped! Me! I am normally so… alert to people’s BS… to know that on this occasion that moron just left of ‘Oh, you’ll still need a satellite dish’ is really infuriating. Initially I didn’t want to pay for digital TV, I wasn’t that interested in cable, but now I don’t care so much about that. I want the deluxe package, dammit!

Working from home a possibility

By blog on Jul. 17, 2009.

And what a possibility!? It has always been one of those things I have dearly wanted, working from home. No more dealing with morons in the morning, no more getting up at six so I have time to take the bus and the tube into work. Oh no, not for me!

My boss approached me with a proposition. I have two options to choose from. I could one, stay working in the office and receive a slight promotion and a slight pay increase, or two, I could take neither of those things, but rather remain at my same level for my same pay, and work from home. Now, I wanted to talk it over with my SO before I made my decision, but I am chomping at the bit to be able to work from home.

My SO thought it a great idea, and loved the notion of having me around a lot more! So I informed my boss that that was my choice and now I just have to get some things set up and then I am working from home. The boss said the business will pay for my secure net connection, but I need to find a 2mb leased line provider in my area. I will have to have business broadband in my home now that all my work will be done from there, but with the array of broadband providers out there at the moment, that shouldn’t be a problem.

I’m really excited by this prospect, it would be an absolute dream for me. I really hate that morning bus and tube ride into work, but if I take my car I feel all eco-guilty. This would take care of all that! It would feel more like weekend all the time, but because I like the actual work I do, it won’t be hard to motivate myself.

Dodgy neighbours

By blog on Jul. 16, 2009.

You’ve got one, everyone has one. That one dodgy neighbour that thinks it is their civic duty to monitor the comings and goings of everyone in the neighbourhood. It’s ridiculous; she thinks she is so sneaky, but it is painfully obvious to everyone exactly what she is doing. A ten minute conversation with her feels like it lasts a few weeks, I try to avoid her, but occasionally she catches me when I am going to check my mail. I have to talk to her at that point…

“Hi! Sure, things have been great! Oh, Mrs Peterman down the road has been ‘acting shifty’ has she? Oh well that’s… no good’ At this point, I just want to leave, but oh no, the neighbour had launched into an unceasing monologue about security measures they would like to take. Seriously, this lady wants to install CCTV in the neighbourhood. She said she’s been using ‘the world wide web to investigate CCTV systems‘.

I was so surprised that this woman had the internet, she must be at least 70 years old. She took my shock as a sign that I didn’t know enough about home security, and told me that I should have call recording, because ‘who knows whose calling these days’. I don’t believe any such thing, I don’t think I need such security measures. I mean, I do have a home security system, but I don’t think I need CCTV or whatnot. I think businesses need to consult with security companies, especially those handling sensitive data or equipment, but not every day folk like me!

After agreeing to investigate more stringent home security measures, I finally had an opportunity to get back into my house and the heck away from her. It’s like that joke Jim Gaffigan has about Christmas ‘well gee, I really need to get a job’. The lady is nice, but goodness I wish she had a more wholesome hobby!

Not sure about the tracks

By blog on Jul. 14, 2009.

I happened to be looking up some Zelda info in the past few days, and I ran across the video of Nintendo’s soon to be released, Spirit Tracks. I’m put off by the train aspect, because it seems so limited compared to the boat used in Phantom Hourglass, but the video does also show that the dungeon play looks more like the last game.

Link looks to be spinning a Deku leaf or something like it in some of the video, and Link also gets to control the Phantoms last seen in Phantom Hourglass. But still, this whole train thing seems overly steam-punk and not in the spirit of the Legend of Zelda games that came before it. It’s so gimmicky and unappealing. This image kind of exemplifies what I feel was the driving force behind the choice. In case you are interested in the train aspect, here is a big ol’ wallpaper that has been released for the game.

I think I need to stop panning the game now, because, quite frankly, I know I’m going to play it, and I’m probably going to love it too. Whilst I can’t see myself getting into the train thing, really, I can see the rest of the game being a heck of a lot of fun. I really enjoyed Phantom Hourglass, I like playing the Zelda games on the DS, I like using the stylus for much of it. The Wii Zelda was also a lot of fun, but I am pretty darn concerned about the lack of Mastersword – or any sword – rumours floating around about that one.

Anyway, I’m off now, I said I’d go to the movies with that estate agent friend I mentioned in my last post. See, if I go to the movies then I don’t have to spend the next few hours talking about UK property, or which of the numerous property blogs out there are the most accurate – yes, he spent twenty minutes one day talking about property blogs! I can’t fathom how he can talk so much about fast house sales… I don’t find it interesting… nearly at all. I mean, I find finance stuff interesting, but housing stuff is just… not compelling to me. That’s why I’m off to a film!

Trying to be nice

By blog on Jul. 14, 2009.

Do you remember when I wrote of selling my mother’s house because she moved into a retirement community? And how it was a surprisingly quick house sale? Well, because it all went so swimmingly, my SO and I took the estate agent out to dinner to say thank you for his hard work.

It went alright, and it turned out we did have a few common interests. However, he’s one of these people that can’t leave work at work. Every time I run into him or get an email from him, he is always talking about the housing market, and talking about property news, and talking about which areas are selling well at the moment, and talking about what property prices are like at the moment.

Today he sent me an email, and gave me a link to, you won’t believe this, real estate forums… I am surprised that a forum like this would be out there, and that it would have enough activity to keep going… Anyway, so I am trying to be nice, so I told him it looked interesting and that I might join, and then I tried to guide the conversation to a shared interest.

It’s an uncomfortable situation to be in, when you don’t know someone very well, and their primary topic of conversation is one that most people, myself included, have no more than a passing interest in. It makes me want to drop any attempts to be the guys friend, just sort of let the new friendship run it’s short course with no more momentum put in from me, even maybe some brakes put on from my side. It’s really simple, how can you expect a person to continue to communicate with you when you are so fixated on one area of interest, almost to the exclusion of all else?

I don’t know exactly what I am going to do here… I’ve been so busy of late that I don’t have a lot of time for friends anyway, especially not ones that I don’t really know and who are fixated on something so boring! Yeah that decides it, I don’t have the time or the patience to coax a reasonable conversation from this dude. Alright, back to work now.