New Years Resolutions (Music)

1. Write at least 3 songs for my wife.
2. Get lessons for one of the following: Drums, Bass, Guitar, Piano, Banjo, Trumpet.
3. Start music lessons for the kids.
4. Figure out how to record music to the PC/laptop (you'd think I'd know!).
5. Record an album (dependant on 4).

Probably think of some more....

New blog for my techy posts...

Just Too Techy

I realise that alot of my recent posts are a little to techy for the friends and family crowd that this blog is intended for. For instance, I haven't commented on my little boy's birthday, my brothers pictures or even my NEW car. Yes, my lovely new car!!!! (Sorry 'our' lovely new car.)

Therefore I have set up a new blog ("Another one!") called Just Too Techy for where to vent my techiness in a safe place with out being a danger to myself and others.

If still interested in the too-techy nature of some of my blogs recently you can pick up the geek-thought-process there.

Thanks for you time. Normal service will assume... Now!

Gadget Show seeks GOI

Someone (I can't remember who, I'm sorry...) directed me to this page on the Purely Gadgets website. Celador Productions is looking for GOI (Gadget Orientated Individuals) for a new show for BBC 2. Still in Pre-production but could mean a trip abroad if your the lucky chaps or chapesses that are chosen.

I had a conversation today with a researcher from the show and just had a great time chatting about all things Geek and Gadgetry. With my job I have to explain complex issues quickly to completely un-technically inclined people so it was good practice. Catherine, the researcher, was asking me questions about why someone would want to build a lightbulb or an RSS Coffee Maker and it was fun going through the fact that the 'why' is not important to Geeks, it's the 'how'.

The saying that most describes the Geek or Instructable mindset is "If it ain't broke, make it better". The idea that the making is important as the product. The journey is as important as the destination as Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance would say.

Anyway, I'll mention how I get on with the selection process. It was a fun conversation whatever happens. Gave me a ten minute break.

iPod engraving at Apple Store UK

Not a surprise to some people, I'm sure. But Nikki pointed me to the Apple Store UK site yesterday where you are able to engrave your iPod before ordering. Lovely idea. Just means you spend half an hour deliberating what to put on there. Then realise that no ones going to see it anyway.

Bit like ring tones in that respect surely? Spend ages choosing a 'unique' ring tone that really reflects your personality - only to find that it just bugs the pittabread out of everyone.

Vista Explorer Shot

Another geeky post, but I love the feature of Vista that graphically represents space available on drives on your computer. In this shot I've just about exausted my USB 2.0 ports and hubs and am able to view in one place the amount of usage they all have. Have I a terrabyte of data yet? Maybe it's time to invest in one of these babies!

Three system snap

I was doing a remote meeting/presentation on Monday (after spending the entire night preparing!). The meeting was in Venray, Netherlands, I was in Oxford and another of my colleagues was in New York State. I took this snapshot when the guy in the States was presenting.

I was on a Vista laptop running a Win 2k VM image running a WebEx session over a VPN:

Vista -> Win2k (VM) -> XP (WebEx)

All that whilst attending the conference call on Skype.

Earlier I was logged on to a remote desktop remote controling another session. So that would be:

Vista -> Win2k (VM) -> Win Server 2k3 (RDP) -> Win Server 2k3 (RC)

All off one laptop. Now that's impressive!

"Dude, you're such a multi-machine wizard, dude!"

I'm such geek! :)