Well well, I'm out of work so what does that mean? Apart from looking for more work that is?
It means days out, in this case to a work related trade show, namely Broadcast Live 2007, and to a work related shop at Panavision. WooHoo, I know how to live it up!
So.. Broadcast was ok, a bit small, but I had a good look around, picked up the usual assortment of shite leaflets and stuff.
(Got some free mints this time!), the obligatory paper bag that you collect at the main entrance split quite badly so that got binned, however, fortunately I had acquired one of those shite little bags like you get from JD Sports from the people on eht TV-Bay stand, this bag was suitably adequate for carrying the show shite to Greenford and back.
I had a butchers at the new Panasonic AG-HPX500 camera, totally P2 and HD at 1080i/p in DVCProHD (100Mbit), had a good chat with the sales guy, explained I wasn't totally sold on P2 yet, and mentioned a couple of things, one being XDCam HD which launched him into his big pitch, but still he was pretty cool and we had a good chat... he quoted me just over £10,000 for the camera body+ viewfinder + 4x 16GB P2 cards, I thanked him and went about my merry way.
Actually that's not a bad price, bear in mind you'd have to stick around another £6,000 on there for the lens and then consider the post side of things, eg how you're gonna transfer your footage from the P2 cards (there are several options for this and could potentially add another few thousand to the bill), plus then you've got to add, Tripod, bag, any extra batteries and charger, camera plate, and probably a couple of other bits. It'd be nice, but I don't think I'll be looking for £20k's worth of financing just yet.
I am more sold on P2 now, he's done his job, and there's some major moves going on with the production on P2, the BBC have invested heavily in it, it's being used more and more in the indie sector, and could actually give Sony a run... of course Sony is releasing it's ExpressCard based cameras soon, so it could go anywhere... probably Sony.
So after Broadcast Live (at Earls Court incidentally) it was off to Greenford and the Panavision Store!!
With my trusty tube map and made my way to the Central line and realised that I'd forgotton to bring the Google Map I'd printed off to tell me where Panavision actually was. Damn.
A little bit of trying to visualise the map from memory and heading in what turned out to be the completly wrong direction, I had a Maccy D's (6 nugget meal, thanks), utilised the power of the internet on my phone and found a map, retracked, orientated and BOSH I was on my way to the store.
A long trek around Greenford, which is a scummy place, I came across my goal. Panavision.
A little faffing about and trying to figure out where to go I decided to go and ask at the main desk, she made me sign in and then directed me through the door, past the coffee bar and it's on the right. Yes it is, past the coffee bar and GOOD GOD it's actually IN Panavision, like in the workshop, COOL!
The shop is actually quite small, much like you'd expect a gift shop to be, but it served my purposes, I managed to purchase the workbelt, belt 'buddies' and lens cloth that I wanted (items that didn't really justify trekking all the way to Greenford in Middlesex for but I wanted to go!!) and made my way out, feeling suitiably cooler for seeing the inside of Panvision UK, the various production slates that adorn the shop's walls and the many large B&W set pictures that adorn reception and the corridors.
(In my slight concern about not being allowed to take pictures, not wanting to look like a cock taking pictures and just my general crapness, I only managed to get a couple of 1200x1600 blurs, which I'm not gonna post.)
Now I have a cool carrier bag and my trousers will not be pulled down by my kit.
So finally to round the day off, I've been playing Dr Cockknockers' Brain Training DS on the train, slipped over on Trafalgar Street in Brighton, yes slipped over, which annoyingly I think that's the 3rd time this year!!! (In various locations), This time resulting in ripped jeans and a bloody knee. I recovered quickly tho, kept it cool.
And now I'm gonna be sad and watch the Panasonic P2 DVD I picked up at the show.
Just to let all in the iEther know that I've made a few updates to my site, mainly the addition of the Kit List page, which will itself continue to grow as I learn more stuff, buy more stuff and remember the stuff I've forgotten that I already own/know!
As I think everyone knows, the accepted method for opening a Kit-Kat is to slide your thumb down the groove beween the fingers, thus tearing the foil and allowing you to snap off and gain access to one of said fingers.
Why is it then that Nestle have seen fit to, at least on the two finger versions, wrap the foil the other way around so that the ends are over the groove, therefore negating the need to "tear the groove" and creating a small sliver of foil of, by habit, you do open up a can of thumb on it's silver ass.
Do they think they're making our lives easier by doing this? Why do they feel that we'd benefit from not having to tear the foil? Are there people out there who so desperately want to get at the chocolate fingers that an extra second or so could be potentially life threatening??
Please, everyone, I urge you to write to your local MP and help to rectify this abhorrent behaviour before I get started on Smarties tubes!
How the hell did the whole Madeline McCann thing explode into the massive media circus that it's become? I mean The Pope for fuck's sake!
As far as i'm aware this whole thing started with this couple leaving their very young kids alone in their hotel room while they went for a meal and she got snatched. While it's harsh any time a kid get's taken I fail to see what's so special about this case??
Don't use Disk Utility to verify your iPod's disk while it's connected to iTunes... as it fucks it and I just had to restore it and re-sync my library, which consequently lost the files I had stored on there. bugger.
So very busy, and another busy week coming up, filming Monday to Friday at various locations around the country, looks pretty certain that I *won't* be doing any camera work tho >:/ fucking yay.
Hopefully going to see Spidey 3 tomorrow tho, which despite the mixed reviews should still be fucking cheers!
There's been a shitload of stuff I've thought to write about during the week, but just haven't had the time to type anything up, hopefully things'll settle down a tad after next week and allow me to catch up with shit, send appropriate emails that I need to and generally start progressing forward again. In the meantime I bought some phono-to-jack adapters and a headphone splitter jumper from Maplin.... oooh the excitement.
Yep it's that time again, the time when you've had or are having lunch, and demotivation takes over (except for the saddos that work through their lunch break!!), you start checking out MySpace, Facebook, writing in your blog. The odd stifled burp reminds you that you eat far too much MaccyD's, but at least you have a guilt reducing bottle of Evian on your desk rather than the death ridden Coke, that adorned it this morning.
Fortunatly you have your laptop set up on your desk as well as your main work computer so that you can check twice as much email and see what joyeous spam you've got in the past 10 minutes, that and get Limewire going on the next episode of which ever prog you fancy (if it appears in the bloody search list and with the right episode number!).
But then the time ticks on, you know that in a few minutes you'll have to pick up the phone again, leave some more poxy voicemail (why don't we just call them messages anymore?) and look for someone else to allow you to jabber into their electronic voice mailbox for fun. Bastards.
Although, maybe you have someone actually booked in to talk to, maybe they'll actually be there, maybe you'll talk to the person you actually need to, and then maybe they won't shoot you down with their verbal ground to air missiles, distributing their dismissive flak in your general direction.
Maybe you're far too attacked to the grubby looking hole punch you rescued from the cupboard on your return after the break, but hell at least you've got your nice big desk back by the window, even if it gets covered in kit every couple of days.
"Excuse me I believe you have my stapler"
PS my filing cabinet acts as a foot stool.
Went to the Doc's earlier today, couple of things I needed to get checked out, my ears being one of them, basically (and I already knew this) they're chock full of wax (yum!), I'm basically wanting them syringed so I can bloody well hear again, but noooo, the poxy nurse has to do it, a week Monday!! Combine that with the fact that my right ear is KILLING ME! and yay for next week.
The other thing was headaches, over the past few months at least I've been getting a fair few headaches, usually in the same place, front part of my head, behind the eyes, and at least 3 times a week if not more.
First thing I thought was to go get my eyes tested, as I spend most of my life in front of a computer and that's probably it. Went to the optician's, she said, "Yep you need glasses y'all", although I'm only just over the threshold for needing them so she didn't think that was the cause of my headaches, so she referred me to my GP. Okay.
So after a fair bit of faffing about (I missed one appointment and I still don't have my glasses), I went and saw the Doc' (if only he was Brown), had a little chat, explained, as best I could, what my headaches were like, the fact that my main concern was the loss of concentration and "fuzziness" that accompanies them, which is basically the same feeling I got when I was messed up after Dad died, so I'd really like it checked out.
After going through the questions, he basically thinks that (oh there was a blood pressure check too, it's up "but only a smidge"), they sound like tension headaches, but I'm not particularly stressed at the mo, so he's putting them down to "painkiller headaches".
At this point I mentioned that I'd seen a documentary about this some time ago involving Codine.
Yes he says, Codine is pretty bad, Ibuprofen/Neurofen (which is what I normally take for headaches) is similar, but not the worst.
So basically he believe's I'm essentially addicted to the stuff. Great. Thanks.
To be honest, he's probably right, I haven't really had a headache since I've been of work (past two weeks), which made me think that it was something to do with my eyes and VDU's, but then I've been using my Mac, I've also had chronic earache for most of the time off and have been taking....wait for it... Neurofen for that. DOH!
So NOW, I need to pick up my prescription for Beta Blockers (medicine of choice in the late 80's I believe), take it for two months, NO PAINKILLERS, then stop. And see what happens basically. Hopefully the headaches will stop and I won't be injesting far too much ibuprofen.
Although I'm gonna pick up the shit tomorrow, I'm postponing the start date for a week, cos god damn does my ear hurt and I'm not dealing with that for a week, hopefully Nurse Pam will sort that out, it'll ease off and I'll be Blockin' away.
Hopefully I'll get some glasses at some point too, although the slightly lower pay packet I'm gonna get this month ain't gonna help that one!
I just watched Brick as well, pretty good, I'll post my verdict to the "reviews" blog, but probably not until 2moro.
L8r.
New Phone, (Nokia 6300, bit of a downgrade, but it's ok), New posts on my "reviews" blog as I saw The Prestige and 300 recently, and hopefully after the Doc's this avo I'll have new ears! YAY
http://mattereviews.blogspot.com/
...when you think Lost is gonna actually answer some questions and fill in some blanks, it gobs a big fat greener in your face!!
Still good tho.
Do people mis number stuff on P2P networks, just to be bastards?? >:/
Unexpectedly, I've just recieved my Joost beta invite and downloaded it onto my MacBook.
First run done and dusted and well, it's quite interesting as a concept, full screen, streaming video, presented in a TV like way on your computer (apparently will run on AppleTV as well)
It's a snazzy looking application, although a little choppy on my 512 Meg MacBook (oh god do I need to upgrade my RAM!)
It gives you a selection of channels that you can scroll through (haven't tried my Apple Remote with it yet, but I will in a mo) such as XL Recordings, Channel Frederator, Alliance Sci-Fi and The Soccer Channel... just like Sky then?... um.... well no, but that's what they're aiming for eventually and they'll probably get there if they get the right hardware support, eg: a set top box (a-la Apple TV, but I can't see Apple going for it somehow), bear in mind the guys who made this founded Kazaa and more importantly Skype.
I think it's main stumbling point is currently content (from what i've seen so far), but at the same time they've immediatly got a good cross-genre selection; sport, entertainment, music, shorts. As far as I understand it, it's advertising supported, just like normal telly (except BBC and movie channels etc), I've seen one advert so far for Vodafone, and it looked like a foreign ad at that, so not sure how well that's going for them, but you have to remember this is only second phase of their public Beta.
It's main attack apart from steaming video is the "TV 2.0"
I think content wise, they could do with hooking up with Revision3 and CurrentTV as well as some of the other podcast producers out there, as well as trying to get the traditional broadcasters to sign on.
So... although the current crop of content leaves much to be desired, saying that there IS Total
Is this what I've been reduced to??? A virtual shadow of my former self??
Discuss.
Well Apple have relesed their 8 core MacPro (that's 8x 3GHz)
A realistic £3,517 will get me a nice MacPro base unit, alternatively any kind souls wishing to purchase for me, the £8,222 model I've just specced out is quite welcome to. :D
I love digg, I browse it several times a day, mostly there aren't any major changes during the course of the day, but still I get most of my daily dose of what's going on in the world of stuff that interests me on there and it suits me fine. (and Diggnation FTW!!)
Sometimes I feel motivated to comment on a story, or simply browse what others are saying, sometimes even comment on a comment, within this, I've been dugg, buried and ignored.
This is where digg starts to slip into the hate side of things, and I guess it's not really digg itself, more 'people' and their differing viewpoints, the ones that get dugg down generally retailiate, blaming all the world's problems on digg itself, there are also a fuckload of idiots on there, not just people who's opinion differs from mine (as would be the internet accepted definition of idiot), but genuine stupid people. People who have trouble forming a sentence, who can barely spell (I know I'm nowhere near English literacy professor standards but I'd like to think I'm not a complete loss), who's basic general knowledge is way out and seem to have no want to improve themselves in anyway.
More often than not, these people (diggers) find themselves the victims of mass burying and flaming comments all round, some of them retaliate with some fire of their own, others simply skulk away to lick their wounds and find something else to comment on.
Increasingly there are the rationalists cropping up, the ones who part way through what genuinely is a futile argument (such as this one) simply chime in with the "Get over it" or "FFS..etc", they usually get dugg then ignored.
This sort of futile warring is mostly tiresome, and grinds me down, however occasionally something brightens things up...
dugg.
Just read an article in Metro about 10 year old Lewis Green, who's committee a string of drugs and violence offences.
He's been given a wide reaching ASBO, fair enough.
District judge Nalla Lawrence said the purpose of the order was 'not necessarily' to punish Lewis.
And there lies one of the major problems with England today.
Couple that with some charity calling for early release of youth prisoners to ease over crowding.
It seems crime doesn't pay, but it's not that bad either.
:/
Sent while mobile.
you mean I've gotta wait like a MONTH before the next episode of Heroes?!?!?! There's little else that has sucked more!
But not on a new 1.83GHz Core2Duo Macbook :/
SO, if anyone wants to kindly donate 2Gb of RAM (under £120 from Crucial), that I currently cannot afford to buy, please feel free...please. :/
After just browsing Mike's blog (sorry.. Slog), i realised that I hadn't taken the opportunity to post some PhotoBooth pics, as every other new Intel-Mac owner does ;)...
A cool one to start ;) The rest will be the "hilarious" ugly ones..
This one askes "Where's Dec?"
Not currently liking Safari's refusal to deal with Java based WYSIWYG blog editing :/
I just found this, from the Mayor of Yokohama City...
"Letfs start saving the environment from every dayfs activities by switching off unused power and not wearing neckties to work!"
Amen.
To all users who shun Windows.. go here to smite the BBC proper like...
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/iplayer/
I've just realised I don't know where my copy of Ichi The Killer is :/ must've lent it to someone...but who?!?!?
However, my MacBook has arrived!!!!!! :D
not quite as good as I was hoping for, but at the end of the day, I'm getting a replacement.
so, the backstory, my 12" iBook G4 1GHz 30Gb 256Mb, Combo (did expand with airport + another 512Mb), is dead (see earlier posts)
After a bit of faffing and having to send it to the insurance company, they agree that it's dead, or "beyond economical repair". Thank you.
They are going to replace it with a current bottom of the range MacBook (13" 1.83GHz C2D, 512Mb, 60Gb, Combo), after we gave them the princely sum of £75 excess!!
I was hoping for the mid-range model (2.0GHz, 80Gb, Super), but they wouldn't budge on that, still it's a replacement laptop for essentially £75 instead of around £800, so that's not bad I suppose.
Oh and to get my old one back they're charging another £75 + VAT! damn them.
Should arrive Weds, so I should be unpacking on next weekend!
Currently most excited about: Built in iSight! :D
Came across this recently while doing research for the doc I'm working on. Apparently it's massive in Japan.
http://reader.kaywa.com
QR Code will be popping up on my website, probably this weekend!
Please follow these guidelines, they may just save your life!
http://www.safenow.org/
to see what I've been up to recently..
Jessie Younghusband School
Well, after finally getting the Apple Hardware Test to run, it froze and then crashed completely on the RAM test section, so I force shutdown, whipped out the 512Mb Crucial stick and restarted the AHT...which didn't even load this time.
Apparently the basic RAM in an iBook is soldered onto the board. Damn.
Ok, I've been fiddling about for about a day and a half now, and as far as I can tell at the mo, my iBook has entered the world of the mentally retarded.
The light's on but nobody's home.
I have been "politly" told on the mac support forums, when I posted to a thread where a guy had pretty much exactly the same symptoms as me, to start a new thread for mine, as it may not be exactly the same thing and it would get confusing dealing with two different people. I didn't ask directly for help I merely explained my symptoms and said I was gonna watch the thread. Dickhead. in answer to the question.. No, this answer was not helpful.
Sometimes people online are wankers.
Anyway, as I've been fretting over my iBook and wanting to get a shitload of important stuff off (who the hell backs up their entire system regularly anyway?), I tried slamming it into Target Disk mode.
What Target Disk mode is, is a nifty way of turning my ibook into what is in essence a rather chunky and expensive 30Gb firewire drive.
Bloody useful, this confirmed for me that my HDD isn't dead and I can drag all my files onto my PowerMac, cheers.
But wait a minute...so anyone with their own Mac, basic knowledge of boot keystrokes and a 6-6 FW400 lead can do the same thing?!?
That seems a bit daft now.
As I don't currently have FileVault enabled on there, I don't know if this would make a difference and at the mo, I can't be arsed to read up on it. Also I did see on the instructions that it is possible to disable TD mode, however again, this seems a bit cack handed as it may provide the required security, but I'd be buggered for getting my shit copied.
And Mike..not giving up on it just yet, but certainly tempted to go for the insurance and then a new MacBook ;)
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!
My iBook is buggered...keeps..freezing...out of warrenty...help