A blog about blogging!?

As with most digital elements in my life, I've wasted considerable hours trying to refine the art of blogging, instead of actually doing said act. Typically me!

It shouldn't really matter how this content gets onto these pages, but if you're like me; inquisitive and scatty; you might like to know how this stuff gets from the confines of my brain to here.

First thing first, was choosing a blog provider. Ideally I wanted something that was well known, supported, customisable and easy to publish to. Being a complete n00b, it was difficult to make head or tail of the blog providers; even being a seasoned IT pro.

The two big players were Blogger and WordPress. From what I could see, they both satisfied the majority of my technical requirements (consultant in me coming out there). I couldn't really discern between the two too much, but Blogger appeared to be the more compatible with other applications - such as Google Picasa. I settled on Blogger.

What about publishing though? My biggest bugbear is that I won't do anything unless it's fast and easy to do. The hardest part should be getting the stuff out of my scatty brain, into my fingers and onto the web. Blogger offers a multitude of ways to publish through its own application programming interface (API). Basically, they provide public methods for any application writer to embed into their program. Hence, Google Picasa is able to publish a blog entry about a photo in your library, straight from Picasa. Neat!

My other problem was that I like to write as I go, sometimes coming back to what I have written. So I'd need a place to store and file all of my ideas, and snippets of writing. Up steps Microsoft OneNote 2007, an electronic note taking application. It's basically just a big electronic lever arch file, with section and pages. What's great about it though is that it loads in about 1 second, and saves as you go along, so no need to be hitting save all the time. I'll write an entry on OneNote some other time though - as it's worth its own mention. I'm currently writing this in OneNote.

Once I've finished I can either click "File > Send To > Blog", or right click on the corresponding page tab, and click "Blog This". That fires up Microsoft Word 2007; which has the Blogger API built into its blogging engine, and can post directly to it. I can then add images to the blog.

Unfortunately Word isn't clever enough to publish to any well know image hosts. I publish my images to Photobucket before hand, and then add the images to the blog entry that way. Adding web images seems to stall Word for a bit, but it gets there in the end. Neither is Word compatible with labels or categories, as it likes to call them, so that part has to be done after publication.

Once I'm happy with the blog post, I hit the "Publish" button. About 5 seconds late, Word comes back to tell me that it was published at the current time. The new entry then appears in a list of posts on that particular blog account, but that also seems to currently have problems, as I'm unable to reopen anything that I've published; which is a bit of a shame.

So even with the OneNote/Word 2007combination's shortcomings, I still find the system extremely easy to work with . In an ideal world, the Blogger API would be built into OneNote, without needing the extra step into Word, as not everyone will have Word. Also, the API would be deployed a little less buggy, and an image hosting API like Flickr, Photobucket of similar would be built in. However, the future is bright for my blogging.

Ready, Steady, Grow!

My wife Sally and I have spent quite a few weekends and hours down the allotment over winter. To be honest, Sally has done the bulk of the preparation work, and I've just been tidying the paths and building borders to get it more organised and manageable.

Our wild plot has now taken on some shape and form, and looks quite half decent. Sally has painstakingly dug and weeded over almost the whole plot, and it is looking really good. No doubt the weeds will come, and in force. But with the plot in its current shape, we probably won't be wanting to throw the towel in like we did last year.

We had a little mishap with the garlic in January, where I basically built a path over where it had been planted - oops! But, we've chucked some more in, and we now have the onions, shallots and early potatoes in.

It's a little concerning about the recent late cold weather we have been getting, but I have some faith that - to coin an Ozzie phrase, and one of my favourites - "She'll be right!". Hopefully the snow will be the last of winter we see, and we can just get on with the usual miserable British weather.

Having said that. Remember last April? It was a scorcher. But then we got the wettest summer on record! I reckon we will be in for a bit of the same to be honest, but I'll be keeping everything crossed that it's not.

If you're a fellow allotmenteer, good luck with the new growing season. Leave a comment and put a link to your blog if you have one. I should have another update in the next couple of weeks.

The Internet is now mobile

I can categorically admit that I am an Internet addict. Not a surfing addict; although I do my fair share. But, more specifically, I get a wee panic when I don't have access to it. I find it's like an extension of the basic commodities of life. Food, Water, Shelter, Clothing and an Internet connection!

OK, OK. It's not a basic commodity of life. In Western Europe, we almost all expect electricity, lights, running water and some form of heating. Connectivity to the Internet is slowly taking on that form of expectation. It's an amazing time to live in, as it is fundamentally changing and shaping the way that society acts, its abilities, and the way we think.

The concept of the Internet itself was revolutionary, and step by step that revolution is evolving. Not long ago, for a lot of us, cyber cafes, or places of work were the only places we could get 'online'. Now, most Internet access comes in the form of a computer at home. Wireless Ethernet (802.11x) has enabled us to put devices in the far corners of our houses, or use laptops wherever we want.

The true power of the Internet comes alive with mobility - Internet Anywhere. A large section of users are finding new places to work, surf, socially network, shop or whatever. Wireless Ethernet access is creeping into hotels, coffee shops, restaurants, service stations and even some modes and places of public transport.

Better yet, packet switched networks over mobile carriers are not only getting better, but they are extending their reach. It's these mobile networks that will become our common data carriers. We've evolved from GSM, GPRS, EDGE, now 3G and HSDPA. HSDPA has already been hitting 7.2mbps over some networks. Further evolution is just down the road, with technologies such as WiMax, iBurst and 4G. These new technologies have amazing potential, being either really high speed, or really long distance. Imagine being 10 miles from your nearest cellular mast, but still getting 10mbps!

For the past 2 year I've been using 3G through T-Mobile Web 'n Walk shared through a Bluetooth connection with my phone. And I'm now currently using '3' and one of their USB data devices. At £15/month, it represents really good value. You can get it for £10/month, but I needed the 3GB/month policy, instead of 1GB/month. I've been fairly impressed with it. The only time it can be a little problematic, is when on the move on the train, but even then it works fairly well - helped by frigging the software a little - more on that in another post. When I'm not on the move, the device really does work like mobile broadband. Obviously it's not my home ADSL2 connection with 24mbps down and 2mbps up, but none the less it does everything I need of it.

Mobile data will become the norm. It's inevitable. Dell already produces a line of laptops that you can pop a SIM card into. The term 'hot spot' will soon be forgotten, to be replaced with 'cold spot' or similar. And there won't be many cold spots either; they'll be like a freak of nature.

For me personally, it's exciting. For some, it will be a little scary or daunting. It is difficult to perceive the effect that new technology will have on our lives and the rest of society - and I have plenty of thoughts around it, but not for now. It is hugely empowering. Never in any age, has society been able to have access to the world, its knowledge, and be able to collaborate and communicate in such a capacity.

Time for that beer from coach 'C' on the 17:45 Pendolino from London Euston...

Trains, Pains and Call Centres

I had an interesting, yet frustrating experience last week. I was booked on an engagement that saw me just off Saville Row, London, for 4 days. I decided to do the commute for the 4 days on the train, as I can get door to door in just over 3 hours.

Most folks' perceptions these days of trains are getting stranded at Birmingham New Street with only a donner kebab to console you with. It's far from the truth these days, and the long distance Virgin lines have been running with rather good efficiency for some time - I know, because I'm always on them.

Booking this journey though, was up there with NTL support. I'm a tolerant person by Buddhist monk standards, but this got me rattled.

My first 'apparent' mistake was that I was booking multiple journeys. I entered in Tuesday's journey, and instead of 'proceed to payment', I chose 'add another journey' - simple right? So, add Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday; total cost £600. Ouch!

Now I'm off to 'proceed to payment', enter all the details and what not, and finally click 'make payment'. Wait a few seconds…'Card issuer declined' - Eh? I must have made a mistake somewhere. Check the details, no they're correct; try again. Same thing 'Card issuer declined' - Bollocks!

So I get on the blower to AMEX. Have to enter my card number which is a bit fiddly on a PDA soft phone, but I get through, and very quick I might add. The support person knows her stuff, and takes time to explain everything as we go along. It transpires that Virgin in their ultimate wisdom didn't want to take £600 off me. They though it much better to make a transaction for each ticket, or 4 x £150. So you can guess what happened.

Yup, the card declined the transaction, as it saw it as a bit dodgy - rightly so. In fact, it wasn't actually declined, more held pending for manual authorisation, so the authorisation was complete, they just needed confirmation. Virgin Rails booking system isn't that clever though, so they just binned off the booking as declined.

AMEX told me, as the transactions were pending, I had to call Virgin Rail and get them to either manually authorise with their merchant ID, or for them to cancel the transaction. This is where the fun and games really started. As I dialled the number for Virgin, little did I realise, my call was being trunked across to India.

Now I'm all for a bit of multi-culture. In fact India is just about my favourite destination in the world; I've travelled there since 1996. But, Indian call centres are a complete nightmare. First off, the culture is very very different. When I've got a problem, I want somebody that understands 'me', not the other way around. Whatever problem I have, I want it sorting, and with the minimum of fuss; after all, I'm paying for a service. There are language difficulties, and their English accent is harder to understand - and I'm pretty good at it.

Anyway, my call centre guy was clearly reading off a teleprompt/screen, and there was just zero flexibility to what he could do or help me with, unless it was on the screen. He didn't really understand what was going on, apart from what he was prompted to tell me. Now it's not his fault, and I wasn't shitty at any point, but I was sharp. I was told that I'd just have to wait 24-48 hours, and try again.

While explaining my problem, I must have mentioned that I was travelling from Warrington to London Euston at 6:27 on Tuesday about 10 times. He decided that he'd try to make the reservation over the phone - but his first question was 'what is your destination and time of travel'. Queue the mute button, and me screaming my fucking head off. After 5 minutes, his computer crashed, and I was told to call back in 15 minutes - arghghhghgh - OMFG!!!!!

It's the Indian way though. If there's one thing I've learned being over there, is you just can't fight it. You have to go with the flow and be patient. I just had to switch myself into that mode again, and the pain soon started to subside. Soon after, I had a chuckle, all be it with still slightly elevated blood pressure, but I smiled.

I eventually put the journey on another card; one that I don't use for work. I was able to use my AMEX for the day after thank God. I did call customer services (not the booking line) to explain my plight, and that centre was based in the UK. The guy was flexible and understood what was going on. He told me there'd been an upgrade in January, and he'd seen a few instances of this happening. He said he'd pass my comments on to the business support team. All reassuring, and professional at last.

I won't be booking multiple tickets with Virgin again in a rush, no matter how much I love India.

Digital Lifestyle: Video Cameras

Stemming from a love of photography, I really got into video about 10 years ago. I was working as a system administrator in Warrington, and becoming perpetually bored, with what I perceived a mundane career. It wasn't 'that' mundane; I just didn't have any creative outlets. "Yeh maaaan!, whatever…"

Anyway, so off I went, and did what I'm best at - research and learning. Within days, I was going to be the next Robert Rodriguez, and started to study film production and direction in my spare time. With my higher than average IT contractor wages, I was off buying expensive video kit; Canon GL1, matte boxes, Sennheiser mics and windshields, boom poles, tripods; you name it, I had it. God, I must have spent thousands.

I ran out of steam though; as quite commonly I do; much to my wife's (girlfriend then) distaste - ah well!

Still, I loved doing all the clever things with video. It was creative, but technically challenging. I got a real sense of satisfaction, cutting a home video in iMovie, adding soundtracks, and banging it out to a DVD in iDVD. But I'm a picky bugger these days in my old(er) age. My problem is, I won't commit to doing anything, until I've found the perfect way of doing it. I like to call it obsessive compulsive technology disorder - my digital life just 'has' to be in perfect order.

About a year ago, I was examining my digital lifestyle creative outlets, and realised I'd not outputted any video for years. I used to love it so much; why did I stop? I soon found the answer. I absolutely hated carrying around a MiniDV camcorder with me. Even worse, was the fact that carrying a camcorder usually meant I had a stills camera with me also, not to mention the SLR.

I decided enough was enough, and video was coming back to town. What I needed was a convergence device; an in the pocket device that would do a multitude of things, and good quality also. Convergence devices can be a right pain in the arse though, and tend to do a crap job at most things. It seems the more you add, the shitter they get. My phone had a camera and did video, and it did the phone bits, and the other data functions I needed it for, very well. The media quality was appalling though.

Pocket cameras that shot video were a promising choice. I'd had a couple of these previously, and the video quality was pretty good. The problem was the format. Most pocket cameras these days shoot using the MJPEG format; and while it is good quality, the format is a pig. First off, it eats memory cards faster than a Labrador can eat a gravy bone. And secondly, once you have the AVI file, it's not the greatest format for sharing with. Also, frame sizes and rates used to be small, due to the high bitrates. And quality per Mb, it's not all that. Well, it's better for editing with - I suppose. But overall, it is outdated and behind the times. Sony's offerings include MPEG1 recording, and yes, you can fit loads on a card - shame it looks shit though. It seemed like video was going back on the shelf for a while. Or was it?

I was doing some heavy research on dpreview.com, as I'd seen some solid state memory MPEG-4 (part 2) recorders, and wanted to try to find a point and shoot that did the same. I came across the Casio range of cameras, and they appeared to have a whole line of cameras that recorded to MPEG-4. I trawled through countless reviews, and from what I could gather, the photo quality was average, but the video quality was good, more so considering the compression. They also did widescreen mode shooting, which I prefer, as my intended audience is 16:9. I settled on the Casio S770, as it was card sized, meaning it would go nearly everywhere with me, and most importantly wouldn't be a chore.

It's no DV camera though. You can't zoom while recording, it'll only record up to 10 minutes on the EU version due to some EU legislative crap - used as a video recorder, more tax blah blah! The lens can flare quite badly, in direct bright light, but that's nothing out of the ordinary. The quality is superb considering this is a £170 camera, recording to MPEG-4. It records roughly 1.7GB per hour, that's about 140 minutes on a 4GB card. 4GB SD cards weigh in at about £15 these days.

Because it records to SD memory cards, it's a cinch to get it onto your computer; none of this OHCI IEEE1394 camera control bollocks - just stick it in and go - nice! The files are AVIs, but that's just a wrapper like Quicktime MOV. The actual codec of the video is MPEG-4 Part 2, which is basically what DivX, XviD, Quicktime 6 etc use. This means that the files are widely playable on a whole host of devices. A lot of DVD players these days support MPEG-4 playback too, so it's easy to pop your files on a disc and play them on the big telly. Or, if you are like me, you can stream them across a network to a media player like XBOX Media Center (XBMC) or similar - more on that some other time.

It was about 14 months ago that I bought this camera. As is life in the digital world, there have now been 45 million revisions of the product that I originally bought - sort of. Casio now offer an even more interesting proposition for video recording, in the form of MPEG-4 Part 10. It sounds like a really long drawn out movie sequel, but the format is also more commonly known as H.264, or MPEG-4 AVC. The format can be stunning. I've not seen the results from the new Casio cameras yet, but I'd imagine it to be better. The resolution is still only SD, but that's all I need for now, as the digital workflow around HD is just far too lengthy for simple home movies.

On our recent trip to India, a brief sand storm almost totalled the lens contraction mechanism on our S770. A little devil on my shoulder secretly wants it to die a death, so I can upgrade to H.264 - don't tell Sally though :-)

I told you I was obsessed with this stuff, and honestly, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Once you've decided on the video capture device you want, it's then time to start thinking about intended output. How do you get from capture to output, in the least fuss, in the least time, while still maintaining the picky (or in my case arsey) quality you desire? Well, I'll go into that in another entry soon.

The Demise of the British Pint; or is it Culture?

I imagined that my first non-green post, would be about my hobby in motorsport; which I am very keen on. But, an article on the BBC website has grabbed my attention, and possibly made me conclude, that my favourite hobby is drinking!?

The article can be found here

Apparently, we all drink far less pints than we used to. A trip around town (Warrington) on a Saturday night says different; but maybe it's just the demographic that has shifted. Indeed, the new batches of youngsters are paving the streets with orange and blue bile; but are we really supping fewer pints?

Maybe, I just haven't noticed that much. My local pub is a haven of all things good about being British - a bastion of hope against the trendy bar upstarts, seemingly assimilating the nation. Admittedly, it is only one half of the pub, known as 'the bar-side'; where the other half, 'the best-side' deals with your daily Grigio, Staropramen, and lads on the pull lot.

Bar-sides, or snugs, vaults, whatever you like, tend to get a bit of a bad rap on the whole - only justified in the minority of cases (read, rough as f%^k!). They are the only sanctuaries we have left, especially in geographically built up areas; which practice the art of the British pint.

What is the British pint? Is it bitter, lager, cider, stout or mild, in a glass that measures exactly 568ml? No.

It is the British practice of bringing together common men. Common not meaning rough and vulgar; but ordinary, every day, and communal. And suffice to say, in our now modern times -men are extended to women. A British pint is as much about the community, as it is the taste and its effects. It's not about getting hammered with your mates while on the pull; it brings a community together, to socialise, relax and sooth.

The BBC article is pretty good. Rather than rest on facts and figures, it provides a rather interesting analysis, all be it with a few parts that I think are a bit off the mark, namely drug use effecting sales. And, one thing isn't mentioned throughout the article, is the coinciding demise of British culture. However, someone mentions in the comments sections, about there being 'no pubs' anymore; meaning the real pubs that have changed into commercial ventures, as opposed to the local that serves the community.

I for one love my pub; well the bar-side anyway. It's possibly one of my favourite places in the world. It is the centre of everything non-pretentious and non-conceited in my village, where everybody is the same, no matter their background. It keeps me in touch with my community, where others don't even know their neighbours' name. I urge anyone who is reading this - go find your local, go have a pint with those that live around you, enjoy the beer, enjoy the company, enjoy life, enjoy the British pint.

Compost bin mark II

Compost bin - mark II, originally uploaded by 21goodlife.

There's not much interesting to write about compost bins - especially the second one. But, here it is!

I had to build the sides using two bricks wide, and without any gaps anywhere. The good news is, it's much stronger. I'm hoping it will mean less barracking from my neighbours as a result.

The pallet that the bricks were delivered on to our house has come in handy as a removable front. We still need another bin though, so I'll be on the look out for any bits and bobs lying around anywhere that can be used.

That's another job out of the way, and the back garden is now a little more clear; much to the delight of Sally.

Decentralised Energy

I'm no pioneering thinker; let alone scientist. But, I do have my moments in a day, where I may drift off into my own mind; drafting solutions to end some of the world's problems. I imagine I'm not alone.

I've been fairly convinced for a little while, that with ever depleting natural resources, the only alternative apart from wind and hydro electric power, is the nuclear route. Scary.

I was a little surprised when I fell on top of this YouTube video, and quite literally opened my eyes. Suprised; because the concept is ingenious, and why isn't this in more main stream thought - I'd never heard of this concept, but the idea is so simple.

We produce masses of centralised power, but two thirds of it is lost in the production and delivery *chin hits floor*. Move energy production more locally, and you double the output; maybe more. It doesn't solve the fossil fuel dependency problem, but it gives us longer to come up with an alternative.

This model is already in production in some parts of the world; notably Denmark. Plus, combining energies such as wind, hydro, solar and biomass, we become even less dependent on fossil fuels, which is ultimately the goal.

It's a fairly long video, but I encourage anyone to watch it. I'm still struggling to understand why the UK government is hesitant to implement a decentralised model. More so, with current power stations being decommissioned and replaced within the next few decades.

Compost bin mark I

Sally using compost bin mark I, originally uploaded by 21goodlife.

After clearing away what seemed to be a jungle's worth of overgrowth from the embankment to Kingsway Bridge, I set about building a structure to use as a compost bin. Next time I clear nettles, I'm going to try wearing something more than shorts and T-shirt. What was I thinking!

I was trying to be economical with the bricks, so I could actually build two; or maybe three; compost bins. The idea behind having multiple compost bins, is so that you can separate the various stages of composted material. One bin will contain mature compost; ready to use, the other with new. Plus; moving compost from one bin to the other, aerates and mixes the compost, which actually helps the composting process too.

Things didn't go quite to plan though. Being 'skinny' with the bricks, and building directly on soft earth without foundations, meant that the structure wasn't stable enough. In fact, it looked like something out of a shanty town - and that's insulting slum dwellers.

In the end, I took it down. I was going to have to be less frugal with the bricks, and build something much stronger.

The wild side

The wild side, originally uploaded by 21goodlife.

Well, this is the part of our allotment that has been neglected since we got it. As the picture shows, it's a little on the wild side.

We got the allotment back in September of 2006, so it's been a year now. Even though it was a 'half' plot, it was still a substantial amount of land (or dirt as one of my friends calls it) to take on - especially considering the state it was in.

So, we got to work on the other half, which is much better. There's still an abundance of weeds there, but they are a little more controlled. We've; sorry, I've, taken it upon myself to clear this little lot, and get the ground ready for the new season next year.

We've got a load of left over bricks from landscaping the garden - like 100s. And, after asking on the 'Allotments 4 All' forum, was given a few ideas for using the bricks; rather than tipping them - tut tut!

I'm planning to build a compost bin and a cold frame out of the bricks. Quite a bit of the jungle will need to be hacked away before they can go in though; but then I'll have a place to put all the green waste; in the compost bin - Yay!

It all looks a lot of hardwork, but we try to keep chanting the mantra "just a little, and often", as most of our fellow allotmenteers recommend.