Recipes from The Game of Thrones and old Medieval recipes at The Inn at the Crossroads – I would seriously try a lot of these
Monthly Archives: October 2011
And relax
Apple Computers are most certainly NOT designed to be opened and tinkered with. In all the years I’ve owned them, I’ve only needed to do a major bit of work twice. Once to repair a cracked PowerBook screen, and then today replacing the dead drive in the iMac.
Both were the result of simple math. Quotes for the PowerBook screen replacement ranged from €650-€1000 (7 years ago I believe). That’s crazy money. €90 on eBay got me a replacement LCD and 2 hours of my time. Not sure what the going rate to replace a drive in an iMac is. But it cost me €90 for a 1TB drive and €22 for a set of Torx screwdrivers. Another two hours of my time and the iMac is busy reinstalling.
It’s certainly feckin fiddly work though! But if you’re technically/mechanically minded and can hold a steady hand it’s certainly possible.
Why not use Apple Care? Because both times the machines were over five years old, and from an insurance perspective I’ve never needed, or seen the need for it.
Course there’s always that “I could bloody do that” mentality which I suffer from as well 
Oh and also bought a replacement Xbox 360 after the old one gave up the ghost with three blinking red lights (it never rains, but pours). That’s about five years old as well (at least). With the new one not coming out until 2015 or something it makes sense to replace it (we have a Kinect you see). I like the new ones! Smaller, black and much, much quieter.
I am bored of technology around the house dying though – no more please.
Spamalot
Its been a while but Akusmet seeming to entirely fail in catching the spammy comments called for it. Link was to a spam blog on Posterous. Couldn’t find a way to report spammy blgs there so tried the help email (let’s see how that goes).
Drop in the Ocean obviously but it took two secs while making a cup of tea.
Seems to be coming from someone hosting at the Ubiquity Server Solutions company (part of the Nobis Technology Group). Which is surprising as it used to be Russia/China all the time (back in the day).
Bah if I have to start looking at Server logs I’ll be irritated.
Manual blocking
Aside
Hmm, Akismet effectiveness has dropped to 88%. May have to start manually blocking and hunting
Goodbye time and money!
Follow ups to Battlefield, CoD, Oblivion (Skyrim), Drakes Fortune and Assassins Creed are all coming out over the next month or so.
Dear God it’s a Perfect Storm of gaming goodness o_0
I’m now trying to work out if I’ve amassed enough ‘Brownie Points’ with MBH to get away with all of that…
…It’s worth the risk 
Tools for the job
Aside
Man Logic – If I need to screw some screws (Eh? Well you know what I mean) I would OBVIOUSLY spend cash on a swanky powered screwdriver as it makes sense. It will do an infinitely better job than that old (but perfectly fine) screwdriver I have sitting in a drawer that I got as a free gift in a Christmas Cracker 8 years ago. SO THEREFORE I need to spend cash on some ‘Writing Apps’. Obviously. DO NOT argue with Man Logic … you will lose.
This might work
So I have about (quick finger count) eleven days until NanoWriMo starts. It’s strange but I’ve been thinking about it every other day. I signed up more out of hope that I’d do it than burning desire. But at quiet moments – like making a cup of tea – I’ve been thinking “What the hell am I going to write about?”
I had nothing.
Nada. Zilch.
It was not looking promising. Then out of nowhere tonight a thought formed, which led onto another, then another, then another … you get the picture.
I might actually have the start of a story that will last more than ten pages.
Phew!
No more concern, just have to wait until it starts. I was beginning to seriously think my effort would be the literary version of a French movie from the 60s … 40 pages of silent angst across the breakfast table.
Sad, sad day…
Not a book review
Okay so I think the usual thing to do is write reviews of books you’ve read on your blog. Well I’m trying to find time to finish the latest George R R Martin book so no time for finishing new ones. Instead I’m going to start a new category for books I stumble across, think might be a good idea to read, and don’t want to lose the name until I’ve bought it.
This one is the first,
“…in 2008 Boyle decided to try living for a year without money. His self-imposed rules were simple: he would close his bank account and not spend or receive money (including checks and credit cards).”
Betcha I can’t get it for the Kindle.
Silly Swipey Thing
Aside
While it’s technically swishy, I do not like the frontpage of most WordPress blogs when viewed on iOS. Just saying.