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videos are great. Thanks to (mainly) youtube, the internet is full of them. However, they can take a while to load and don’t make for great content, so, unless the video is relevant to something I’m writing about, I am only going to post random videos once a week. T for YouTube, T for Tuesday. Because there are no days of the week beginning with V(ideo) or Y(outube).
The Grand Canyon Skywalk opens to the public tomorrow.
[youtube]BvzlZuWrJNw[/youtube]
Its nearing the end of my 2nd day without a cigarette. Here is a brilliantly animated video by Jeremy Fisher for his song Cigarette, his album is out tomorrow.
[youtube]xGn0q1zoibw[/youtube]
The numa numa guy is back. I think he’s just after money this time. He now has ringtones, a contest where you could win $45,000 and you can chat to Gary! The lyrics are “new numa” rather than “numa numa” and he has a classy website “www.newnuma.com”
[youtube]3gg5LOd_Zus [/youtube]
Very cool and extra long Simpsons intro which was aired on Sunday as part of the episode Homerazzi.
[youtube]dEyt8qqaWD8[/youtube]
If you are afraid of flying don’t watch this.
[youtube]vOGB2PMQUCM[/youtube]
Apparently he can’t play the piano or drums.
[youtube]JzqumbhfxRo[/youtube]
The Guardian reported yesterday that the Radio Times website is getting with the times. The site is getting a full “web 2.0″ makeover. The site will not have links to services that provide legal video-on-demand services.
There was a time when I visited the RadioTimes.co.uk religiously every evening just so I knew what was on TV that night, most of the time I wouldn’t watch anything. Though I kept abreast of what was going on, I have always been very selective in my television viewing, not spending hours watching whatever comes on, instead, only sitting in front of the TV unless there is something on I want to watch (ER, Scrubs, Grey’s Anatomy, Family Guy, Documentaries etc).
Since September, however, I haven’t had a TV to watch. No big deal really, then I got hooked on some programmes (Scrubs, Grey’s Anatomy) and figured out how to use BitTorrent.
The Radio Times is now going to provide users with links to where shows are hosted elsewhere online e.g. 4 on Demand (4oD), and five.tv.
Other improvements include community forum and ways for users to rate shows, comprehensive guides, exclusive interviews, pictures, episode guides, behind the scenes footage and programme clips for top shows, and of course blogs!
Currently the website is blank.
Update: At about 22:30 the new-look RadioTimes website went live
A few people were kind enough to offer some advice as to why I have display problems with Internet Explorer as mentioned yesterday.
Jennifer Farley said, “It happens to me when I place an image that is wider than the main column in the post.”
Im not entirely sure if this happens for me, but I always make sure my images are less than the width of the main column (about 470px).
nerd tells me “fixed width is bad” - I barely know what that is. I think is it something about how the width moves according to different resolutions?
The most interesting is that the tags could be causing the problems, according to McAWilliams. In his comment he included a link to the results of my blog after hit had been put through the W3.org XHTML Validator.
I’m not sure how valid this validator is though:
http://fustar.org - Failed validation, 28 errors
http://mulley.net - Failed validation, 33 errors
http://www.mneylon.com/blog - Failed validation, 35 errors
http://scobleizer.com - Failed validation, 41 errors
http://ocaoimh.ie - Failed validation, 45 errors
http://www.conoroneill.com - Failed validation, 55 errors
http://eirepreneur.blogs.com/eirepreneur - Failed validation, 67 errors
http://www.kenmc.com - Failed validation, 77 errors
http://www.tomrafteryit.net - Failed validation, 93 errors
http://words.iced-coffee.com - Failed validation, 140 errors
http://irish.typepad.com/irisheyes - Failed validation, 194 errors
http://www.adammaguire.com/blog - Failed validation, 418 errors
In response, the blog started out with a wordpress theme, which I have altered, but not much as any more just goes way over my head and I end up screwing it all up. I also write most of my entries using the Rich Text Editor. Could it be the Rich Text Editor?
BEWARE THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS A MULTITUDE OF CLICHÉS
I didn’t have a cigarette today.
You are probably thinking to yourself “Oh well done you(!)” [in sarcastic tone], whether you are a smoker or non-smoker. More specifically non-smokers will be thinking “You shouldn’t have started such a nasty habit”. The Smokers are thinking “So fucking what. I don’t wanna read another rant about someone trying to quit. Don’t go down that road.” Sorry all, thats what I’m going to do, and continue to do until I get rid of this nasty fucking cough.
“Smokers cough, eh?”
“Eh, yeah”
Those are the words which were exchanged this morning during the fire evacuation between me and a colleague as I tried hard to keep my lungs inside my rib cage. Much coughing continued throughout the day. I felt so unhealthy.
I decided last week I was going to quit smoking, it has yet to happen. A week before that, the month before that - it was even my new years resolution! Although I have managed to cut down in the last few weeks - months even; I smoke normally no more than 10 cigarettes a day (aren’t I just great!), it’s still 10 too many.
Lets break it down to the most basic way I know how:
Advantages
- Sometimes it feels great, especially after a few drinks.
- I look cool (right?)
- Sociable. How many conversations have you sparked with people in designated smoking areas?
Disadvantages
- It costs too much
- I got this nasty cough
- I’m smelly
- Lying to the parents
- Having to go outside to smoke - its freezing most of the year (but it’s spring now and getting warmer!)
- Weight loss & loss of appetite
- Oh and all these reasons!
Guess what, I think there are more disadvantages!
In the past I have bought the Gum and I tell you now - do not try it! It gave me such a sore head. I still have plenty left, maybe I’ll give it another shot.
So why do I find it so hard to quit? Thats easy; what the hell am I going to do if I don’t smoke?? I generally smoke on the way to work, one or two at lunch time (only time I’m allowed out of the building during the day), one the way home from work, about 3 or 4 in the evening, plenty more at the weekend. Any time I leave the house, I make sure to have a cigarette, oh yeah, and in bars: one hand; pint, other hand; cigarette, with such a great combination you can never go wrong.
The hardest to give up; those couple at lunch time and when I’m drinking. Oh yeah, the ban.
I’ve been really looking forward to the ban since the date was first publicised many moons ago. Knowing that if I hadn’t managed to quit by the time it comes around (100% correct), it will only be a good thing for me. With the ban having been in place in the rest of Ireland, Scotland and most US states for a few years now, there have been both positive and negative reports: bars smelling like sweaty armpits and urine (“At our particular corner it smelled of old man and old man urine. Nice”), business sales drop, people being laid off from bars and restaurants, Guinness sales drop, children affected by more smoking at home , Ireland pubs closing
On the other hand: Air pollution levels drop, many lives will be saved, Bar staff will be healthier, better business in bars and restaurants, ban will encourage people to quit, less gamblers, none of this passive smoking crap.
So why would I want to come across so desperate on my own blog? Cos I wanna quit. By making this post I have a permanent reminder of my desperation.
“It’s a dead end job, and you gets tired of sittin’
And it’s like a nicotine habit you’re always thinking about quittin’
I think about quittin’ every day of the week
When I look out my window it’s brown and it’s bleak”
Paul Simon - Once Upon A Time There Was An Ocean
Andrew Baron has responded to the “misleading” Market Watch article saying:
“Rocketboom will always remain free and easily available to obtain. That’s our #1 foundational principle of being and I don’t ever foresee needing to change that.”"
Its not true at all. Rocketboom will remain freely available. The point I was making is that we are not happy with advertising right now. The advertisers are not being very flexible and down-to-earth and we are just not happy with the idea of mass advertising on Rocketboom. Its not ruled out, it just feels wrong so far. “
I just wish it was a little more interesting and a little less boring, though Joanne Colan is very attractive.
I just noticed that my sidebar in Internet Explorer is way down the bottom of the page. As a Firefox user I haven’t noticed this before. The only time I use IE is in work; a more-shit-than-usual IE where flash, quicktime, streaming just about anything and much javascript don’t work. But my sidebar is at the top where it should be.
If anyone else sees the blog like this let me know. Then get Firefox!
If you can help me fix this, that would be super great!
Updated:
I gotta make sure I don’t have any media on the blog wider than 460px. Turns out that was the cause of the problems. That bloody Penguin! It was 470px.
Apparently Rocketboom.com is contemplating charging users to to view the show. Show producer Andrew Baron believes that going down this path with bring in much more money than the show currently makes. That’s probably very true. What I have a problem with is the whole ‘paying’ thing.
When you have 350,000 views a day and 200,000 downloads a day there is a lot of potential for rolling in the big bucks. Currently Rocketboom charges $60,000 for a weeks worth of advertising. $60,000! But they need more. They want to charge the users! Surely thats just not right.
Cannot they not be satisfied with the amount being made from advertisers. One of the beautiful things about the Internet is that the vast majority of it is free. Particularly a these new community and social aspects of the web; blogs, video blogs, and podcasts. They are all free.
Baron recently said, “Another way to monetize your content is a premium subscription. For the hardcore fans, we will give you extra content and our newsletter, and ask them to pay $3.50 a month. For 10,000 people that is $35,000 per month.”
Plenty of people will probably do it, $3.50 is not much for 30 shows.
I don’t often paying for content on the internet when I can get it for free somewhere else, which is often the case. Not so good for advertisers and busines, but thats just the way of the world.
I’m beginning to think it could be time to start videoblogging!
I won’t be paying, though admittedly I’m definitely not a hardcore fan. Will you?
I managed to get by the whole weekend without a single drop of alcohol. Its been weird. I did find it tough resisting going to the off-license the last two nights, but I’m going to be strong, disciplined and above all, prove to myself I can do it.
As mentioned briefly last week, I have gone off alcohol in recent weeks. I don’t feel the need to go completely cold turkey, instead I am going to limit myself to 3 pints in a night out, followed by orange juice. I would drink milk though I don’t think bars offer it for drinking and it would look a little weird. Not that that would stop me. I mean, if I could I would, just for the strange looks, that would definitely be fun.
Friday night, stayed in. Saturday, coffee, cinema. Sunday, well tomorrow is a ’school’ day. No bars for me, thanks!
Spring has arrived, and it has been showing in the weather this week. Certainly no warmer in the late evening but during the day its actually been warm. Yesterday there was not a cloud in the sky. It was all blue, and doesn’t that make you feel all warm and fuzzy?
The clocks went forward an hour last night, good old daylight savings time British Summer Time; resulting in the loss of an hour’s sleep - for most people. I didn’t go to sleep until 5:30am this morning, though I didn’t get up until 1pm so I didn’t lose much sleep at all last night, yet I’m perfectly aware how unhealthy it is to screw up my sleep pattern like that. Tomorrow I will be getting up at 8am for work. I thought since it was already 6.45am I would be doing myself more harm than good by going to bed sleeping until late in the evening then have trouble getting to sleep tonight.
update: I slept from 8:30 to 3pm. I’m fucked tonight.
I’ve always hated going to sleep. Why would I want to stop having so much fun doing whatever it is I’m doing and spend 7-8hrs being idle. I might miss something! I don’t want to continue it [current activity] in the morning when I’ve got this far!
As much as I have tried over the years I have never managed to do it. I am never asleep before 12am, yet I have to get up every morning at 8-8:30am. Even when I do try to go to sleep I just can’t.
I can’t sleep ‘cos I can’t stop thinking. OK so obviously I gotta think, but when I’m actually trying to sleep I don’t want to be thinking so much. I’ve noticed this more over the last few months, that all this thinking leads to some great ideas, often so great I want to write down. But it’s too late and I’m too tired to get out of bed, where it’s warm, to reach for a pen and paper.
So I’ll just write it down in the morning, right? No. I never seem to remember anything I was thinking about in the morning. I have theories for both of these problems. Sensible theories. The kind of theories by parents used to go on at me about.
1. Shutting off the computer sooner before going to bed
Another term for this as used by my mother on many occasions, winding down. Instead of switching off computer and hoping straight into bed I should give myself some time to relax my brain. Maybe I should read a little or even just go to bed earlier, time to think and not end up getting to sleep so late.
2. Getting up earlier
This would be good so that I’m not rushing so much in the morning. To give myself time to collect my thoughts in the morning maybe even try and remember those thoughts of the night before. I could even get breakfast every morning and a nice mug of coffee.
I’ve been wanting to know for years the explanation for the crusty crap around the eyes when we wake up today I found the answer:
When we wake up, why do we have crust in our eyes? - S.S.
“Eye crusts†are the leftover protein and fat from tears that have dried up. Tears have three components:
- Salty water, which comes from the tear gland behind the upper outer corner of our eye.
- Protein, secreted by the conjunctiva, which is the clear film that covers the eye.
- And fat, which comes from ducts in the eyelids.
Tears do lots of jobs. They clean the eye. They fill in tiny imperfections in the surface of the cornea, which needs to be perfectly smooth for maximal vision. They also deliver nutrients to the cornea, which has to be clear to let light through to the iris, and therefore has no blood vessels to deliver a “food supply.†And of course tears flow at times of emotion, when the tear glands power up and produce more salt water.
At night, with our eyes closed and protected, we don’t display emotion, and with our eyes closed we don’t get dirt in our eyes. So we don’t make tears. Small amounts of the mixture already on the surface of the eye seep out, but without a fresh supply of liquid from the tear gland, the fat and protein dry up.
They also answered that age-old question Why is yawning contagious?
If you don’t think YAWNING is contagious, see if you YAWN by the time you’re done reading this explanation of YAWNING.
Each time the word yawn is mentioned they put it in CAPS. I yawned by 5th paragraph, and again just 3 seconds ago writing this.
I’m actually a little bored now. Screw it - I’m going to sleep.
I’m still here! - You can’t shut me down!
Microsoft threatens Mac! (via Lex Ferenda)
Something old that I rediscovered. A Painting a Day
Quote of the Day: “We know what happens to people who stay in the middle of the road. They get run over.” - Aneurin Bevan
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