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Well, I finally remembered to book my hotel room for dConstruct in Brighton. After a slight panic due to me waiting until a nearby, inexpensive hotel was full before booking, I found an absolute bargain just 2.5 miles from the conference venue over in Hove.

It does sound really interesting, and I’m keen to learn about all the latest developments in all things web. I’m hoping my shyness doesn’t get the better of me at the post-conference party in the evening, and I get to chat to some interesting peeps!

In another news, my house seems to be full of stacks of Ruby and Rails programming books, notes, print-outs! I’ve made a start on my top secret project (more to be revealed in due course), and I’m trying to persuade my brilliant graphic designer friend (who sadly does currently have a portfolio online to link to) to design a logo for me.

In other news, the satnav I bought a few weeks ago is incredibly useful and accurate. Last weekend, I successfully went into London and out again unscaved! Normally, I would go by train, but it was a Sunday and I nether wanted to risk engineering work disruptions, nor have to leave there particularly early.

Well, it’s been too long since I last posted on here! Partially I’ve been getting out there and enjoying myself, and the rest of the time i’ve been overheated and trying to keep cool.

It’s the second of third (I lost count) week where the temperatures have been over 30°C during the day, and combined with the humidity it’s getting close to unbearable. Luckily, I have the luxury of working in an air-conditioned office, or I’d be feeling a little worse for wear by this point.

Thanks to a friend of a friend, I just aquired a TomTom Go GPS unit - my latest gadget. It’s good for me, as my sense of direction isn’t exactly great, and my reliance on online mapping web sites hasn’t helped, as they frequently make mistakes! So far, I haven’t used it a great deal, but the directions seems quite accurate, even if it’s not 100% accurate, but then I’m sure it’s very difficult to make it so.

I’ve just booked my place at the d.Construct 2006 conference in Brighton, as I’m trying to learn more about the so-called “Web 2.0″ (hoping O’Reilly doesn’t read this and sue, as they own the trademark on this terribly generic term). Lots of interesting speakers, and quite a small event, so it should be a good experience.

It’s not hard to notice that websites and messageboards are slowly filling with people who feel obliged to write their messages in ‘txt spk’, as if they were writing a text message in shorthand.

I mean, I can understand people who write SMS messages on their phones like that because I find them incredibly difficult to type on, and one of the reasons I still own a Nokia phone with worn plastic, crack screen, and it’s one redeeming feature - a fold-out keyboard! But last time I looked, most computers came with a full size QWERTY keyboard, and even people who hunt and peck can type full sentences reasonably speedily on them!
Of course, as I write this, I realise that the majority of people who are writing ‘txt spk’ style online, are younger than me, and this whole entry is just me realising that I am getting old. I only hope they are able to form proper English sentences when they are using traditional, more analogue forms of writing.

Like many geeks, my house is full of numerous pieces of technology. In my living room in particular they concregate under my television, waiting to be used. That is, if I could find their corresponding remote control.

Gah, how I wish someone could invent some form of universal remote that could control all these devices without being over complicated, and portable enough that I could have it with me at all times, so I couldn’t ever lose it. Most of the time they disappear down the sides of my sofa, or when getting up to put a DVD in the player, I inadvertantly take one of them with me, and then leave it over by the television. Of course I only realise this when I have walked back across the room and settled myself into the chair once again.

I actually only have five remote controls at present, six counting the tiny one that came with my MacBook and that I am constantly scared of losing. Also, as I sit here I look up to notice that one of the remotes is for a device I don’t even use anymore, unless you count gathering dust in the cupboard useful!

So this evening, I went and saw the touring version of Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s musical “Starlight Express” in Norwich. I had previously seen the West End version a couple of times, and was quite interested to see how such a big production could translate onto a smaller stage.

I wasn’t disappointed, the full spectacle was still there with additional songs and some 3d-glasses (of the non red-green headache inducing kind) made up for the roller-skating action that just wouldn’t fit into the theatre.

I guess I should try and stay on topic, especially since I’m only on my fourth entry so far. Being the geek that I am, I spent a few moments during the “3d” sections of the show trying to figure out for myself how the glasses worked, and failed miserably. Luckily, the URL of the manufacturers were printed on the side, so a quick visit to their web site revealed that they work using polarizing filters.

I knew being shy had to have some positives, and it’s seems new research has found one. Interesting stuff indeed.

Well, I’ve finally decided to scrap the old site and start again. Firstly, I hadn’t updated in an absolute age, and secondly, because I had been plagued with bucketloads of comment spam.

I’ve upgraded to the new version of WordPress which should hopefully help resolve the latter, which just leaves me to concentrate on the former!

I’m hoping that extending the scope of this blog by writing about general geekery as well as posting some of my photography will mean I find it easier to think of something to write about!

Oh, and the site design is coming soonish, I promise!