vfth : older stuff : July 2002
Wednesday, July 31, 2002
OK, so the bulb in my dimmable uplighter blew. I need a new bulb, or it's gonna get kinda dark in my lounge.
It has this weird shaped 150W screw-in bulb. I'm sure the local Sainsburys used to sell them. No such luck. They are too damn weird - i.e. it's a screw fitting, and a funny shape! OK, so "screw fitting = weird".
Still doesn't stop them making my wallet lighter, as I bought some groceries while I was there.
OK, so, I think I'll try B&Q Warehouse. For our American viewers, it's just Home Despot, even down to cheerful orange aprons, but in an English-stylie.
I get there just before 9pm. They close at 9pm. Already the staff are in the "shooing customers out" mode, which means they stand there and ignore anyone trying to get in.
I manage to get someone's attention. They said, "No, sorry, we're shut". I explained that all I wanted to do was buy a lightbulb. Not an entire bathroom or kitchen. Not to get sky-blue-pink paint mixed specially for me. Just a lightbulb. On a piece of cardboard. "Come on, I know what I want". A fucking lightbulb, so I don't have to sit in darkness, or 100W blindness from the ceiling fitting.
But no, it's more than their jobsworth.
As it turns out, I was only feet away from the bulb I want... the website has this one. It's a cousin of the dead bulb (which is 150W), but it would have done. Hey, maybe they even had a 150W flavour. Nyaaaagh.
As I was saying to Mercatur, I guess it just serves me right for buying Ikea. Strange Swedish stuff. But CHEAP as Merc helpfully pointed out. Then we come on to a discussion which made me think we have the same IKEA bed-sofa - which got kinda scary. Then it wasn't. They were different. The sofa-beds. You know. Whatever...
Posted by Mike @ 12:49 AM GMT [Link]
Monday, July 29, 2002
Whoa! It is seriously hot, around 31 deg C.
This country is just so unprepared for it too. I'm one of the lucky ones, with an air-conditioned office. Many people don't have the luxury. Most of the trains aren't air-conditioned either, and their "windows" don't count for shit. They have tiny little ventilators. The trains crawl along the tracks so slowly that no draught is pushed through the ventilators. There is no forced ventilation.
My apartment is like an oven. The windows are open, and the fans are on, for what little good they will do.
Right now, I just feel like I'm melting. I'm half tempted to go and drive around in the car. At least that has A/C.
Posted by Mike @ 06:48 PM GMT [Link]
Friday, July 26, 2002
I overslept this morning. My alarm went off, and in my half-awake state I thought it was Saturday. Hit the off and rolled over. Woke properly at 10.30am, and thought "Shit! It's Friday"
Ahhh... jet-lag.
Posted by Mike @ 05:20 PM GMT [Link]
Thursday, July 25, 2002
Well, I got back to the UK yesterday morning, after two weeks vacation in the US - managing to do Boston, New York, SF Bay Area, Boston (again) and Washington DC. All I can say is that I don't think I've been that relaxed in a long, long time. There are some pics here.
I even got an upgrade to first class on the flight home, and they managed to put my bags on the wrong plane - so my bags got delivered to me last night and I didn't have to drag them across London.
...and so, back to work today. I wonder how long this will last? I can already feel tightness in my shoulders...
Posted by Mike @ 06:10 PM GMT [Link]
Sunday, July 7, 2002
OK, so I went to get my hair cut today. I didn't get it shaved right off. I just had a no.2 / no.3. Some of you would say that I "bottled it". I say "I'm going to the US later this week, and I want to look remotely like the guy on my passport" :-).
Maybe I'll cut the rest off later...
Posted by Mike @ 11:16 PM GMT [Link]
Saturday, July 6, 2002
...they make bloaty hardware too.
Here's an great example: The Optical "IntelliEye" Mou$e.
Not only does it have the "real" LED which is part of the optical sensor, but it also has a "tail light" - a red led in the back "window" of the mouse, which is always on, full brightness. There is only one reason it's there - to look pretty. Oh, and help to drain your laptop batteries.
Compared to the old MS Optical Intellimouse, I've worked out that the new mouse with the extra "fluff" LED drains my laptop batteries 30 mins sooner.
So, my mouse had a little operation last week - I removed the "tail light", which hasn't affected the operation of the mouse at all. Choose "more..." to find out how to do this for yourself... [more]
Posted by Mike @ 09:59 PM GMT [Link]
Traffic. It's everywhere. It's made even worse by accidents and roadworks. "No Problem,", say the Highways people, "we'll just put up some dot-matrix signs, so we can give you info about the road conditions ahead".
So, we have got lots of these signs springing up everywhere on our main highways. But, they are operated by some sort of numb-skull.
They wait until it's too late to change your route, then they tell you that the road is blocked by some roadwork or a lorry shedding it's load of of horseshit... helpful signs like "Accident before next exit". You've got no escape, nowhere to go.
There are two main highways between Birmingham and London, but they don't tell you as you leave Birmingham that there is a big accident and 15 miles of standing traffic on the M1, so use the M40. So, more people go and join the 15 miles of traffic. Duh.
It just seems to be the general tactic these days... keep everyone in the dark. Don't give them information. Don't give people enough power and authority to do their jobs, live their lives. No wonder people get pissed off and go off their trolley...
Posted by Mike @ 06:58 PM GMT [Link]
Tuesday, July 2, 2002
As some of you may or may not know, I don't have much hair... it's falling out!
I keep my hair buzzed fairly short, as it looks much tidier. It's time for another cut right now.
I'm trying to decide whether to shave it all off and try being 100% bald for a bit.
It seems that bald is cool. The referee of the World Cup Final last weekend is bald by choice. I see people every day on the train "clean-shaven". They don't look as hot and bothered as me in the hot weather, and when it's raining, they dry out much quicker.
I'm umming and ahhing at the moment, not too sure how it will look.
Some friends say "No, don't do it!"... others say "Well, what's the worst that could happen? It will grow back".
Hmm... still thinking... Maybe I'll have a vote on it ;-)
Night all!
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