----------- Kayle Garkut's Blog ----------- Allotment - Computing - Music & Misc.

New game on FACEBOOK.

2010-12-26T09:44:00.006Z

There is a new game on FACEBOOK called POSSESSED.

POSSESSED is a social, picture trading game where one buys/sells pictures for a profit.

It could be argued that it picks up from where OWNED left off. This is true to a certain degree, however POSSESSED already offers much more that OWNED ever did with the game being actively developed with new versions every other day boasting new features such as game-in-game fruit slot machines to win extra $ to spend on more pictures for your growing collection.

I am proud to say that I was asked to do some of the graphics for POSSESSED such as loading splash screen, logo and in-game buttons. There will be more as time goes on.

Alongside the game is a very friendly moderated discussion board where players can ask for advise on gameplay or anything for that matter without the worry of intimidating bullies lurking ready to pounce.

IMHO, one of the greatest things about POSSESSED is the hands-on approach of the developer. who encourages people to put ideas forward to make the game better. Many 'loopholes' have been discovered and closed using this form of developer/player interaction which benefits the game.

If youre looking for a new game to play in 2011 then I strongly recommend this one as its still early days and the quicker you get onboard, the better chance you have of being a successful player in the future.

Gave up the plot.

2010-03-15T09:47:00.005Z

I gave up the allotment plot last weekend.

Quite sad, but its better for someone to take full advantage of it.

Growing my own is definately something I will do in the future. Now is not the right time unfortunately.

SNDH Archive updated to version 2.8

2008-06-25T20:32:00.000+01:00

v2.8 (May 28, 2008)

125 new SNDH files (182 tunes) (including 2 fixed SNDH files).

Over 10 months since the last update!

But I can explain! For all of those 10 months I've been living in temporary accommodation so motivation has hit a very low ebb. Coupled with been removed as a user from the main SNDH support forum I seriously contemplated packing it all in.

However I'm starting to perk up a bit,we move back into our house on the 2nd June,a nd I've had two wonderful holidays in New York & Barcelona. Ok enough about me, on with the update......

Again a wild bunch of tunes, brand new Outline tunes, a weird mixture of exotic old stuff and finally the T1000 tunes :)

I'd like to thank the Cream guys for their constant support for SNDH. New SNDH-Digitunes (Chambers of Shaolin, specifically) required an update to their Winjam program.

So find a brand new SNDH plugin at :-

www.creamhq.de/creamfiles/updates/SNDH_Replay.jam

Ok waffle over.....

Remember if you'd like to comment, give bugs or suggest a tune you would like, please feel free to post to our forum at :-

http://bbs.dhs.nu/tracking

Grazey - PHF / Evil - DHS

Graphics test.

2008-06-25T07:39:00.007+01:00

I have been seeing a lot of graphics lately that have an effect on them that really stands out so I thought I would attempt it.

Me and the pumpkins I grew last year:
This is the first pic I tried as the circular shapes were easy :)

(Click for bigger)

An old car I photographed at Tredegar House Vintage Car Rally a few years ago:
I love the way the people are staring at the bright red car in this one. I think it works well.

(Click for bigger)

John and Clare at their wedding on 20th June 2008:
I'm very pleased with this one as after cropping, I had to remove some text (time and date stamp) and I also blurred the background a bit to add focus to the subjects. I may have also sharpened them.

(Click for bigger)

....... . .. . . .. . . . .. . ..... . ... . ..... . .. .

2008-06-23T19:07:00.000+01:00

Sorry for the break in transmission.

We will be broadcasting again shortly.

Some fossils found at Doniford Bay.

2008-05-29T07:59:00.001+01:00

Darren, Lauren and I went looking for fossils on holidays.
Here are some pictures of what we found.
Most are Ammonites but there is a 'Devils Toe Nail' that Darren found.

Kayle Garkut.

Sent from my PDA

We're all going on a summer holiday...

2008-05-19T07:43:00.003+01:00

no more blog posts for a week or two.

Unless I can leech someones WiFi with my PDA ;-)

View Larger Map

What a day...

2008-05-15T22:47:00.001+01:00

This morning, after awaking from my recurring, horrible dream of all my teeth falling out into my cupped hands I felt a little disconnected from my surroundings and generally strange.

It was then around 10:45am when Louise called me in work telling me not to worry but she was on her way to the hospital in an ambulance with Mia because she had fell asleep after her morning bottle of tea (which is not like her at all) and after a while, started to have, what can only be described as a mild fit.

Worry of the highest order naturally occured, then about 7 hours later, (still in the hospital), it is confirmed to us that Mia most likely suffered a Febrile Convulsion and will therefore have to stay in overnight as this is the policy of the health trust for children that have these for the first time.

We were also told that a Febrile Convulsion normally affects children betweeen the ages of 6 months to 6 years, that it is caused not by a high temperature reached but by the speed of a which a high temperature is reached and that she may suffer from them again in the future in the case of illness, especially ones that cause a high temperature.

As you can imagine, lots of driving, packing clothes, driving again, picking up kids, buying chippie food and then organising stuff ensued (though not in that order). My main focus is now ensuring that tomorrow morning goes smoothly, getting Darren and Lauren off to school before going back to the hospital to (hopefully) collect Louise and Mia to bring them home after the pediatrician gives the go ahead.

That brings us to here.

Does this post make sense?

What a day...

Random thought...

2008-05-12T21:02:00.001+01:00

At what length does stubble become a beard?

Friday May 9th.

2008-05-09T21:26:00.011+01:00

Not the most exciting title for a post but neither is the content. I just fancy wrapping a few things up...

The car is finally fixed after about two weeks having to put up with the eye opener that is public transport. Turns out the ECU was faulty after all and had to be sent off for repair. Overall cost: £350 approx. I will not forget those bus journeys for a while I can tell you.

(Click for bigger)

Managed to do a bit around the plot last night. I transferred some Tom Thumb Lettuce, hoed between the onions again, re-filled the slug traps with Morrisons bitter that only cost 97 pence for 4 cans! and scattered some slug pellets.

The rhubarb leaves that have been breaking down in water for nearly a week now absolutely stink and look awful. I'm really not sure about putting the stuff anywhere near my veg. If anyone has tried this as an organic slug pesticide and knows it is safe to do so, please let me know.

The beans are now on day gawd-knows. I looked away, looked back and this has happened:

(Click for bigger)

The damn things have gone a bit mad. I'm not even sure if they are edible at this size, especially with the little leaves they have developed within their own eco system in a jar. This is the last picture of beans I promise.

I have seen on quite a few allotment blogs lately, pictures of the bloggers allotment from Google Maps. Well, here is mine in Risca:

(Click for bigger)

And finally, Louise and I are off to watch Richard Digance tomorrow night at Newports Riverfront Theatre. Should be good.

Bank Holiday.

2008-05-05T20:34:00.000+01:00

Woohoo - what a day!

I managed to get a fair bit done again and feel VERY pleased about it despite the sunburn (cant actually remember the sun shining) AND blisters :-/

Stuff done:
More Radish and Spring Onions sewn.
I had some Shallots given to me so I got those in.
Turned and fed the 2 bean lines and got the poles in place.
Sowed 3 types of beans.
Tidied up the place and fully replenished the water in the two butts and constructed a little surface for the propagators to sit on, up away from the slugs.

(Click for bigger)

The spuds are now looking well established:

(Click for bigger)

This is my little experimental, organic slug repellent using Rhubarb leaves and water. Its only been 2 days and already the leaves are starting to break down and have made the water murky.
(Click for bigger)

Last and least, beans day 8:

(Click for bigger)

Another Fine Day.

2008-05-03T18:54:00.004+01:00

Spent some time on the plot today and achieved this:

Sharpened 2 x hoes then hoed between the onions and strawberry plants.
Turned over the salad bed and mixed in some growmore pellets for good measure.
Cleaned out the tool bunker that I have been meaning to do that since last year.
Planted some sun flowers in pots for now.
Planted 8 x Kohlrabi.

This evening, Louise picked some rhubarb to make rhubarb crumble and with the leaves I ripped them up, placed them into a large bucket, filled it with water and then placed a brick on the leaves to weigh them down.
Apparently, after the leaves have broken down and fermented, the water can be used as a pesticide against slugs. Try anything I will.

(Click to enlarge)

Here are some shots of the mini green house thing and some of its contents:

(Click to enlarge)

Lettuce (Tom Thumb):

(Click to enlarge)

Pumpkin (Racer) that Mia planted:

(Click to enlarge)

The beansprouts (Adzuki) have not changed much since last time I looked at them. This is day 6 I beleive.

(Click to enlarge)

Beans - Day Four.

2008-05-01T18:06:00.005+01:00

Not much to see I'm affraid. They have swollen a bit more and some have teenie little white shoots coming from them.

(Click for bigger)

I sowed a few earlier and placed them in the mini greenhouse to see what will come of them.

Buses pt2.

2008-04-29T20:29:00.000+01:00

I'm being punished for slagging off buses on my last post. Oh well, in for a penny, in for a pound.

In less than 24 hrs of my last post, look what happened:

The one on the left was Monday's and the other is today's. 10p increase!

I think the problem is that Stagecoach make their seats too small, width and depth. They cater perfectly for slim, short people. Tall people have to suffer by pressing their knees into the hard plastic seat whereas people who are carrying a little too much weight have to literally share the seat of their travel buddy as one seat is not wide enough.

I quite easily fall into the single seat catagory but I am a little on the tall side. However, I have worked out that It helps if you sit with a straight back with your bum right to the back of the seat to maximise the space for you legs.

This mornings selection of travel buddy was just aweful, I stopped at one to indicate I wanted to sit down but this persons rucksack obviously needed the seat more than me, so I carried on to a seat where the person was basically taking up the both seats by sitting across them diagonally. I hesitated, saw no reaction muttered 'oh for f**ks sake' then moved on to find a seat to perch on.

Perhaps Stagecoach should either print pamphlets/posters to educate on how to sit on the seats properly and to explain that the seats are for people not bags or measure and weigh passengers before charging a fare and offer subsidies for the slimmer, shorter ones.

I might run a little experiment to test how eligible I am as a travel buddy.

Bean update day two:

They have been drained and cleaned and swollen a little bit.

Beansprouts and Buses.

2008-04-28T21:13:00.001+01:00

Future Mrs Garkut is attempting to grow some beansprouts. I say attempting because everything she touches does not grow. Tonight they are having their initial soak, after that they have to be thoroughly cleaned through the muslin (or an old cut up pair of tights) twice a day until ready to be eaten (or thrown into the compost bin as another failed experiment).

(Click for bigger)

I will monitor their progress regularly and get a piccy.

In other news, it's now been nearly a week without the car due to an ECU? problem. I am hating public transport the more I use it. It's not cheap and the people? I share the journey with are either en route to the local college or the local comprehensive school. Imagine, if you can, I always have to settle for an aisle seat which means I have to first select my travel buddy. I always try to pick the cleaner looking ones with headphones in. An aisle seat is crap let me tell you. Buses have shrunk the size of the seats over time and now when subjected to sitting, nay perching on one you are continually battered with rucksacks and bags when the kids are getting off the bus. Of course, this happens after trying to read my travel buddies body language out of the corner of my eye who expects me to get up without them actually saying anything. To make it worse, the comprehensive kids get off on any one of 3 stops! therefore any twitch detected can lead to a false alarm and me looking stupid.

Gawd I hope the car gets fixed soon as I need it keep my sanity, oh and to get us all on holiday in 3 weeks time to Doniford Bay.

Have you tried public transport lately?

I've been tagged so here it goes...

2008-04-27T12:03:00.010+01:00

What I Was Doing 10 Years Ago:
Anyone who knows me, knows that I have a really bad memory for dates/times/etc. Therefore I'm not really sure. It could be a man thing. But If I had to guess - I was probably getting drunk.

My To Do List for Today/Diary of What I Actually Did:
Wow! Thats a good one. I actually proposed to my partner of seven years and she said "yes".
A momentous occasion!

Snacks I Enjoy:
Savoury stuff mainly. I'm quite partial to a bit of Bavarian smoked cheese, granny smith apples (sharp, tangy ones), burger bites from the Spar and you can never go wrong with a Mars Bar (helps you work, rest and play (in the dirt at the allotment!))

Things I Would Do If I Were A Billionaire:
I would secure the future of our kids and family, and thier kids and thier families (obvious one that). Give shit loads of money/items DIRECTLY to those who need it. I would purchase a Metro 6R4 rally car - you know, just for popping into town ;-) and travel the world.

Three of My Bad Habits:
Biting/picking my nails, getting bored real quick after making a suggestion and asking how much things cost in the pound shop.

Five Places I Have Lived:
I have never really moved far from where I was born but some of the places I have lived are: Ty-Sign, Risca, Wattsville, Gelligaer and Pontymister.

Five Jobs I Have Had:
I was involved with media distribution when I was about 12 years old (paper round) then moved into sales (selling scratch cards door to door). I tried the construction industry for a while but I was the wrong build for it. I've sold fags n booze to people in my local Spar and one of my previous jobs with my current employer was to in install computer networks.

Five People Who Write Interesting Blogs That I’d Like to Tag:
To be perfectly honest, I don't really follow/read that many blogs other than allotment themed ones. I would like to therefore offer 5 websites that I frequent:

b3ta.com - pixelised mayhem/anarchy.

the truthseeker - wake up/open your eyes!

bbc weather - sad eh?/don't believe the hype as they usually get it wrong.

nectarine radio station - streaming chipmusic.

atari forum - to satisfy my retro geekiness.

Recycling & BIG Plot Update!

2008-04-24T21:41:00.003+01:00

Lack of recent posts can be entirely blamed on some malicious one's and zero's coming down the internet pipeline and manifesting themselves as a nasty critter called 'VirtuMonde'.

Problem solved now (after a complete re-install of M$ Windoze) and im sure this PeeCee of mine is almost bullet proof.

Well, we have finally been blessed with some good sunshine and calmer winds - just in time to play catch up on all the things to do round the plot.

Tuesday evening I planted some more parsnips using a technique I read about on one of the many brilliant allotment blogs out there. I prepared the ground by giving it another turning over whilst adding some growmore pellet things to condition it a bit, then I raked it to a fine tilth, flattened it lightly with a board that was hanging round then made some cone shapes with the handle of an old spade by inserting it about 12 inches then moving it around to create a growing environment for the parsnips. I filled these holes with compost then popped in about 3 seeds per cone as I read on another blog that parsnips are bad germinators, especially over time and these seeds I was using were bought last year:

(Click for bigger)

Wednesday evening was taken up by planting 3 lines of carrots (2 standard lines and 1 experimental). We have been saving toilet roll and kitchen roll tubes for a while now to be re-used as other things.

(Click for bigger)

I dug a small trench and placed a line of tubes into it, filled them with compost then dropped some carrot seeds into them. My theory is that the tubes will help guide the carrots downwards to make them a better shape. Other uses for the tubes include using them for seedlings (see below), the kids love making stuff with them like desk tidies, etc and whatever tubes are left over can be put into the compost bin as they will break down!

(Click for bigger)

Other unwanted items from around the home that have had another lease of life breathed into them before finally going to landfill or re-cycling are milk bottle scoops:

(Click for bigger)

I will be using these to scoop out fertiliser pellets that you are not supposed to get on your hands.

Here is my 'watering bottle' made from an old 2 litre pop bottle by burning some holes in the lid with a hot needle. This is ideal for little seedlings that are too delicate to pour heavy water from a watering can on to. Its easy to get the water into awkward places too (like at the back of my mini plastic greenhouse that came courtesy of freecycle).

(Click for bigger)

Used straws also have a use around here. I have never bought tags so instead stick different coloured, cut straws into each pot then note it down on a text document so not to get confused what is growing where.

(Click for bigger)

(Click for bigger)

I will wrap up this post now with a few random photos I took tonight of the plot.

These are potatoes that need to be earthed up. They are the seed potatoes that I did not chit and they sprouted loads! I was always confident they would grow as I didnt chit last year and they still grew.

(Click for bigger)

Here are some lillies that I rescued from the house. Louise didnt want them anymore as they only flower for a few days a year. I said "I'm sure I can find a place for them over the plot." and here they are so far:

(Click for bigger)

Rhubarb patches one and two:

(Click for bigger)

(Click for bigger)

And finally (if you can make them out) my onion sets that seem to be making themselves at home quite nicely.

(Click for bigger)

Grand National.

2008-04-05T16:49:00.000+01:00

Yay!

Louise and I put a pound each way on some horses for the first time and won!

Louise chose Snowy Morning and Baily Breeze and I chose Backbeat and Comply or Die.

It cost £8 in total for the bets and we won £17.50

Curry tonight! ;-)

Sent from my PDA

Quickie.

2008-04-02T20:28:00.002+01:00

Been on a course today about how to make successful telesales. Nuff said.

In other news - the wind blew my mini green house over the other morning so I sunk 2 eyes into the wall so I can secure it with a piece of rope. I lost my sage and lavender cuttings :-( . Not to worry, there's plenty of time to take more.

Planted a small line of turnips and parsnips tonight as the sun was shining and I managed to get home a little earlier than usual because of the early finish of the course. Also popped a few radish in just to see if we can get some early ones...

Louise and I are about to settle down with a bottle of 'Good Spanish White' from Morrisons and a film called 'Grow Your Own'. I learned about this film from Allotment Plot 48's blog.

Round the plot tonight and music talk.

2008-03-31T20:29:00.004+01:00

Took a quick trip to the plot again tonight and when I say quick I mean quick. Basically, out the back of our house we have a small lane that seperates us from the plot - lucky me!

This old picture below was taken from our bedroom window and shows our small back garden that goes out to the lane then the plot is beyond that fence you can see.

(Click for bigger)

Of the 100 onion sets I planted yesterday, only one had been pulled up by a curious bird, so I quickly popped it back in and crumbled some dirt around it to tuck it back in.

The slug traps are really impressive, in all four traps I reckon I have caught about 40+ little baby slugs which surprised me as I have not seen any on the plot before today. Perhaps now is the time the baby slugs are old enough to leave the nest/hole/whatever?!? I am going to keep the bait fresh in these for the next few weeks to hopefully eradicate a lot of the slimy, greedy pests. The bait, if you're wondering, is 'Galahad' lager from Aldi's - only about 60p a can - thing is when putting the 'bait' in the trap its a case of "A bit for the trap, and a bit for me." ;-)

The only other thing done tonight was to pop some broken up card in the composter. I read its good for the compost and high in something or other.

Music:

I highly recommend Mike Oldfields new album called 'Music of the Spheres'. Mike Oldfield is the chap who brought us 'Tubular Bells' eons ago. The new album has a classical touch to it with elements of a theatre performance and flows like a soundtrack to a movie. Two of my favourite tracks are: 'On my Heart' - which has a lovely female, Enya-esque sound to it and the final track called 'Musica Universalis' which re-visits one of the tracks from 'Tubular Bells' - the epic one where he keeps saying what instrument he is about to play (if you know Tubular Bells you will know what one I mean).
Its a great album to listen to with a glass or two of wine after a hard days tolling in the allotment.

Speaking of slugs earlier, there is a song that comes to mind. It is called 'Slvg Dvb' by The Orb. Very funny song worth checking out.

Lots done today.

2008-03-30T19:25:00.000+01:00

Well, what a pleasant surprise the weather was today. Seeing that the prediction was supposed to be loads of rain, I didn't have any plans so made the most of it.

I finally managed to dig the last bit thats been hanging around for a while now. I also managed to plant all the red and white onion sets, empty the mint pot that produced bad mint last year (silver leaves), set up my mini greenhouse that was given to me from freecycle, I took some sage and lavender cuttings and even set-up 4 slug traps I got from Lidls a few weeks ago.

All in all a VERY productive day methinks!

IBC Root Beer.

2008-03-28T19:32:00.001Z

I had a lovely, unexpected present awaiting my arrival from work today.

Louise had bought me 24 bottles of IBC Root Beer from an online store based in the UK :-)

American Soda import American products and are then able to despatch them direct to your door in the UK the very next day!

They even threw in 2 bars of Hershey's chocolate and a car air freshner - FOR FREE.

The only other place I have been getting my root beer fix is ASDA who sell 6 cans of 'Carters' root beer for about £1.09

What a fantastic way to start the weekend!

(Click for bigger)

(Click for bigger)

Cuttings.

2008-03-27T19:46:00.001Z

I did not visit the plot tonight and slightly regreted it after looking at the clock at 6:30pm and noticing how light it still was! I could have squeezed at least an hour in tonight if I hadn't have had my haircut booked in for 5:30pm. Nevermind the clocks go forward this weekend doubling that time to two hours per evening after work. :-)

Speaking of cutting, I am going to make some Sage and Lavender cuttings on my next outing to the plot, whenever that may be as the weather for the coming 5 days is rain, rain and more rain according to the BBC.

Making cuttings will be another first for me. It looks simple enough. I won't be using any powder or honey to help the rooting so will make many cuttings to enhance my chances of success.

Other jobs on the agenda:

Dig/de-weed final 6 meters of the last line.
Plant 100 onion sets (50 red and 50 white).
Sink some poles for my bean lines.
Tidy up the herb section.
Empty the mint pot and obtain some new mint from another allotee.
Set-up mini greenhouse.

Dragon Fruit.

2008-03-26T18:52:00.003Z

Louise brought one of these weird looking things home from Morrisons the other day:

(Click for bigger)

It is called a Dragon Fruit and cost nearly £2 for 1!

I have never tasted one before so didn't have a clue what to expect. Basically, after cutting this mango sized fruit in half, its inside resembles a kiwi fruit with lots of little seeds, the texture is the same as a kiwi fruit too. The taste is a bit bland at first but then leaves (in my opinion) a pomegranate after taste.

I don't think we will be buying another one any time soon...

Another small update.

2008-03-25T20:12:00.004Z

FACEBOOK:

What a crock of shit it is. I used it for two weeks and can't find anything good about the closed community. Two weeks - too much. How many more times can one possibly click 'Ignore'? - None thankfully as I de-activated my account.

ALLOTMENT:

I still have a small section to de-weed and turn. As soon as we get a bit more dry weather, I can finish that and get the onion sets in. Rent has been paid for the coming year and this year saw an increase of 25p to a whopping £4.50! Its funny - people do not believe that it only costs that much and often say "is that for a week?"

Mini Update...

2008-03-11T21:24:00.001Z

FACEBOOK:

I finally sold out to facebook. Originally, I was just going to sign up to it and leave alone then check it every month or something to see what would happen, but after playing with it tonight to try to get used to it I ended up adding some friends.

ALLOTMENT:

Where the heck is time going??? I seriously need to get around the plot to turn and prepare the last two lines. I also need to set-up my mini greenhouse as soon as this windy weather abates to start propagating my seeds. The next thing I need to do is get my 100 onion sets in.

ME:

I am going teetotal. People who know me will probably laugh at that but its something I need to do after many years of drinking in the evenings for relaxation. 8 days so far with no problems.

kids for tomorrow - the deployer ep

2008-02-25T19:31:00.001Z

I found some free music while trawling the web the other night and must say it completely blew me away!

Its an EP titled 'the deployer ep' and its by 'kids for tomorrow'.

Tracklisting is:

01. Esto Perpetua
02. Only You Can Prevent Florist Fires
03. Flasc
04. Back to Helix
05. Holy Shit! (Great Balls of Fire)

To sum it up I would say its like BOC incorporating some early FSOL sounds with sprinklings of ORBesque samples. It flows wonderfully from start to finish and takes you on journeys through relaxation, paranoia, humour and bliss.

My first hearing was one of those moments when you feel as though you have just re-discovered music (or music has just re-discovered you!).

It might have been something to do with the copious amounts of alcohol I consumed coupled with listening to it with head phones - LOUDLY - but I seriously doubt it after several more listens in the meantime.

Do your ears a favour and get this!

Downloadable from here: http://www.part2records.com/the_deployer_ep/

Boom Blox.

2008-02-24T20:25:00.004Z

There is a new game on its way to the Wii called Boom Blox.
It is due for release in May 2008 and the movie guru Steven Spielberg has had much input on it. This preview simply looks great.

Exocet - Battersea.

2008-02-24T20:19:00.002Z

Here is the fantastic, finished version of a picture by Exocet.

I should have posted this ages ago as it was finished in late September 2007.

My original post can be found here:
http://kaylegarkut.blogspot.com/2006/06/battersea-power-station-in-16-colours.html

Brazil, Rio De Janeiro, Sao Paulo.

2008-02-21T18:48:00.006Z

Brazil, Rio De Janeiro, Sao Paulo.

This post has no significance other than to serve as an experiment for me to see if I can get a dot on my ClustrMap in an area of my choice.

My theory is that if anyone in said location has Google News Alerts set up for the place they live, they should receive this blog post and follow the link and therefore put a dot on my map.

Currently, I have no dots whatsoever in South America so it will be obvious when a new one arrives.

What follows next is the keywords that hopefully Google will spider and despatch in its News Alert:

Brazil, Rio De Janeiro, Sao Paulo.

That should help narrow it down a little.

Let the experiment begin - and please feel free to leave a comment on how you came across this blog.

EDIT: 28/02/2008 - The results were disappointing. After one week I expected to see a dot on the map. Oh well, one cannot manipulate Google News for target areas I guess.

EDIT: 03/03/2008 - A dot has appeared at the exact location!

Jarvis Cocker & Beth Ditto - Temptation.

2008-02-20T19:45:00.002Z

Time for a quick post before I watch 'The Brits'.

Have this version of Heaven 17's 'Temptation' sung by Jarvis Cocker (PULP) and Beth Ditto (Gossip):

Allotment.

2008-02-19T19:10:00.001Z

Well, the seed potatoes are in. I buried them a little deeper than suggested and also covered them with plastic and sheets to protect them a bit more from the current frost.

The potatoes were: Maris Bard - first earlies and Cara - main crop.

Fingers crossed!

(Click for bigger)

Uh oh - seed potatoes are sprouting.

2008-02-16T15:41:00.005Z

Oops!

I bought these seed potatoes from Wyevale garden centre a few weeks ago and put them in a cardboard box to store until I was ready to plant them in say mid March.

I checked on them today and to my horror, the damn things have already started sprouting!

I was never going to chit them as I didn't last year and they came up anyway.

Thing is, these shoots are white and not a healthy green as they should be, so I am going to take a HUGE gamble on this and put them in tomorrow. I will put them a little deeper than usual to try and get them away from any ground frost that we may experience in the next few weeks. I am happy to bury them a bit deeper in the knowledge that it will not affect them at all, because last year (my first year) I put the seed potatoes WAY too deep but we still had loads of them.

Has any other allotee's ever planted potatoes this early?

(Click for bigger)

Darren's 11th Birthday.

2008-02-16T10:54:00.003Z

Friday was Darren's Birthday so I booked a day off work and we all went to Ebbw Vale for a meal via the new rail link.

We arrived a bit early at the station in Risca which is within walking distance of our house, it was bitterly cold so we had to wait around for about 10mins or so.

When the train finally arrived we all got on and was surprised by the heat in the carriage which was very, very welcome. We were all excited as it was our first time on this newly re-opened track. Another thing that surprised me was the low fare of the journey. There were six of us altogether and it only cost £8.40 for a return from Risca to Ebbw Vale (£2.40 Adult / £1.20 Child / Under 6 yr olds go free) - this is a service that we will definately be taking advantage of.

The journey lasted about 30mins and it was quite interesting to see all the different towns from that position/view point. Cwmcarn/Abercarn/Westend especially so because we was on the other side of the river.

When we arrived at Ebbw Vale we walked to Brewers Fayre - Victoria Park? for a meal. The kids went off to play in the soft play area to let off some steam while waiting for the food to arrive.

After we all enjoyed our food and desserts (and my 4 pints!) we were ready to catch the train back home again where Darren could play with his R4DS that he had for his birthday.

Day out: 10/10 - we all had a great time.

THE OЯB - Vuja De - AGAIN!

2008-02-16T10:40:00.003Z

This time I am writing about it because I have recently won an ebay auction for a promo only CD-R of 7 tracks :-)

It arrived through the post this morning and I have already ripped the tracks to MP3 and stored the CD-R with the rest of my ORB collection.

The winning bid of mine was £10.50 with £1.50 P+P. Quite a bargain when you learn that one went about a week ago for approx. £26!

(Click for bigger)

The Orb - Vuja De.

2008-02-10T19:27:00.000Z

Listening post!

Ebbw Vale Parkway to Cardiff Central rail link to finally open.

2008-02-05T18:50:00.000Z

The passenger rail link between Ebbw Vale and Cardiff is finally due to open tomorrow (Wednesday 6th February).

It comes after delays of more than a month due to driver familiarisation and bad fencing.

News sources state that It's the first time the rail link has been active in 45 years but I recall trains carrying steel and coal running on the Risca line certainly in my lifetime. I also remember the temporary opening of the line during the time that Ebbw Vale hosted the Garden Festival of Wales back in 1992.

At a cost of £30m the service offers hourly trains between stations based at: Ebbw Vale Parkway, Llanhilleth, Newbridge, Crosskeys, Risca/Pontymister, Rogerstone and Cardiff Central. At this time, Llanhilleth and Crosskeys are still under construction.

The new line has been criticised for not immediately running directly to Newport which is currently being regenerated in time to host the 2010 Ryder Cup at The Celtic Manor resort. The reason for this is due to line switch/junction problems based at the Gaer. I believe the council are going to offer local business' the opportunity to fund the replacment of these points/junctions in the near future. Currently, if one wishes to travel to Newport utilising the rail link, you have to catch the train to Rogerstone, then get a bus to Newport.

The new line will truly be put to the test this coming Saturday as rugby fans will take advantage of the service as they make their way to Cardiff for Wales' game against Scotland in the 2008 RBS 6 Nations competition.

In a few weeks time we are looking to make the journey from Risca/Pontymister to Ebbw Vale to take in the wonderful scenery that the new route has to offer.

Creepy kids animation on YouTube.

2008-02-04T20:52:00.000Z

Here is a strange video I found on YouTube tonight (needs sound turned on):-

It's no wonder the kids of today are messed up after being subjected to this sort of thing! ;-)

Let me know what you think...

EDIT: After reading some of the comments on YouTube for this video, I now know that it was originally released as a feature length claymation film by Will Vinton titled: Comet Quest - The Adventures of Mark Twain.

Full version can be watched here:

Allotment plan.

2008-01-28T21:37:00.000Z

This is my plan of the allotment plot showing what was grown last year. I done this to assist me in crop rotation and to help me remember what I planted where to avoid planting in the same places again this year. I have printed it off and so far, penned in what I would like to grow this year.

So far my list contains the following:

Potatoes - First earlies.
Potatoes - Main crop.
Red Onions.
White Onions.
Kidney Beans.
French Beans.
Still unknown Beans!
Pumpkins (Racer).
Polish Pumpkins.
Butternut Squash.
Parsnips (White Gem).
Carrots.
Spring Onions.
Chives.
Radish.
Sprouts.
Lettuce.
Celery.
Turnips.

It's going to be a busy (and hopefully productive) second year!

(Click for bigger)

Railway signal box at Risca

2008-01-27T17:50:00.000Z

Here are some photographs of the site of the old signal box at Risca on Darran Road. It is on the Ebbw Vale to Cardiff line that is due to open this year. All pictures are clickable for a larger view.
I found this first one on the web. Unfortunately, I cannot remember what website is was but I think the original photographer used this signal box as a basis for a model railway signal box.

In the background you can see a white house that we used to call 'Dr Griffiths House'. I remember knocking and asking to scrump the apples from his garden. There are also allotments in the background which would later become the new Risca surgery. What I find interesting about this photograph is the fact that there is no road going over the railway line then down to the right, also there are roofs of what look like houses just past the wall. These are no longer there as it is now a cenotaph.

I originally took the photograph below to reflect the differences between these first two pictures. It was taken sometime in 2007. Little did I know at the time that the signal box was soon to be demolished!

Again, this photo was taken in 2007, probably towards the end of summer. What it shows is the lack of signal box.

And finally, this photo was took today (27/01/2008). The old characteristic signal box has been replaced with a dull, featureless, grey power? box.

ClustrMaps Refresh.

2008-01-27T10:57:00.000Z

It's been a whole year since I placed the ClustrMaps visitor tracker on this blog.
It has recently been wiped clean to start a fresh set of records.
Here is what it looked like just before the refresh:

(Click for bigger)

Dry weather!

2008-01-26T19:13:00.000Z

At last, I have been able to get over the allotment and continue the winter clear up which has been haunting me for a while now.

It's looking quite good at the moment. The harsh temperatures have killed a lot of weeds off but the hardy dandilions that seem to really like my plot are flourishing, some were even sporting little yellow flowers!

Today, Lauren and I spent about 2 hours turning and weeding and de-glassing some rows which gave both of us aching backs :-(

I am going back over there tomorrow to hopefully make a huge dent in the clean up operation with Louise's help.

My Yahoo Avatar.

2008-01-17T20:01:00.000Z

I was messing with the Yahoo Avatar thing tonight and made this:

I am pleased with the end result as it looks uncannily like me!

Vandalised Speed Cameras.

2008-01-14T19:58:00.000Z

Found this while doing some casual surfing recently:-

http://www.speedcam.co.uk/gatso2.htm

Please note, I do not endorse this sort of thing.

UK FUEL PROTESTS 2007.

2007-12-13T21:12:00.000Z

I honestly feel that news coverage of this is being deliberately suppressed to minimise the support it can generate.

In a nutshell, Saturday 15th December 2007 - 10:00am is the chosen date and time by Transaction 2007 for peaceful fuel price protests at currently un-named refineries and/or storage depot's.

You can read more here.

If this is going to be anything like the last fuel protests in 2000 & 2005, then take my advice and fill up ASAP!

UPDATE 1: Transaction 2007 will be advising on locations and meeting places on their website (and forum) at midday on Thursday 13th December.

UPDATE 2: Here are a list of meeting places as described on the Transaction 2007 website:

Meeting Points

Stanlow Refinery:
All person(s) wishing to attend the Stanlow Demonstration are requested to meet at the following location:Chester Services - M56 at Junction 14 - Please make your way to the first car park on the left as you enter the service area. Be there around 09:30 for a briefing by the organiser.

Fawley Refinery:
All person(s) wishing to attend the Fawley (Southampton) Demonstration are requested to meet at the Hardley Industrial Estate SO45 3NQ situated off of the A326 Hardley Roundabout. Please park sensibly. You will be met by the organiser and briefed at 09:30, whereupon we will make our way to the staging area for 10:00.

Jarrow Refinery:
All person(s) wishing to attend the Jarrow Demonstration are requested to meet at the Jarrow Refinery entrance area. Please park sensibly. You will be met by the organiser and briefed at 09:30, whereupon we will make our way to the staging area for 10:00.

Purfleet Refinery:
All person(s) wishing to attend the Purfleet (Essex - Thurrock) Demonstration are requested to meet at Thurrock Services. Please park sensibly. You will be met by the organiser and briefed at 09:30, whereupon we will make our way to the staging area for 10:00.

Cardiff:
All person(s) wishing to attend the Cardiff (Texaco-Roath Docks) Demonstration are requested to meet at the entrance area of the Texaco refinery. Please park sensibly. You will be met by the organiser and briefed at 10:00, whereupon we will make our way to the staging area.

Immingham:
All person(s) wishing to attend the Immingham Demonstration are requested to meet at Ulceby Fork Truck Stop, Ulceby Road, Immingham North Linc. DN40 43JB. Please park sensibly. You will be met by the organiser and briefed at 09:30, whereupon we will make our way to the staging area.

Car trouble.

2007-12-08T10:10:00.000Z

I had a spot of car trouble last weekend. The following is a recap of what happened and probably cannot be read that well as I am trying to recall what happened.

It all started (or didnt!) on Saturday where I spotted that my front tyre was pressed up against the kerb, so I started the car, reversed it about one foot and turned off the engine. All in all it took about 5 seconds to do. This was the only time the car was used all day.

So, Sunday came and we had a mad day of Christmas shopping planned. I jumped in the car, popped the key in the ignition, turned it and a 'vuvuvuvuvuvuvuvuv' sound comes from the engine :-(

Oh dear. I was gutted. A combination of emotions hit me all at once ranging from mild panic to anger followed by fear of repair costs and then sadness.

Knowing next to nothing about engines I started to think methodically about what the problem could be...

I knew there was plenty of fuel in the tank as I filled it all the way to the top on Friday.

The battery is good as it was only put in last winter.

I looked up the exhaust to see if anyone had been playing silly buggers - nothing.

I checked the dash board for engine management lights - nothing.

Just to be sure it was not the immobiliser I tried my spare key anyway to no avail.

Turning the key two clicks and listening near to the fuel tank I could hear the quiet buzzing of the petrol pump so that was fine.

I even tried putting the car in first gear and reverse and rocking it back and forth - don't ask why it seemed the right thing to try at the time.

I popped the bonnet and checked for any obvious leads that had come disconnected or any hoses that were leaking or split - I could'nt see any problem at all.

All the oil and water and fluid levels were also good.

I checked the airfilter casing and pipe for splits but it too was fine.

Had the timing belt snapped? To check this, Louise sat in the car, I removed the oil cap and watched the cam as Louise turned the key. Everything jumped up and down so that was also fine.

It was a very damp morning and realising that the sound was as if the engine was 'turning' but not 'firing' I made a guess that the HT leads and/or spark plugs needed to be dried off with moisture dispersing spray (WD40 or in my case TESCO's own brand for a fraction of the price :-) )

This is where the fun began. Have you looked at a modern engine lately? The last time I messed with an engine was about 11 years ago when I had a mk 2 Vauxhall Astra! The engine of my Vectra is totally different. There are no high tension leads, I could not even see the damn spark plugs nor a distributor! To top it, before I could even start to dig deeper, I had to locate a bloody size 25? star screw driver that I did not own!

A quick walk to my local Aldis and £5.99 later I had one, though it did not really help. I removed the engine cover to reveal what I know now is called the 'Coil pack'. Under this coil pack is where the spark plugs are. The coil pack is a solid unit and is held in place with 4 or 5 weird sized star bolt things that my uncle had a set of.

My uncle popped down to see if he could help and I'm very glad he did.

I sat in the drivers seat and turned the key to show him what was happening. Unoticed by me the engine actually tried to fire up once, so we switched places. My uncle jumped in the drivers seat, turned the key for a while and then suddenly, to my relief and total amazement it started!!!! A big puff of smoke escaped the exhaust and the engine was running.

In all this time there was no smell of fuel indicating to me that the damn thing was flooded.

Flooded!

Thats all it was. From the day before when I reversed it a bit. From what I understand, this is what happens: when you first start a car, loads of fuel gets pushed into the engine. If you shut the engine off too quickly after starting it, then not all the fuel has been ignited and it just sits in some chamber. This is where flooding occurs.

To fix the problem, my uncle pushed the accelerator all the way to the floor (which I thought would actually flood the engine more!), turned the key while slowly lifting the accelerator.

There. Problem solved. A HUGE, MASSIVE thank you to my uncle!

I hope this account will help someone in the future. Here are some keywords / keyphrases:

Vauxhall Vecta 1.8 16v
Will not start
Engine turning but not firing up

9th Level Mii.

2007-12-04T20:31:00.000Z

I entered a Mii contest on the Wii and managed to get 9th level! :-)
The contest was to create to Mii based on King Arthur. Here are the pics:

(Click for bigger)

Download YouTube videos.

2007-12-03T20:10:00.000Z

I stumbled across a great site that allows you to save any video from YouTube directly to your computer.

Formats that you convert to include: MPEG, AVI, MOV, MP4, 3GP.

Unfortunately, because the original video has already been converted/compressed to FLV format for YouTube viewing, the quality is not great. A small price to pay.

I was aware that there other methods of obtaining videos from YouTube but this is automated and makes it so much easier.

And the site?.......

http://www.tubefish.net/

The Orb - Vuja De Video.

2007-12-01T08:23:00.000Z

I can't work out how to embed it, but here is a link to a new video called Vuja De from The Orb:

http://trafficjpn.com/gallery/show/43

Please note: It opens up quite small but you can click on the top right of the box to make it a bit bigger.

Free Wiimote jacket from Nintendo.

2007-11-18T18:05:00.000Z

As the title says really.

We requested ours and it arrived last Friday :-)

Anyone with a Wii can simply fill out the online form HERE and Nintendo will hold testament to their statement and send you 1,2,3 or 4 Wiimote jackets, free of charge!

Hats off to Nintendo.

Mii's desiigned by mii.

2007-11-15T19:35:00.000Z

Here are a some Mii's I have made so far:

[Kayle] - [Alii G] - [Jarvis Cocker]

[Renee Zellweger] - [Bob the Builder]

Things that really annoy me.

2007-11-11T19:41:00.000Z

This probably should not bother me as much as it does.

BUT...

Able bodied people who park in disabled areas of supermarket car parks and people without kids who park in parent and toddler car park spaces REALLY hack me off.

I sometimes watch the old offenders getting out of their cars followed by (perhaps) their 40+ year old sons/daughters. Im sorry,but this does not qualify. You are fail. Old age does not automatically entitle you to a parking space nearer the shop. Walk the extra bit! Exercise the heart!! It will probably do you good.

I have thought of making a poster and printing it out. Something thats says "I am an inconsiderate bastard that cannot be bothered to walk far to the shop so I am hogging this space." and sticking it on the car for all to see.

There. Spleen vented.

G. Night.

"Check Mii Out" on the Wii Channel is Coming

2007-11-10T09:45:00.000Z

Check out this great news:

"Check Mii Out" on the Wii Channel is Coming

Monster Jam.

2007-11-03T08:56:00.000Z

Last Saturday we went to see Monster Jam at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.
It was my first visit to the Stadium so I was VERY impressed with it!

The show itself was amazing. They put on displays of a Subaru Impreza WRX rally car, freestyle motocross, a fire breathing dragon (a modded JCB), speedway for cars and of course the monster trucks themselves.

The monster trucks were noisy as hell and you don't really understand how powerful these things are until you see one in action. Pictures of them make them look like little radio control trucks but in reality, the tyres of a monster truck are as tall as a man!

Our tickets stated 'No Video' so I did not take my digital camera in case it would not be allowed. It was a bad decision as I think I was the only one there without one!

I did manage to get some snaps on my rubbish mobile phone:

Here are some videos of the very same night, not filmed by me but by someone sat very close:

Wii code: 8298 6673 7183 1246

2007-10-25T20:17:00.000+01:00

Here is our Wii code:

8298 6673 7183 1246

E-MAIL: kayle@asylvm.f9.co.uk

Please add us and send us a message or simply leave your code as a comment!

Rejected Wii play games.

2007-10-24T19:45:00.000+01:00

Another nice purchase.

2007-10-22T19:50:00.000+01:00

This weekend saw another nice purchase on the electrical front.

Seeing that our Wii and my PDA both have Wi-Fi capabilities, I thought it was time I upgraded my trusty old Alcatel Speedtouch ADSL USB modem to a swanky new Belkin Wireless G+ MIMO Modem Router.

The installation didn't quite go to plan so I needed to make a phonecall to my ISP (Pipex) to verify my password and also to Belkin's call centre in India when I got really stuck :-( however, after a few minutes the router was up and running (all I had to do was select 'Never dial a connection' in Internet Options/Connections) and I was free to play with my new toy.

PDA test first - not a bad range. I can now surf the web/check my mail/use MSN messenger in the bathroom lol!

Wii test - this was a piece of cake to set up. A quick Wi-Fi scan and the Wii found the router straight away, I selected it as the main source and that was it. The Wii update took a while but it was the first one, and so expected. I then bought 1000 points for £7 and used 500 of them to buy [via download] the Opera browser to allow us to surf the web using the Wii in the living room.

Surfing the web from the comfort of your sofa in your living room is a great experience. To see the internet on a big TV screen is novel at first but then becomes a bit of a problem due to the distance that you sit from it. Text becomes unreadable - help is on hand though in the guise of a zoom facility built into the browser! What impressed me most with this function, is the fact that the fonts do not get pixelated when zoomed fully in. I guess the browser utilises scalable fonts to keep the vector data i.e. like a .PDF does.

All in all, a great piece of kit and I am very happy with my purchase!

Nintendo Wii stock shortage.

2007-10-16T19:11:00.000+01:00

So. It began last Saturday when Darren and I went shopping for a Nintendo Wii.

Unbeknown to me at the time and much to our disappointment, all the shops we tried were sold out :-(

Curry's told us: "Everywhere has sold out. We are not sure when we will get some in."

Tesco told us: "We have none in stock, but we should be getting some in at the end of the month."

Comet told us: "Shall I laugh now or later?" - bastard! He also said "We [Comet] have taken 18 paid orders and Woolworths (opposite) have taken 120 paid orders."

We got home and Louise had been looking on E-BAY. There are plenty there - if you fancy taking a chance and paying over the odds for one. I certainly did not.

It was not looking good and I started to believe that we would not be able to get one until after Christmas.

That is until I found this site: wiipreorder

It's a fantastic site that lists lots of shops that sell the Wii and their current (up-to-date) stock level.

At my time of viewing (1:28PM Saturday) there was a notice at the top of the site stating that only two online shops currently had stock (Gamestation and John Lewis), and that they probably would not have stock for very long so get in there quickly!

I did precisely that by following the link to John Lewis and by 1:44PM had ordered my Wii bundled with Wii sports, Wii play and an extra controller+nunchuck. :-)

My advice to anyone who is looking for a Wii but is having trouble locating one, is to regularly visit: wiipreorder, and if you see some in stock, ORDER IT THEN! The site also has an email service where it will send out an email the moment it gets updated, therefore keeping you informed the moment stock becomes available.

UPDATE (17/10/07 - 19:07): I received an email today from John Lewis notifying me of the despatch. Just have to wait now...

UPDATE (18/10/07) - 17:49): It arrived! :-)

Thumbs up!

2007-10-15T19:58:00.000+01:00

Ever wondered what your hand would look like with two thumbs?
Well I did the other day and so decided to make this:

(Click for bigger)

I asked Louise to take a photo of both my hands, then popped the photo into Photoshop, removed my little finger, chopped off my left thumb and stuck it onto my right hand.
I must have too much time on my hands. (tut)

Pumpkins!

2007-10-07T08:42:00.000+01:00

These are by far the biggest things I have grown on the allotment plot this year. All three came from one little plant bought from Wyevale Garden Centre. I will definitely be saving the seeds and planting more next year!

(Click for bigger)

And here are the Kidney Beans I have saved for next year:

(Click for bigger)

Another BBC cock-up.

2007-10-02T23:23:00.000+01:00

As if faking competitions, ignoring childrens suggested pet names and generally mis-leading the public is not enough, the BBC have now turned anti-christian by publically calling the Bible 'bile'.

See for yourself a cropped screencapture here:

or a full screencapture here:

(click for bigger)

DJ David.

2007-09-22T19:05:00.000+01:00

I found a video today of a recording I made from Radio 1 a long, long time ago. I taped it from either John Peel - rip, Jeff Young or Pete Tong show, I cannot remember which.

Anyway, its a video of the 1991 World Championship DMC final.

Robots.

2007-08-29T19:57:00.000+01:00

As a kid I played with 'futuristic' robots, in fact while searching for a picture of one, I found the exact robot I used to have!:

Anyway, things have come a long way since then.
Check these videos out:

Sunset - 20/08/2007

2007-08-20T21:25:00.000+01:00

Heres some photos of tonights sunset:

Three of the pictures are the same area of sky showing the different shades that the sky turned.

(Click for bigger)

Tarnishing China's image.

2007-08-20T08:02:00.000+01:00

With all the recent 'front page' events happening in China, I cannot help but wonder if there is foul play going on here. But who would want to run a dirty tricks campaign against China and why?

A colleague of mine mentioned the Olympic games being held there next year. A collapsed bridge and a Chinese owned exploding passenger jet are certainly cause for concern to travellers who wish to visit the 2008 Olympics don't you think?

It might even be enough to deter potential visitors altogether, thus causing poor ticket sales affecting the already battered Chinese economy.

With the recent recall of 18 million toys would you feel safe in bringing home a souvenir of the games? (if they do not stop the personal export of such items beforehand!)

I am watching the news to see what happens next...

SNDH Archive updated to version 2.7

2007-08-19T13:16:00.000+01:00

v2.7 (August 16, 2007) 3000 up!

175 new SNDH files (180 tunes).
1 bug fixed SNDH file.

The SNDH archive hits 3000 files!

175 tunes I hear you say! Less than a month from the last SNDH pack?! Doesn't Grazey sleep?
Well the reason for the huge input of tunes is that I've written an automatic batch Music Studio to SNDH converter. Music Studio was perhaps the first chip editor on the ST. The bad news is that most of the tunes are chronic, apart from Ed Bogasand the tunes from Xevious and Metrocross :)

Apart from that we have new tunes released since v2.6 and also some exclusives including unreleased tunes from Matt '4-Mat' Simmonds, Allister Brimble and Martin 'Nuke' Iveson (all from the unreleased game - Arcade Classix).

Remember if you'd like to comment, give bugs or suggest a tune you would like, please feel free to post to our forum at :-

http://bbs.dhs.nu/tracking/

'Flyer'

2007-08-18T17:32:00.000+01:00

Here's some build up pictures I made on the Amiga way back in 1993.
Back then one had to 'plot' each individual pixel, requiring tons of patience!
The art program used was deluxe paint.
I was into the 'rave' scene at the time, so I called the picture 'Flyer'.

Final Version:

August 15 lunchbox

2007-08-15T19:56:00.000+01:00

Breakfast:
2 slices of Welsh rarebit (Morrison's mature cheese on Braces white thick toast) - mmm cheesy!
Glass of warm orange juice
Mug of coffee

Drive to Work:
I don't recall anything eventful happening this morning - probably driving in a daze again. Only a few more weeks though until the kids are back in school and college and the roads are carnage.

Lunchbox:
2 slices of afore mentioned bread delightfully wrapped around 2 slices of dry cured honey roast ham
Packet (25g) of Walkers roast chicken crisps
Granny smith apple - chilled
Nectarine - chilled
2 mini babybel lights
Slice of afore mentioned cheese
7 cherry tomatoes
Fox's classic bar
Cadbury's mini roll

Random Thought
I should invent a gardening fork with ultrasound sensors built into the tips to relay an image to a screen mounted on the shaft, allowing gardeners to NOT spike their potatoes when digging them up. I suspect it will need a rather hefty battery which could be carried in a backpack, thus keeping the fork light. Future models would be more technical, utilising wireless technology to beam the image to a pair of goggles worn by the digger. The colour of the relayed imagery would look best in green.

This format was lifted directly from Sion Barry's world as a one off.

Let me know what you think.

Ren & Stimpy.

2007-08-08T21:02:00.000+01:00

I have just put up 4 x Ren & Stimpy lots on Ebay.

They are:

1. A full set of Ren & Stimpy comics published by Marvel UK. The free gifts that came with the comics are also included.

2. A Ren & Stimpy book published in 1994. This book gives mention to the orb!

3. A pair of Ren & Stimpy teddies.

4. A set of Ren & Stimpy in little cars.

My EBAY username is ORBPHAN.

If you are going to bid then: GOOD LUCK!

100th POST!!! - SNDH Archive updated to version 2.6!

2007-08-06T17:45:00.000+01:00

From the site:

v2.6 (July 26, 2007) - Pure quality 50 new SNDH files (73 tunes). The latest SNDH addition certainly oozes quality! From 505's sonical stimulation in Blubber Tunes, to Dubmood's funky tracks used in all the latest D-Bug hard-drive/Falcon fixes. This pack also see the advent of a new breed of SNDH,"SNDH-Digi"! After years of pleas from Lotek, Grazey finally decided on the perilous trip of ripping and fixing exotic digital tracks, which until now had being playable by running the actual game! The first three SNDH-Digi's are Jochen Hippel first foray into digital, with the excellent tunes from Great Giana Sisters, Warp and Stormlord. The tunes have even being tested on the CT60... anyway what are you waiting for... happy listening.

Grab the new archive HERE.

Need a player? Get THIS.

Old British Pennies.

2007-08-05T18:46:00.000+01:00

We went on a day trip to Wookey Hole in Somerset whilst on holidays in Brean.
We had a tour of the caves, visited a fairy garden, took a trip through dinosaur valley, went in the famous paper mill and played in the old penny arcade, where you can exchange regular money for old fashioned British pennies to use in the old machines.

Two of the pennies that we got, stuck out to me because of their years.

The two pictures below are of a penny that is 100 years old!

The date of this penny is when England won the FIFA world cup final against Germany.

Note: To get most of the dirt off the coins to photograph them I used a salt and vinegar solution. It worked very well on the 1966 penny!

Giant Sunflower.

2007-08-05T10:05:00.000+01:00

Every year we grow a giant sunflower.

This is 2007's:

(Click for bigger)

Wallpaper update.

2007-08-05T09:57:00.001+01:00

This is a slight update to a wallpaper I made ages ago. The difference is that a shadow has been added.

(Click for bigger)

Dying sun flower.

2007-08-03T07:42:00.000+01:00

See the sun flower in the post below? Well, this is it now:

(Click for deader)

I think its feeling really sorry for itself and so gave up.

It reminds me a bit of Savadore Dali's 'The persistance of memory'

Test

2007-07-19T17:02:00.000+01:00

(Click for bigger)

EDIT: This may seem like an insignificant post but it was posted without any physical connection to the internet :-)

I took the picture with my mobile phone then sent the image to my PDA via bluetooth. From there I connected the PDA to a wifi hotspot and sent the picture directly to this blog via email.

Cool eh?

RhubORB Pie.

2007-07-01T14:20:00.001+01:00

Louise made this pie for me with rhubarb from the allotment:

:-)

(Click for bigger)

FreeCycle.

2007-07-01T13:41:00.000+01:00

FreeCycle is a fantastic scheme where people offer unwanted goods that someone might be able to make use of instead of sending them to landfill.

Once signed up to your local FreeCycle group you can offer or request goods. Of course one has to be realistic about it and not request 'luxury' items!

So far we have offered and given away, a Sony playstation 1 with games and controllers, 2 sacks of teddies and a baby walker. We have received in return a selection of books.

It rewards you knowing that someone else can make use of something you no longer require and that your being 'green' by not filling up the land.

July 1st - Smoking ban in England.

2007-07-01T13:05:00.000+01:00

Ireland had theirs first followed by Scotland then Wales. Today marks the day where England finally plays catchup and introduces a smoking ban in public places.
I remember Wales' passing by with no problem what-so-ever and being an ex-smoker myself, remember coming home from a night out not feeling grubby and my clothes not stinking of smoke for the first time.

I cannot believe the fuss surrounding the ban in England and the ammount of advertising by the NHS on the lead up to the ban, which must have cost a small fortune of the already strained budget.

Just get on with it England.

A few more pictures of the plot.

2007-06-16T18:12:00.000+01:00

It may be boring to some but this is the first time I have tried to grow anything, so here are a few more pictures of the plot took recently:

The lettuce are coming on great. We have already pulled some up for us and the family. The stuff going around the outside is rhubarb leaves pinned to the ground with small sticks to stop them blowing away. They are there to stop slugs:

Radish. The one on the right is about average whereas the other one is HUGE!

This is a line of onions. They have been slow so far but are still slowly growing:

I am really pleased with these potatoes. They should be OK to dig up on 30th June. :-)

New Music.

2007-06-16T12:34:00.000+01:00

Right then, time to big up some new(ish) releases.

First off is Jarvis Cockers debut solo project simple called 'Jarvis'.

Tracklisting:
01. Loss Adjuster (excerpt Pt.1)
02. Don't Let Him Waste Your Time
03. Black Magic
04. Heavy Weather
05. I Will Kill Again
06. Baby's Coming Back To Me
07. Fat Children
08. From A To I (From Auswitch To Ipswitch)
09. Disney Time
10. Tonite
11. Big Julie
12. Loss Adjuster (excerpt Pt.2)
13. Quantum Theory
14. Running The World (Hidden Track)

After all these years, Jarvis carries on from where he left off with pulp, releasing some lyrically fantastic, moody, timeless tracks. It may take a few listens but once your hooked you keep finding yourself humming any one of these great tracks. If you liked pulp, then this is a must have for your collection!

Second is Orbsessions Volume Two by The Orb.

This second outing of previously (un)-released tracks is once again on the Malicious Damage label therefore one can expect lush packaging and you won't be dissappointed! There is a poster included in the bespoke packaging (see if you can spot Battersea Power Station on it :) ) and if ordered directly from Mal. Dam. you get a little pin badge. Very collectable!

Poster:

(click for bigger)

On first listen, the music seems to be a mix of bob4.5 (BadOrb) and tracks that never made Cydonia final release.

Tacklisting:
01. D.A.D.O.E.S?
02. ralph’s cupboard
03. 2026
04. shem
05. shem version
06. it’s a small world
07. the giant bolster
08. ba’albeck
09. jam on your honey
10. kidnap
11. angel 4 matrix...

And finally, the SNDH archive has been updated to version 2.5 and was released at Outline 2007. It contains 53 new .SNDH files (thats 214 tunes!).

Grinning Idiots 2,3,4 wheels show 2007

2007-06-07T21:43:00.000+01:00

June 2nd saw the second ever Grinning Idiots 2,3,4 wheel custom show!
The venue was Risca Rugby Club again and this time it was BIGGER and better!

Here are a few pics (click to enlarge):

Well done Grinning Idiots! We are looking forward to next years bash already :-)

How to 'Paint' the Mona Lisa in MS Paint.

2007-05-14T21:20:00.000+01:00

Check this out:

First pickings from the allotment!

2007-05-12T18:16:00.000+01:00

These radish were picked today at around 5:30pm.
They are a bit firery and the texture is crisp.
A success!

(Click for bigger)

Get your FREE JOOST invites here!

2007-05-10T17:45:00.000+01:00

Someone was kind enough to offer free JOOST invites a while ago (which is how I got mine) so I thought I would return the gesture to others who are seeking an invite.

Just leave a comment as per usual (including your email address!) and I will get an invite your way.

Easy.

Happy Star Wars Day!

2007-05-04T07:17:00.000+01:00

May the 4th be with you.

:)

Joke courtesy of Darren.

Plot picture.

2007-04-30T21:33:00.000+01:00

Heres a photograph taken tonight (30.04.07) of the plot:

(Click for bigger)

Allotment update.

2007-04-29T20:41:00.000+01:00

Time for an update of the allotment plot.

Well, things certainly happen fast on a plot. Prior to this weekend the potatoes that I planted have started to show and I had also planted Lettuce, Broccoli, Pumpkin and Radish.

The Radish seem to have fallen victim to either burning (by overuse of liquid feed) or small bugs as there are lots of little holes in the leaves. Im not hopeful for them at all. The Lettuce, Broccoli and Pumpkin are all looking good however. I have took measures against slugs with these plants by purchasing blue pellets and laying them down.

This weekend was a very productive time as I managed to get a lot done but not all that I planned :(
I turned another 3 sections (also de-glassed as there is loads of glass), emptied one of the water butts that was half full of old, rotting manure/egg shells/etc. this butt is now just full of fresh water. I did some more planting of Carrots (from seedlings), Carrots (from seeds), Parsnips (from seeds) and I got my broad beans in (19 in with 5 'spares' just in case). I also had to 'Earth up' the potatoes to help produce a higher yield.

I will have to get some photos for the next update.

Here is a brief 'ToDo' list off the top of my head:

Lift a single Rhubarb plant that is on its own.
Turn and prepare 2 final sections.
Prepare second half of second bean line (including sticks).
Plant beans.
Get more sticks from Lou's Dad and the 'Allotment Shed'.
Transfer Polish Pumpkins when strong enough.
Empty/sort through old tool bunker.
Sort herb garden.

My old school.

2007-04-23T21:05:00.000+01:00

Below is a picture of the old school I used to attend called Risca Town School. It catered for both infants and primary children. I found the picture on this site: http://www.riscamuseum.org.uk/risca.html The mountain you can see in the background is Machen mountain.

And this is a picture of how it looks today (Mid April 2007):

The housing estate that replaced the school is called Cwrt-Yr-Ysgol and covers what used to be the whole school, storage sheds and playing yards.

Nursery.

2007-04-16T21:12:00.000+01:00

This is what I call my makeshift ~~propaganda~~ propagation area:

(click for bigger)

The vegetables in this picture are:

Tomatoes

Chives

Carrots

Radish

Broad Beans

French Beans

UNKNOWN Beans! (now believed to be black beans)

Polish Pumpkins

Fingers crossed that they all grow strong enough to transfer to the allotment plot! :)

Chemical/Vapour trails.

2007-04-10T10:03:00.000+01:00

I took this interesting photograph from our bedroom window on 5th April, 07:48am

I have never seen so many vapour trails concentrated in one area before (or chemtrails if your into conspiracy theories).

(Click for larger view)

Allotment plot.

2007-04-09T10:21:00.000+01:00

I had some great news last week, that there is an allotment plot allocated to me :)

Rent is a whopping £4.25 per year and is paid already. All I have to do now is turn it all over, weed it and get planting!

Things I intend on planting are:
Potatoes
Carrots
Onions
Beans
Turnips
Parsnips
Radish

Heres some pictures of its current state (I have already marked out and turned 2 lines)

I planted Cara potatoes in here. Apparently they are ideal as jacket potatoes or for mashing.

Something for my 'to do' list.

2007-04-02T18:16:00.000+01:00

For a long time now, I have wanted to make a HUGE beanbag by taking a kingsize duvet cover and filling it with polystyrene beads (the type used for packing), then stitching it closed.

:)

YouTube - Jarvis - Dont Let Him Waste Your Time

2007-03-26T20:56:00.000+01:00

This is ex-pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker's new video which is VERY funny!

Photo found on server.

2007-03-13T17:42:00.000Z

Found this old photo kicking around on the server in work today:

(click for bigger)

Funny name generators.

2007-03-09T19:13:00.000Z

Found these and thought they were quite funny:

Get Your Cyborg Name

Get Your Monster Name

Get Your Sexy Name

New wallpaper using Photoshop effects.

2007-03-08T20:18:00.000Z

Basically, its a circular gradient with swirls introduced using the liquify option, then the chrome filter was applied followed by some lens blurring and finally colour adjustments were made making it look gold:

(Click for larger view (1024x768))

Time took: <5mins.

SNDH Archive updated to version 2.4

2007-03-06T21:46:00.000Z

This is what the site says:

v2.4 (March 5, 2007) - Dedicated to Richard Joseph

130 new SNDH files (184 tunes).

Quite a while since the last SNDH pack. But Grazey has been beavering away as usual extracting un-ripped tunes for your enjoyment.

As a fitting tribute to the recently departed Richard Joseph (such a sad loss), we include some previously unripped tracks by Richard, notably :-

- Lure of the Temptress, The Adventures of Robin Hood, Legend,
- Wizkid, Magic Pockets, Megalomania and Steel Empire.

Visit the site HERE.

Happy Saint Davids Day!

2007-03-01T07:25:00.000Z

OMG - Customised coffins!

2007-02-27T18:11:00.000Z

I have never seen this before:

Welcome to Colourful Coffins - Part of the Oxford Coffins Group of Companies

Two new words.

2007-02-19T17:36:00.000Z

Thought of two new words today:

Word: Graphician.
Definition: One who manipulates computer graphics.
Usage: The graphician is finalising the artwork for my new CD.

Word: Pixelist.
Definition: One who manipulates computer graphics.
Usage: The pixelator is finalising the sprites for my new game.

Sent them to Urban Dictionary for inclusion.

UPDATE: My word 'graphician' got selected for inclusion in the urban dictionary :-)