If NerdTV needs to find inspiration - this is what good interview skills and camera work looks like.

Interviews with some very talented people, bnrought to you by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

Computerworld's Salary Survey is out.

See how you compare to our Yank Cousins.

Don't blame me for this little life stealer.

Gravity

Fire an atom amongst gravity sources. Great fun and probably educational - if you were an atom and needed to avoid gravitational forces.

I wonder if naming your kid Google is any worse than naming it Kylie or Jon?

The Escape Pod Podcast

The Science Fiction Podcast Magazine. Each week Escape Pod narrates fun science fiction and fantasy short stories, with commentary and review

Go look at a few thousand SF Covers.

Haul out the conspiracy theories.

Tiny yellow dots have been discovered by the EFF and have published DocuColor Tracking Dot Decoding Guide to show you how this printer is encoding every page you print with a forensic tracking code.

Update:

Here is a list of printers that have been found to do the same.

What could be sweeter than a young man and his rail gun?

The story can be found here.

When USA Today determines that 30 percent of Americans are "early adopters", it means that they do not know how to construct a standard population graph and that they are well behind the bleeding edge where "early adopters" reside.

Amazing Colour photos of World War I

Why are these images more poignant when you see them in colour? Maybe it is the shift in perspective.

This is what happens when a good presentation style is combined with compelling content.

Dick Hardt's Keynote address at O'Reilly's OSCON on Identity 2.0 is well worth watching.

Orson Scott Card, reviews Serenity.

Card is one of the authors I respect greatly, he manages to incorporate the concept of consequence into his books, which results in humans in space, rather than mannequins in spacesuits.

Agenda for Change (or A4C) has managed to screw up the lives of a lot of people who build and manage the IT Systems for the NHS.

Just when we needed some stability in the National Health Service, a new initiative comes along to mess it all up.

They are saying that people will ciculate posts, I see a hemorrhaging of IT Staff from the NHS.

FlickrBlog has some great ideas on doing things with Flickr.

These are some additional tools to the great site that features the Flickr Tool Collection

This guy made a carbon fiber bike in his garage, and then he made a website.

How to install Slax onto your iPod Nano.

Turns it into a portable bootable Linux drive.

I am looking for more podzilla functionality on the nano.

What information is held on hotel keycards?

According to this article, it could be your name, address and credit card informaiton in unecrypted form.

It is not that tough to make a magnetic card reader

Great piece on Make Magazine's Blog where they show off PodZilla.

It is amazing what the podzilla guys are doing with Linux on the iPod. Putting video on the little white box before Apple, better appearance control and loads more games.

Combine Glaswegian and Dolmio Ads and you get this brilliant collection.


BTW - Not Safe for Work (if you have the sound up).

The Washington Post has an article on the End of the Bush Era.

I am wondering what this discussion on the End of an Era actually means on the ground. Is it the impeachment that met Nixon when his numbers got as bad as W's? Or just a change in perception that the smugness is arrogance and not confidence.

The new Berliner edition of the Guardian is due out today.

The last couple days were blogged by the Guardian staff.

I want a workbench - but first I need a house that has enough unused space to put a workbench.

OK, this is a site that is blowing up.

You could say that the The Rawker is like the Star Wars Kid, if you replaced the kid with an aging southern lead singer and the lightsaber with a microphone.

The story is on the website that explains the whole thing.

I do not know how long this site will be up. As soon as, they get broadband into the trailer park andThe Rawker learns how to hook up an ADSL modem, this site is gone.

White people find things, while black people loot

The battery on my iPod was pretty well dead. It would only run for 35 minutes after showing a full charge.

I sent a cheque for £15.50 to ipodstop and received a replacement battery and the tools needed to open the case.

The kit showed up in two days and using the instructions and their online video made replacing the battery very easy.

I left the iPod to recharge for a full 24 hours and it now runs like a dream. The new battery actually should be able to run longer than the original.

Being without the iPod for a couple weeks was a complete pain in the butt. Nice to have it back.

It also is nice to know that the battery is replaceable, so along with the iToque this iPod should last a while.

Stuck? - go to StuckGamer

I find them better than those text files you find on Gamefaqs.

Espresso Porn.com

I don't get it.

Some people find the image of coffee coming out of an expresso machine so pleasing that they label it porn?

Nope, I still don't get it.

Classic Phishing email.

Who could resist the temptation to enter their personal details after recieving this one?

We regret to inform you that your eBay account has been suspended due to the violation of our site policy below: False or missing contact information - falsification or imitation your name, address, and/or telephone number (including use of fax machines pager numbers, modems or disconnected numbers).
Due to the suspension of this account, please be advised you are prohibited from using eBay in any way. This prohibition includes the registering of a new account.
Please note that any seller fees due to eBay will immediately become due and payable.
eBay will charge any amounts you have not previously disputed to the billing method currently on file.

http://www.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?verifyccplace

If you have recently updated your billing information, please disregard this message as we are processing the changes you have made. This notification expires on August 30, 2005. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

Thank you for using eBay!

A good By New York Times article on the current hi-tech/high priced gadgets available for cyclists.

Power meters in your hubs, new heart meters - all available for a price.

Registration is necessary - so use bugmenot

Getting the band back together.

R&F on 202

The good people at Make have a new temptation for me to resist.

I have succumbed to the Blog and various videos, which tend to dilute the print edition.

But now they have released the entire Volume 3 in Digital form. I need to resist this temptation, since I know it will simply diminish the joy of that little square package coming through the door.

So, I will get the Digital Edition (for no extra cost) but only after the print edition is in my hot little paws.

Stopped at Clyde Tunnel Corner

Stopped at Clyde Tunnel Corner
Originally uploaded by MrLithic.

I took this photo this morning and then read the article by Lionel Shriver.

This photo is a perfect example of what she is talking about. The construction crews have not considered anyone but motorised traffic by laying these cones up to the center-line. If they had left a 2-3 foot path for cyclists, we would not forced into the right-hand lane, on an already dangerous intersection.

The Cycle Chat at Lochwinnoch

The Cycle Chat at Lochwinnoch
Originally uploaded by MrLithic.

I saw these two guys chatting away on the shore of Near Castle Semple Loch and had to get a photo.

The Castle Semple rest area is a regular stop for cyclists and there were dozens of bikes and their associated riders out that day.

Liz having Lunch at Lochwinnoch

Liz having Lunch at Lochwinnoch
Originally uploaded by MrLithic.

Ladies who lunch (and ride 28 miles to Kilbirnie and back)

Artwork near Glengarnock

Artwork near Glengarnock
Originally uploaded by MrLithic.

Liz spied this hidden artwork on the trail past Kilbirnie

Artwork near Glengarnock

Artwork near Glengarnock
Originally uploaded by MrLithic.

Liz spied this hidden artwork on the trail past Kilbirnie

Liz trains for The Tour

Liz trains for The Tour
Originally uploaded by MrLithic.

Elizabeth adopts the aerodynamic profile that will serve her well in the Tour de France

The Folly outside Lochwinnoch

The Folly outside Lochwinnoch
Originally uploaded by MrLithic.

This Victorian Folly sits outside Lochwinnoch - never been up to see it but it looks good from a distance

Disused Railway

Disused Railway
Originally uploaded by MrLithic.

The disused station on the way to Kilmacolm

Disused Railway

Disused Railway
Originally uploaded by MrLithic.

The disused station on the way to Kilmacolm

Disused Railway

Disused Railway
Originally uploaded by MrLithic.

The disused station on the way to Kilmacolm

Disused Railway

Disused Railway
Originally uploaded by MrLithic.

The disused station on the way to Kilmacolm

Cyclepath to Kilmacolm

Cyclepath to Kilmacolm
Originally uploaded by MrLithic.

Cyclepath to Linwood

Cyclepath to Linwood
Originally uploaded by MrLithic.

Some photos from cycle trips during my time off.

First set are cycling from Paisley to Kilmacolm on my own.

GROW RPG is very cool - no idea what to do, but that does not stop me playing.

Does the Scribe, Mozilla Firefox Extension add a office type functionality to web forms?

I am looking for something that has secure online storage with the ability to link to other web services, like Flicker, Gmail, and a web Calendar and do basic office functions (word process and spreadsheet type stuff).

The evolution of my Hipster

The evolution of my Hipster
Originally uploaded by MrLithic.

This is shows the stages that my Hipster PDA has undertaken.

I gave up the 3x4 version, since I needed to cut 4x6 cards in half to get the right size cards (it originally made sense). Also the 3x4 cards were not compatible with Douglas Johnston's DIY hipster pages which I really like.

The 3x5 one is much easier to refill (open pack of cards - job done). I then made a gaffer tape cover for it and chucked in a couple DIY cards and dividers between sections.

Finally, I tried to make a better gaffer tape cover and turn it into a gaffer tape envelope to hold the cards. Unfortunately, this is not very easy to open and make quick notes. So, I pack it into the rucksack and use it to carry extra 3x5 cards and DIY pages. Works a treat.

I use these along with a notebook for projects to keep myself organised. Not sure if I am doing this right (still find processing a bit difficult) but it definitely makes it easier to sleep at night when I am not trying to remember everything I need to do.

A very nice Railway Bridge

A very nice Railway Bridge
Originally uploaded by MrLithic.

Saw this repainted bridge along the Sustrans Cyclepath to Kilmalcolm.

I have just noticed that Sean Kennedy reminds me of Mike from Spaced.

I am now looking for Brian.

Just wondering if this group are terrorist sympathisers?

Thank God for the bombing of London's subway today

What is the current American rule on groups that sympathise with terrorists?

Time to take out Kansas.

Hoops for Palestine

Hoops for Palestine
Originally uploaded by MrLithic.

These Bhoys were making their stand for an independent Palestine - or they found a cool flag and were waving it to irritate the police.

MrBen

MrBen
Originally uploaded by MrLithic.

The Benster enjoying the crush in Edinburgh

Off to the Edinburgh Demonstrations along with MrBen, Bagpuss and their associated spouses.

I will return with pictures and hopefully some stories.

Another great find of Public Radio streams.

Instead of searching for your favourite shows - this is a one-stop shopping portal for great public radio.

Ugly but informative site on all things cycling. Including the specs on my Original touring bike: a Miyata 1000.

Two great words "cheap" and "raid".

Combine them together and you the The Poor Man's Raid Array

Cheap parts and about 3 hours assembly time gets you a very cool RAID array.

I do not understand why Computer Bowl did not take off like the SuperBowl.

Maybe they needed to drink beer during it, to attract corporate sponsorship.

This seems like a lot of work for pizza.

DIY Brick Oven

Get iPodder subscribed to the tartanpodcast and listen the best new Scottish music.

How to make a camping stove from an aluminium drink can.

PCTHiker.com: Scott's Stoves: Overview

If you want a full collection (including the Pepsi Can stove) Check here.

Who would not want a replica scientific instrument from the Middle Ages?

I especially like the ones that show the Ptolemiac model of the universe.

ESI_RepInstIndex

Bush lied

So Americans need to sign.

The Downing Street Memo :: What is it?

These people want to have the largest HowTo Wiki on the web.

So here is my contribution.

How to Make Canadian Pancakes - wikiHow

The guys at MAKE do some very cool things (that is why I subscribed to the magazine).

This a great piece on reading text files on your iPod.

MAKE ebooks for your iPod guide!

From someone who is trying to implement GTD into his planning and now carries a Hipster instead of a the several electronic versions of this tool, here is an article which provides some nice additions for that very useful bulge in your back pocket.

I will blog more on GTD later. I have been completely rethinking the way in which I organise my time and actions.

D*I*Y Planner Hipster PDA Edition

I am eagerly awaiting the moment when Sunderland are moved from the Championship to the Premiership page on the BBC.

DIY Cat5 Speaker Cables are supposedly much better than high end speaker cables. Only problem is that they rip hands as you try to make them.

Cat5 cables are the best thing for everything.

I am waiting for the Network Cable Car to come out.

Geobloggers

Early use of Google maps to tie web elements to the real world.

Are these photos improved by knowing where they were taken?

I can see some uses for this.

Archaeological sites and their associated site photos is my first thought.

But a photo of someone's ugly kid in front of a tree does not improve with geotagging so that you know where the tree is.

The place to get all of your Air America Podcasts.

I will get a list of the podcasts I subscribe to up here soon. But right now I am subscribing to a load of crap shows and I need to trim it down before I post it here.

One crap show I have on my iPod is the Richard Vobes Show. I tried to listen to it a couple days ago and it made me ill.

So, Google Local UK and Google Maps UK are released.

Now to see what people do with this. Real estate, renting, cab availability etc.

All we need are the Satellite photos to start Google sightseeing UK (here are three to start, Edinburgh Castle, All of the Premiership grounds and Stonehenge).

Out in the main bar 

The Foreign Beer Bar 

Some of the Breweries in the Scottish Bar 

With the Beer Menu in the other pocket 

Essential #1 - The Pint Pocket  

Mace gets his Matrix face on  

Thinker showed up first 

MrBen enjoys his bratwurst 

Neil brought signage for the BeerCam 

Thinker and Big Kev 

Sandy and ScottMac enjoying pints 

So what happens when you combine craiglist and google maps?

This!

When is someone going to do this for Prostitutes?

But seriously, I am looking forward to Google Maps coming to the UK. This integration with other web services is not going to stop.

The talk at ScotLUG went well. I did a short slide show on Social Engineering and then did a live demonstration.

Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.

A Coder in Courierland

A true tale of guy who gave up the cubicle for the world of the bicycle messenger.

I would love to do this.

What is better than Shufflephones?

Shufflephones 2.0

2-sided pov toy

This sure beats the playing card in the spokes.

Geek Pimpin'

Pimp My Shuffle - Retro Cordless Edition

What is cooler than a very nice motorcycle?

A bike that runs Unix!

How do you make the RAZR V3 better?

Pull out the crap VGA camera and put a 1 Megapixel version in it.

Motorola are doing some good thinigs - I am waiting for Nokia to heads out of their fashion asses and start producing the phones we need now.

A Nokia 6230 with a better OS and better camera would get me to upgrade. But there is nothing else out there. Unless Nokia want only the Schoolbus SoapBar market, they need to wake up and get the better phones out.

A handy guide on how to shred your old hard drives.

I normally use Darik's Boot and Nuke but I may try this next time.

I would love a bluetooth adaptor for the iPod.

No more wires sounds good to me.

Cycling Diary 17/03/2005

Cycling has been off for the past week.

This head cold has floored me since Saturday. Trips outside have consisted of going to the shops and then getting back to the flat to try and warm up. The weather has not been cold but the sickness has brought some bad chills with it.

I hope to be back on the bike soon.

Well, this makes Christmas giving pretty easy.

The perfect gift for the man in your life.

I would love to go to work in this. Just need to get it bigger.

Big enough to be in The Incredibles.

Beatles and Beastie Boys mashups by dj BC

Right, so this is something I need to try out.

Monday is going to be devoted to downloading and installing ZenWorks for Linux

Cool Flickr Tag collection

So - whatsinyourbag?

Cycled in today and the weather was clear and chilly. I needed the leather gloves to keep the fingers warm.

The mist was rising and the sun was a bit blinding but I am not complaining. It is a lot better situation than ice and darkness.

The tops of thighs were burning but the ankles and achilles tendon got a massage from Liz last night, so no problems there. Stretched the thighs out did some calf stretches. Everything seems better now.

I will do some riding this weekend and I hope to be riding everyday next week.

Well, I am back on the bicycle.

The cycle computer is hooked up and working.

I found out that I am running 80% of my max heart rate for roughly 30 minutes in the morning. Not sure if this is a good thing.

Also the distance is not as long as I thought it was, but I will stick with my original estimate since it sounds better.

Average speed was 23 Km/h
Top speed was 37 Km/h

Traffic was fine. I started a little earlier jusat in case I needed to slow down due to the ankle. The ankle feels fine and the ride was quite enjoyable.

Hey, let's watch it shred.

Not much on the cycling - since I have not been cycling much.

I blew out my ankle on Wednesday and had to take two days off work. By 'blow out' I mean, ankle took too much abuse and the calf went into spasm. The anklle itself swelled up and the back tendon was really sore.

Liz did some massage on it and I rested for the two days and it seems much better now.

I really pushed it on Wednesday. I cycled in and out of work and went to the gym at noon for an hour workout.

Too much, too soon. I want to start including the gym in the weekly routine but this is a strong suggestion that I need to build up the body a bit more before that happens.