While I was testing my new internet connection, I came across this interesting design project called Allmyfriends by Jack Godfrey Wood. The project, with Nokia, was to design future mobile phones and this particular entry does away with the usual “buttons and screen” view of the mobile phone. Instead, contacts are represented by tactile “beads” which are squeezed to call that person. To give someone your contact details you just give them a bead, allowing them to associate a physical object with you.
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June 14th, 2006
So I did find a flat, just in time! It was a bit hectic moving in, but I had some good help and we managed to get it all done in a single day. Then, of course, comes all the paperwork. I think I’m up-to-date now with everyone that should be sending me stuff, but it took a while for BT and/or my ISP to move over my broadband, so I’ve been in a blackout for two weeks.
Its pretty interesting, living as my ancestors did: without internet or TV! 
Basically, there’s not much to do but read, hack and go out with friends… So its actually a pretty good life and I’m in the process of deciding if I actually want to get a TV at all. (Well, possibly a computer with a TV card and MythTV). This is precisely what steve has been saying for quite a long time and I’m beginning to think that he’s right.
June 14th, 2006
My flatmate is moving out to pursue a more lucrative (and possibly more satisfying) career in a different part of the country, so I’ve been looking for places to live. Its difficult. I have no desire to live with randoms, as you can get into some really big arguments about whose turn it is to do the washing up. And its usually mine, because I’m quite slovenly.
Flat rents are just incredible, though. I saw a couple of places today which were OK size, fairly modern and pretty well located. Unfortunately, they were ground floor flats on a busy main road, electrically heated and extremely expensive.
The estate agent seemed genuinely surprised that I wasn’t particularly interested. Apparently, in the current market, those flats were good value. I guess I just have to lower my expectations or dig deeper into my wallet.
This weekend I’ve got another couple of viewings lined up, so I guess we’ll see how that goes.
May 19th, 2006
Finally, my great work is on display for the world (well, LinuxTAGers anyway) to see!
To be honest, I feel a little ambivalent towards the design: Its too busy, uses too many colours, doesn’t scale down to low resolutions. And, at the end of the day, it doesn’t really communicate what OSM is all about.
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May 10th, 2006
In byegone ages there were rituals to mark the coming of spring. The local one in Reading (Abbey) was the singing of “Summer is Icumen In“. Or, at least, thats the one I was forced to sing at school. In most places there were harvest festivals and the like, dancing, getting very drunk, etc…
In modern times (if we’re lucky enough to even notice the difference between winter and spring) we’re as likely to just complain about how long its taken to arrive, or how lacklustre it is now it has arrived.
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April 17th, 2006
Last night I went with some friends to the the Comedy Store, which was really funny. This morning I got up and went to get some cash, but the machine told me I’d already withdrawn £200 today. That wasn’t so funny.
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April 9th, 2006
After spending a lot of time designing software, you get a sense of where your data and functionality lie within a system. Hopefully, you’ve encapsulated the right data in the right classes or its time to start refactoring! You know when you’ve got it right, because there is a balance between the size of the class, its openness and its flexibility.
I call this elegance, and I think its a property that extends to people systems as well as software systems.
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March 29th, 2006
So Steve and I were talking last weekend about the government’s plans for creeping totalitarianism and he blogged about it. This is very, very scary because it totally bypasses our democratic safeguards: our MP’s and the Lords. (Never mind that they’re increasingly being eroded.)
Ian blogs about the increasingly mandatory nature of ID cards. This is also very scary for two reasons:
One: First, the cards are optional. Then, the cards are mandatory, but you won’t have to carry them or present them on demand. Finally, you have to swipe them to go into pubs, pick up your benefits, check into hospital…
Two: First, the database (the National Identity Register) “just” has 49 items. Then, they “just” add a few more, extend access to all public services. Finally, anyone can subscribe to to the database commercially and it stores your medical records, psychiatric results, school history, every journey you ever made on public transport or through the congestion charging zone…
Add the two pieces of legislation together and its basically all over: we have to trust that ministers won’t abuse their power, that public servants won’t abuse our private information. I don’t know about you, but I don’t feel very trusting.
March 28th, 2006
Just upgraded this blog to WordPress 2.0.2, which is cool. At least I didn’t have to throw away my theme like I did when I upgraded to 1.5. I like this blix-based theme anyway.
Yeah, yeah. I should be in work, but I overslept because I thought it was an hour earlier, or later, charmed, strange, whatever. BST always has this effect on me…
March 27th, 2006
The Dream Multimedia DM-7025 is possibly the coolest thing ever. Notwithstanding my previous post about the desirability of the Humax 9200T, the DM-7025 is far, far cooler. Let me give you the highlights:
- PowerPC processor
- Linux
- Ethernet port
- 2 DVB-T tuners
- HDD
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March 20th, 2006
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