Saturday, August 19, 2006

Neat!

It may not be the cheapest way to get hard-copy versions of your digital pictures, that would probably to print them yourself on a domestic inkjet printer with glossy paper, but that's more like hard work than what I did today.

I went to a conventional film developing place, where they've also got a couple of digital booths. Pictures on a memory stick (I had a CD as backup too), stick the memory stick in the USB port, hit the select-all button, hit print, type in my surname & phone number, then come back in an hour. Brilliant.

A bit pricey - 36 7"x5" photos cost me just over £12 (and instant prints would have been another £10 on top), but it could hardly have been easier, and the quality is much better than I could have done at home.

ttfn

Thursday, August 17, 2006

Flying nightmares?

Ugh! Would I fly on a commercial airline out of a UK airport just now? I don't think so.

Even though all the 'for-show-to-the-Daily-Mail-reading-public' security measures have now been relaxed a little, I still don't fancy it.

A few weeks ago I flew to, and returned from, an airport not very far from London. Our local airport was a breeze: short queue at check-in, slick process at security, relaxed and quiet (for a daytime slot) by the gates and a simple walk to the domestic jet for the flight. But the airport not very far from London? Completely different matter. Again it was a daytime flight (a Sunday afternoon if you must know): a long, slow moving, queue at check-in, a faff at security, crowded and expensive departure lounges, a looonnng walk to the gate, a short walk to the plane (one good point anyway), and then a flight with some kid kicking me in the back every so often, but not quite often enough for me to risk the ire of its stupid mother.

Flying just isn't a pleasant experience! Perhaps it's time the carriers and airports stopped thinking about the appearance of security, and thought about improving the experience of flying. Afterall, no matter the extra security measures put in over the last 10 days, a determined bomber could still have caused a device to explode in the hold of an aircraft... just like in Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie, 1988.

ttfn

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Firefox branding promotion?

I like Firefox, I use it as much as possible, but now someone with faaarrrrrr to much time on their hands has taken the promotion of the Firefox brand just a little too far... Crop Circles? I ask you!

As I said, too much time on their hands. Well, the "they" are the Oregon State University's Linux User Group, and it is summer time. What more needs to be said?

ttfn

First Post!

Hey, I claim first post.

Well of course I do, this is my new Blog. Time to join the crowd and see where it leads.

ttfn