a lot of stuff and nonsense from eclectech

We don't tend to appreciate our sysadmins. We moan at them when anything goes wrong with our computers or the net but we don't cheer when our email arrives, or a web page appears, or as we log in and chat to friends on a messageboard or forum.

We probably should. They only ask for apreciation one day a year too. Sysadmin Day.

This year UKUUG asked us to make something to celebrate the day. This one is for the geeks.

Something Vital Breaks. 1MB Flash.
Downloadable in video format from UKUUG.

And now I'm away to be nice to my lovely sysadmin.

Labels: flash animation

... is that sometimes you get to see the most gorgeous sunrises.

Another photo of orange gorgeousness.

In amusing news the MPAA might have tried to scare the wrong person into coughing up a couple of thousand dollars for an alleged download of a film. Most people can't afford to go against organisations like the MPAA and RIAA; but they haven't accused a millionnaire of downloading a film he already owned on DVD before. This could well be one to watch.

In confusing news a photo caption on the front page of a recent copy of Computing really surprised me.

"Suffolk believes thick PCs raise security issues for government"

Blimey! I thought. Not only calling the police a threat to national security, but calling them thick too! To be honest Computing suddenly reached new levels of interest for me until I realised I'd read it wrong.

Different meaning of PC. Different meaning of thick. Bah!

Labels: blether, news links, photos

My software has an attitude problem.

I have just put together another silly video and decided to make a page for videos on my site. The quickest way for me to make the icons was to play the source video, grab a frame and make the icon from that. But I couldn't.

My software assumed that I didn't own the video I was playing. It accused me of stealing. I'm insulted.

On the plus side I now have animated icons on the page as I couldn't be as lazy as I intended.

On the down side my software is apparently allowed to defame my character and deny me the presumption of innocence* on the basis, I assume, that some people would screen grab something they shouldn't. If that's the case prosecute them, don't pester me and my penguins.

I mentioned them a couple of posts ago, but again, we really need ORG.

Anyhow, the video. If you've waded through my moaning you deserve it.
If you've skipped to the bold text have a gold star for initiative, I'm sure you deserve it too.

Penguins!
30 seconds of penguin joy (the sequel). 790KB Flash.

* I accept I could be seen as overstating the issue here. But it is what it was saying, deep down. They are wrong.

Labels: disgruntled, open rights group, penguin joy, video

I've got the first part of my bakedbeats animation online.

Voodoo Trombones, 900KB Flash.

Colourful birds, cheesy dancing, robots, penguins, kangaroos, gently swaying flowers and, ooooh, STUFF!

Music provided by the funky Voodoo Trombone Quartet.

Labels: dance, flash animation, voodoo trombone quartet

Greenpeace are protesting the use of illegal timber in the refurbishment of Admiralty Arch. The Government has told Greenpeace that the timber being used in Admiralty Arch is legal and it has the paperwork to prove it. Unfortunately they can't provide it to Greenpeace because their fax machine is broken. Heh.

Good vertigo inducing photo from the activists on their moblog.

In other news I really must finish my ORG related animation soon. Along with the BPI trying to get UK ISPs to cut-off their customers without going through the courts ABC are trying to stop you being able to fast forward through adverts. Really. These organisations are getting far too big for their own boots, we must do something about it.

I suspect it needs more than an animation but you've got to play to your strengths.

Edit: Does anyone else find that as soon as they've hit the Publish button they notice a typo, missing word or other mistake in their post? I swear it happens to me every time. I don't seem to do it on my web site, just on my blog. Why am I so careless here?
*corrects yet another typo*

Labels: blether, dance, news links, open rights group

... because I liked Syd Barrett.

And because Effervescing Elephant always made me smile.

And because Gerald the kazoo playing mouse was named after the mouse in Bike.

I know a mouse and he hasn't got a house
I don't know why I call him Gerald
He's getting rather old but he's a good mouse

*Sings to self*

Labels: blether

...and I'm in the midst of a new Flash animation, a teched up Gilbert and Sullivan this time. There are plans for a Yiddish G & S piece later in the year too (I was intrigued by this concept far too much to avoid getting involved).

In my head-down animating-hard absence have this ludicrous art gallery picture that makes me giggle too much for my own good. I adore Reefer Madness. I can't help it. There's another RM derivative from a while back here.

There's another similar art gallery image here too, although the woman with her hand stuck on her head is from a later anti-drugs movie rather then the Reefer Madness classic.

In other news:

ID cards doomed, say officials

Emails from Whitehall officials in charge of ID cards

Identity card scheme faces delay

And an example of why I'm pleased that Whitehall are acknowledging the problem with our Governments ID cards plans... Online passport applications halted - 5,000 people are kept waiting after an internet system broke down just three weeks after its launch. I'm feeling even luckier at the successful renewal of my passport and pleased that I didn't trust the online system.

Labels: blether, NO2ID, video

I realise that this doesn't sound like a great achievement but it happens maybe twice a year and is such a pleasing sight. Ahhhh. Lovely.

Moving swiftly on from my rather pathetic indication of achievement it's time for some links as my bookmark folder needs emptying.

Following my whinge about banks and security the other day I was interested to see that Shell has suspended chip-and-pin payments after more than £1m was siphoned out of customers' accounts. So that's reassuring, particularly as "Shell's chip-and-pin solution is fully accredited and complies with all relevant industry standards."

There's been movement on the Guantanamo Bay issue as well, as the Supreme Court has ruled that "the military tribunals at Guantanamo violated both US military law and the Geneva Conventions." Well, quite. As an aside I rather liked this edit of George Bush singing 'Sunday, Bloody Sunday', if you've not seen it.

In other news, whilst I find non-disabled people parking in disabled spaces inconsiderate beyond belief I thought painting the disabled bay after the person had parked there a trifle unfair.

And finally, every now and then I have a trawl through the messages being sent through my Pants Messengers and I was embarrassed at how much this made me giggle. Shockingly bad joke. On a related note, if the person who keeps trying to link to a pr0n site through my pants squirrel is reading this - it doesn't work. Give it up. They don't parse HTML links, they're not about to start and they're not going to be shown on the random message page. Thank you.

Oh, the cute kitty above is available in desktop wallpaper size if you like.

Labels: blether, desktop wallpaper, disgruntled, flash toy, neat links, news links