This is effectively the 2nd time i’ll have “left the building” so to speak having initially left in Dec 2008 only to re-appear in a different (and much much better) form in Apr 2009.  The funny thing is that theres a chance that may happen again…though if it does it wont be for a few months yet.

I cant complain though.  This contract was only supposed to be for 3-4 months and it’s lasted for 15 instead, i’ve been well rewarded for the work i’ve done, and for the most part i’ve enjoyed it too.

All that means is that I get to enjoy being a man of leisure once again for a bit and have some time off, maybe go on a holiday, get some of those things done that i’ve been putting off, etc…  All in all i’m quite looking forward to it

I think it’s fair to say that the typical audience for this show wouldn’t normally encompass the games playing demographic so it’s not a surprise that the “games are bad” arguement gets cheers and applause while the counter arguement (in this case that games are rated just like movies and it’s parents that should stop the more graphic and violent ones from getting to them) is greeted with pantomime boos.  With that in mind it’s not difficult to see where this debate was gonna go…..

Those that know me will have little doubt on where I stand on this issue so i’ll leave it to you to make up your own mind by watching it yourself…though i will say that the high/low (you decide)-lights of the interview for me are

• The study of 130k kids worldwide quoted by Julie Peasgood, a woman who has provided voice over work for computer games in 2000 though this is not mentioned
• And, the topical use of the James Bulger murder case from 17 years ago as a prop to attempt to prove a point

The frustrating thing is that I cant really talk about whats going on (not publicly at least) but suffice to say it’s looking like i’m gonna have to make some tough decisions pretty quickly and, unless something changes in the next couple of weeks, whichever decision I make there’s going to be some pretty negative outcomes for me.  There’s also a whole load of politics involved too which makes it even more messy and difficult to deal with.

Anyway mini-rant over for now……on to some other stuff thats been going through my head recently…..

I’ve been giving some serious thought to contracting, web development and freelance stuff over the past few weeks (unrelated to mini-rant above but may ened up being pertinent…who knows) so i’ve decided to do a couple of things just to re-learn some skills that i’ve lost in the mix -

• Most of my work recently has been exclusively Perl based so i’m more than a bit rusty PHP wise.  As such i’ve been tinkering with some bits of code to get my head back into it.  Specifically i’ve been going through some of the OO features added with PHP 5 which i’m finding quite familiar
• Following on from this i’ve got 2 little projects in mind to build using PHP  (dependent on free time obviously) :
  • First i’ve got a little project to write a tool for my EQ2 guild to replace the current dkp manager and augment it with some flashy new bits.  This would be the first time i’d written a full project from start to finish in PHP for around 4 or 5 years so it should hopefully be a good way of getting me back up to speed and end up being a useful tool with the features we need.
  • Secondly, this site.  I’ve used it as a testing ground for lots of little bits here and there and have only periodically played around with the front end of things thats available to the general public (thats you! ) so it’s probably time I spent some time to give this site some TLC too.  This is particularly important if I do end up going down the freelance type route as the last thing any prospective client needs to see is broken/buggy stuff going on regardless of whether i’m just toying with stuff or not.

So thats all for now…..if and when i find the time to start some of this stuff you may see some updates and stuff posted on here…so expect the next update in 6 months time saying i’ve been too busy lol!

• Public opinion of your decision to go on strike over xmas couldnt be lower
• You’re already by far the best paid for the job you do
• BA is dieing and you’ll all be out of a job if it doesnt change it’s business model.
• Gone are the glory days of business travel raking in loads of cash for BA

So yeah that all sounds like it’s a good plan to go on strike over such a busy period, completely lose any public support you may have had, and effectively write your own P45.  Stop thinking like 30 years ago idiots and get with the program!  I’m not saying you need to completely cave in to whatever the initial offer was or agree to all the changes but surely it’s blatantly obvious that there needs to be some changes????

via Pimp That Snack – The Monster Mac.

Vegetarians and health freaks look away now, because Burger King has launched a stomach-churning Windows 7-themed Whopper.

The software-sponsored sandwich is filled with not one, not two, but an unbelievable seven meat patties. The burger went on sale in Burger King outlets in Japan today to mark the major OS upgrade.

Our Japanese isn’t great, but the poster – which comes direct from BK’s Japanese website – appears to suggest that the Windows 7 Whopper will be on sale in the country until 28 October.

via Burger King cooks up Windows 7 Whopper • Register Hardware.

In the middle of a busy Tuesday evening in the NFC North, rumors started flying that Green Bay had signed tailback Ahman Green to replace injured backup DeShawn Wynn. The report originated with radio station 1250-AM, but by the end of the night no deal had been announced.

Still, Greg A. Bedard of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports there are indications that a deal could be forthcoming. Two players told the newspaper that Green told them a deal was in place. Meanwhile, linebacker Nick Barnett said on his Twitter feed that he saw Green in the Packers locker room on Tuesday. Green’s workout was on Monday.

via Black and Blue all over: Green to Packers? – NFC North – ESPN.

Chunky Chelsea Whoppers – As if bringing back the classic Chelsea Whopper wasn`t enough, we`ve gone that little bit further, and brought you Chunky Chelsea Whoppers! These are chunks, not bars, so for those of you that like your sweets in bitesize chunks, these are just right!

Chelsea Whoppers were in danger of becoming extinct – but no more!

via aquarterof.co.uk.

It began with iPhone. Then came iPod touch. Then MacBook Pro. Intuitive, smart, dynamic. Multi-Touch technology introduced a remarkably better way to interact with your portable devices — all using gestures. Now we’ve reached another milestone by bringing gestures to the desktop with a mouse that’s unlike anything ever before. It’s called Magic Mouse. It’s the world’s first Multi-Touch mouse. And while it comes standard with every new iMac, you can also add it to any Bluetooth-enabled Mac for a Multi-Touch makeover.

via Apple – Magic Mouse – The world’s first Multi-Touch mouse..