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July 18th, 2008

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July 4th, 2008

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June 26th, 2008

01:49 pm - Furthering the Jamie vs Moths saga I woke up this morning, and started up my computer. Right from the beginning, there were graphics glitches, and missing character. When X started, and things switched from text based to graphics based, my monitor switched off, as there was no signal. I opened up the case and found a dead moth on the back of the graphics card (I've no idea if that's a sufficiently bad place to destroy the card or not). It was one of those little clothes moths, that seem to have plagued me for years now (the same type that ate all my childhood toys about 5 years ago). I removed the moth, and cleaned out the rest of the dust from the card, and restarted my computer. Alas, there was no improvement. Since the evidence seems to suggest a dead graphics card, I'm going to have to buy a new graphics card. To the moths: your suicide attack has been effective, I concede this battle, but the war will be mine! Current Mood: pissed off Tags: hardware, moths

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June 20th, 2008

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June 14th, 2008

08:32 pm - More 4th edition D&D I mentioned earlier that I bought the three corebooks of 4th edition Dungeons & Dragons. Some people will be bored mindless by this subject, so if I end up mentioning more in lieu of an actual review, I'll put my various complaints/praises under a cut to save sanity. Just to begin with though, I have to mention this, as it applies to any reference book: why couldn't the manual(s) have a decent index? It's next to impossible to find anything with the single page they've provided. 3rd edition had a 3 page index and a 10 page glossary, why is this not in 4th ed? Jules may have learnt to index by hand when she trained to be a librarian, but we have computers to do things like this these days. Entirely unrelated to D&D, my old landlord (Adam Raphael) is back in the UK, and we're planning a trip to Cramond Island on Saturday, 5 July (exactly when we leave will depend on the tides). I know some people like zotz and fizzyboot mentioned an interest last time I went, so I'm going to announce this sufficiently in advance so people know about it. Tags: cramond, dungeons & dragons, indices

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June 11th, 2008

12:10 pm - Massive update I love being a mathematician: http://xkcd.com/435/ In related news,on Monday I finished my last ever exams (no sniggering in the back), and I've got some pretty awesome results. Just waiting for a few more, but I could be in line for a distinction. I was actually disappointed with getting only 72 in the Maths Biology course, as that exam was difficult (time-wise), but I know I answered everything correctly, I'd like to know how they justify removing 28% from my mark. Once more this is a case of universities failing to give adequate feedback in results, Oh well. I've also recently moved flat, and I'm now living in Portobello with Jules. It's a nice little place, but too small for a flat-warming party. I can still get into town via the 42, or occasionally other combinations, and Jules can go directly to work via the 21, but it still feels out of the way. Since my new flat is so far across town, my sister Helena gave me a lift in on Monday morning for the 9.30 exam, and told me she was going to our old school. After the exam I met up with Helena at school and we had a chat with some of the teachers as well the head of the art department, Mr Robb, who was retiring that day. He used to be my form teacher in 5th and 6th year, and recognised me instantly despite the hair and beard. This is in contrast to my old maths teacher (see the flow here?), who failed to recognise me until I told him my name. He then invited me to come back some time and speak to the 5th and 6th years about doing maths at university! To finish off the day, I succumbed to buying 4th edition D&D. It's very shiny and colourful, but I haven't had a chance to look at it in depth. I went round in the evening to visit Rob Lee, who promptly showed me his 2nd ed books. In comparison, 4th ed has very colourful artwork on almost every page, but it's all people in really stupid poses. 2nd ed has mainly crappy line drawings, but it also has the occasional bit of ink work which is just massively more impressive than anything in 4th ed. There was a picture of a group of proud adventurers standing round a strung up baby dragon, complete with cuts and a bolt sticking out of its back. The colours were the countryside colours, and everyone looked realistic (apart from the dragon and the elf's ears). Like one of those old hunting photos from the late 19th century. You also get the ominous feeling that mummy dragon is sitting somewhere feeling very pissed off. 4th ed is so cartoony in comparison. I really hope it doesn't end up as just World of D&Dcraft. Current Mood: accomplished Tags: dungeons & dragons, flat, maths, school

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May 18th, 2008

06:19 pm - Cramond Yet again, it was time for that most beloved event, Sciffy Soc's annual trip to Cramond Island. Unlike previous years however, several factors were involved to make things even better than ever: I brought a sleeping bag, it was worth it, as I didn't freeze to death during the night. Some of the people there managed to get by wearing only a t-shirt, and one girl wore only a bikini and a cloak. I was wearing 4 layers and a sleeping bag and my feet were still cold. A lot of us found the fire too smoky to get close to, so I couldn't really get warmed up that way. It didn't rain. Usually there's a little bit, which makes us all huddle into the tents. However, since there were 20 (maybe 22?) of us, there wouldn't have been enough room. The bunkers are dry, but pretty skanky. Also it usually rains hardest when we're making the crossing back, but that didn't happen this time either. Vegetarian sausages. These don't come out so well on a barbecue because they need a little oil to really get going, but they were available when the rest of the food refused to cook properly. I know it's traditional to have a barbecue with meat burnt on the outside and raw on the inside, but my stomach has been playing havoc with me over the last three days and was very sore, so I didn't want to risk antagonising it. I promise there was no midnight skinny dipping in the Forth. None at all. Well, maybe a little. I blame Spike. Current Mood: tired Tags: cramond, skinny dipping

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May 9th, 2008

05:53 pm - The end of an era For the last 10-12 years (can't remember exactly), I think only one thing has been constantly with me: My N64 Magazine Legend of Zelda keyring. And today it broke. I'm going to try and find another keyring thingy so I can remove the picture from the old one and put it in the new one. I know this particular keyring was quite popular among my geek friends, so out of interest, who else still have theirs? Current Mood: sad Tags: legend of zelda

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May 5th, 2008

07:30 pm - Beltane and phones Taking part in Beltane was fantastic, much better than just being in the crowd. There were some particularly memorable moments like marching from Teviot to the hill, waiting in anticipation for zotz and Jim to make fire (it took a long time, and there was that tense moment when you're not sure if it's going to work), watching spudtater and galaxy_girl00 getting handfasted, watching a bearded woman in the form of Yan appear dressed all in white in the middle of Air Point, roasting while passing under Fire Arch, it raining and me not caring. The only downside was my feet were so sore the next day I could barely walk (being flatfooted makes walking round all day difficult), and my phone got crushed at the after-Beltane club. While I was able to retrieve the SIM and memory card, all the actual numbers were stored on the phone, and neither the folks at the Orange store, nor my computer could retrieve them. I have now got a replacement handset (hooray for insurance!), but I have no numbers except for a few I picked up in person on Sunday. So, would anyone who would like me to have their phone number please leave it in a comment? I've turned screening on (I hope). Thanks! Current Mood: hot Tags: beltane

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April 29th, 2008

05:15 pm - Updates and upgrades ( Warning: this post contains horrible maths geekery. If you want to skip straight to the punchline and avoid all the maths, go to the next * ) And I need a bottle of mead. I rode home on the bus with Nicky today and got off outside Peckhams, but they are all out. And I want mead :( Current Mood: envious Tags: computers, maths, mead

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April 15th, 2008

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April 6th, 2008

11:50 pm - Stuff Charlton Heston has died. I guess they'll finally be able to prise that gun out of his cold dead fingers. The gun toting nut. In fairness, he did do a lot of campaigning for equal and civil rights, and he was trying to promote freedom (even if that was the freedom to point weapons at people). And Planet of the Apes. Also, the Olympics is causing fun and chaos. It would be nice to have the Olympics as a simple sports event, where people came to compete to see if they were the best. Instead it's a huge politics fest. Yes, the way China has been treating Tibet, is terrible, and it treats human life like it doesn't matter, but why can we not have a simple celebration of human capability rather than all this? -- Beltane practice today was fun, but freezing cold. I really must remember to bring gloves next time, and possibly a fourth layer of clothing. How people manage it virtually naked on the night is beyond my ken :P Luckily I'll be torch bearing on the night, so I should have some warmth from all the fire around me. In other news, I just found out an old friend will be visiting Edinburgh soon. I will hopefully get to meet him, but this may involve a tense and awkward situation. I'm not terribly good at saying the right things in some situations (in fact I may be pretty tactless at times) which is what got me there in the first place, but maybe things will work out. Finally, I have two exams in just over a week's time. I think I'm reasonably well prepared (or will be by the 16th), but it all adds to the general stress of life. And of course there's the hay fever which will be hitting me soon. I've noticed that April/May is usually the busiest time of the year, and I tend to respond to it by getting a bit hyper. Current Mood: stressed Tags: beltane, charlton heston, exams, friends

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March 26th, 2008

04:23 pm - A long weekend, with RPGs I won at fizzyboot's poker session last night, w00t!! I don't know how though, I'm usually rubbish at poker. It's been a very long weekend, with pre-Conpulsion party, and two days of mooking at Conpulsion, where I played in loads of fun games, and bought Cthulhu related merchandise. I also got to playtest a new RPG that's not out yet, which was exciting. After Conpulsion ended I went to Neon for the first time in months, but didn't feel right, as I was way too tired, and not dressed very well for a club. Met a few people I haven't seen in ages, but mainly felt like it wasn't my scene any more - I prefer the pub where you can generally hold interesting conversations over a few drinks (and not vodka+cokes). Conpulsion was followed by a post-Conpulsion chillout day at the Meadows bar, where we ate food and discussed roleplaying. It reminded me that I really need to get involved in some sort of game that is big, fun and different. D&D is okay, but doesn't require any major thinking, and I've become so typecast in my Buffy game that the other players pre-empt my own non-sequiturs. Anyway, I'm pretty tired after the whole thing, so have been sleeping in far too much. I have to get back to work soon, which is going to be tough :( Current Mood: tired Tags: conpulsion, poker, rpgs

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March 4th, 2008

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February 7th, 2008

08:09 pm - Cos I just can't stop noticing religion and politics The Archbishop of Canterbury says the adoption of certain aspects of Sharia law in the UK "seems unavoidable": http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7232661.stm And unsurprisingly, people are reacting to this in a less than glowing manner: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7233335.stm Later in the article it states that "the Bishop of Rochester said that non-Muslims may find it hard to live or work in some areas of the UK... ...He has since received death threats and has been placed under police protection." Right. No, you can't have your own separate law because you have an invisible sky-daddy. Not yours. I think the law currently says that in a civil (i.e. non criminal) case, two people can use any method to sort things out, provided they can agree on that method, and I can't see how it is any of my business to say otherwise. But there have been lots of comments on the BBC news have your say section, along the lines of: "one god, one country, one law". Or "this country was founded by Christian principles and should stay that way". Or something. One country, one law, should be necessary and sufficient. Your god has no place in my courtrooms. Oh, and I had a filling today, and I'm getting little sparks of electricity which is just plain hellish. Current Mood: sore Tags: fillings, law, religion

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February 1st, 2008

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January 15th, 2008

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December 19th, 2007

03:44 pm - New Lib Dem Leader. So Nick Clegg doesn't believe in god, according to BBC news. However he's still committed to raising his children Catholic? Isn't that somewhat hypocritical? Since his wife is Catholic (no problem there1, she's an adult and allowed to make her own decisions), should he be saying: "I'm committed to raising my children to think for themselves, and we shall therefore expose them to more than one viewpoint"? To be honest, I don't a huge problem with raising children in a religious background. It gives them some sort of culture to feel that they belong to, and which can make it easier for them to fall into later on in life if they choose to. However, children are as gullible as my Sunday role playing game's character Andy (that's very gullible), and they're going to grow up believing whatever they're told2. So if Nick Clegg doesn't believe in god, why is he raising his kids to believe in god? He's the head of one of Britain's least rubbish political parties, surely he must have some knowledge of these sort of consequences. Think of this as a quick snipe against someone I don't really know, rather than a major targeted rant. ----- 1. Well, Jules was raised Catholic, and she despises the religion, but that's her. 2. Maybe not, I was sent to Church of England schools as a kid, and I don't think I ever believed a word of it. Current Mood: hungry Tags: hypocrites

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December 6th, 2007

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December 5th, 2007

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