hardware
Imladris Upgrade (nvidia problems)

I upgraded imladris (my personal box) yesterday after a long gap. Most of the process went very smoothly, but there some issues that took me some time to work around. This is really to record what I did to fix some issues for the benefit of myself and any others that have the same problems. […]

Read more
hardware
Tuxdroid with Debian (lenny/testing)

I ordered a tuxdroid from Firebox, and although they politely emailed me during the week to say that stock was delayed and it would be next week, they sent my tuxdroid yesterday and it arrived today, excellent service. I'm used to buying hardware and discarding the CD that comes with it, since it's usually windows […]

Read more
hardware
Netgear DG834G firmware problems

I have a nabaztag, a wifi rabbit, but it hasn't been functional for some time now. I've lacked the time to explore why, but over the last couple of weeks I've spent about 10 hours all in all testing various things. The problem seems to be with my Netgear DG834G v3 (UK) router, or at […]

Read more
STEM
My Old UFO sighting

I promised previously, when talking about UFO sightings over Bangor, that I would record my own here. As I mentioned then, this doesn't imply alien craft, but an unidentified flying object, and I'm pretty certain this wasn't such a craft, or if so, the pilot probably needs an extensive driving ban. Anyway, here's my record […]

Read more
martial arts
Sharp Steel Sword (SwordStore.com) redux

My sword arrived from the USA and got caught in customs for a while, I went to collect it and pay the import tax on the 2nd January. Since then I've been looking at it quite carefully. I was relieved customs had not opened it (not because of any legal concerns, it is all perfectly […]

Read more
Free Software
OpenIsland Conference registration now available

The OpenIsland conference on Free and Open Source Software will be held in Spires Conference Centre, Belfast on the 1st February 2008. The registration is now open, and all the details can be found on the conference website.

Read more
hardware
Garmin Nuvi 310d

I bought a Garmin Nuvi 310 sat nav system over the holidays. It is a nice device, a good size, neither too small nor large, and the "d" bundle came with most of the accessories one might want, like the USB cable, carry case, mountings and so on, as well as a DVD with map […]

Read more
martial arts
"Imitation" Samurai Swords Banned

So, it finally has been confirmed, the Home Office will ban "imitation" samurai swords in England and Wales, and I expect the rest of the UK will soon follow suit. First of all, most students of the martial arts hate the "samurai sword" name, so let's call them Japanese swords. I understand that attacks with […]

Read more
martial arts
Steel Sword

So, I've been practicing Iaido for seven years now. For almost all that time I've used my trusted Iaito or training sword. Like most Iaito it's got a zinc alloy blade coated in chrome to look like the real thing. It's a lovely sword, but slightly too short for me, and has taken a bit […]

Read more
STEM
A* on A levels

With apologies to Spinal tap... P1. The A level is a great qualification, and it's going to get even better, they are going to introduce the scale up to A*. P2. A*? P1. Yes, how cool is that? All other qualification only go up to A. P2. Hmm, but wouldn't it be easier to just […]

Read more