f-log

I did notice that the moonlight project were using a couple of my silverlight demos for testing purposed but I can find nothing on the site since the redesign.

The amazing FaceMonkey has been upgraded to Sivlerlight 3 so you can now save images to your hard drive. There is also full screen mode but that need some TLC to work for all circumstances and time is one thing I do not have and the moment. If you want the latest source code you will have to email (which people have already done) me.

Last but not least I created an interesting

I am surprised to find as I come to review the final two books in Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle trilogy that I failed to review the first one so this is now a review of the whole series.

Book One: Quicksilver
Using the same family names as from my favourite book ever Cryptonomicon and to a certain extent their characteristics but for adventures in the 1700s.
Great twisting interweaving stories only hint at what is to come. Although historical people, places and events are mentioned, event to a Luddite like myself this never detracts from the overall joy of reading Neal's excellent writing.

Book Two: The Confusion
Unfortunately this second episode now heaps on the historical references to people, places and events without ever (seemingly) to explain the background, assuming that had completed and enjoyed A level history or maybe a doctorate in 17th century politics.
I tried and I tried to find this book enjoyable and although I made it to the end it felt like a chore. Of course there were throughly enjoyable parts and I just at a loss to recount them against the overall trudge.

Book Three: The System of the World
After the last book I was worried I would never start let alone complete this trilogy but, strangely it was as if many many other readers had had the same issues as this attempt fixed all the previous flaws.
Any reference to a new historical character was recounted with the required background and any slang or alias was also complete with a nod to the actual character we had previously been introduced to.
Back on track this final book was a joy to read with so many exciting scenes playing out bringing all the characters to there unique and many case surprising conclusions.
I wonder if educated peoples found it a bit pretentious, "why of course I know who William of Orange is".

Beware as with previous Neal Stephenson books these are series tomes weighing in at close to a thousand pages each.
Still if you can get them as an ebook this is not such an issue.
bottom line, this trilogy is a must read for anyone, excellent.

Now I have let me anger calm down from my last dealings with o2 I can deal you what happened next...
After three hours seventeen minutes I was still in the queue and the nice automated voice kept repeating tha due to a high call volume I might have to wait and how the call would be answered as soon as possible.
Unfortunately she was lying and for me it was time for bed, after all it was half twelve and it was a school night.
After some less than adequate sleep I tried the number again to get some rather bad news, the office was currently closed and had been closed the whole time I had been on the line the previous night.

$set STATE=livid

Some follow up calls made by someone other than me turned up the fact that they need further proof of identification, would have been really nice if this had been mentioned on the screen telling me I had to call.
Currently I do not have a new phone, appears no one is working this weekend and now Sarah has an iphone.
I hate iphone and to avoid damaging anything around me I will not recount why.
Taking a deep breath . . . . ready to move on.

Turns out that for Android phones O2 are pretty useless, all the carriers would offer me a *FREE* android phone with a monthly contract below £26 pm except o2 who I have been a loyal custom of for 5 years with my last upgrade being 3 years ago.
After being offered the "best deal" of £35 pm + pay towards the phone I decided to job ship, which should have been easy...
Attempt number one: in a queue for 10 mins followed by a pickup hangup.
Attempt number two: 5 mins in queue followed by ringing phone for another 5 minutes before I am disconnected.
Attempt number three: in queue for 20 mins followed by *RING* *TONE* *CLICK*
Attempt number four: queuing for less than 5 mins, get human who cancels contract and sends out PAC number.
So its all good ?
Hmmmm I am still on hold after 1 hour 3 mins for Orange as at the end of entering my choice of phone, tariff, address, bank and credit card .. I get a please call customer services and quote reference.
AGHHHHhhhhh........!

Sometime ago I finished making my way through The Mammoth Book of Best New Manga 2 and now all I want is MORE!
What was nice about this was the WII 'pick up and play'/read aspect, I could comfortably read one whole story while waiting for gentoo to update or something equally mundane.
The content is highly varied, from the expected SI-FI and fantasy to horror, gilbert & Sullivan and romance. A very small amount is in colour but the overall variety simply in the graphic styles is quite intriguing.
As I said I WANT MORE! but I can not find vol one even at Forbidden Planet.

To be filed under "moaning/blogging"

• phone is playing up, losing time


• check contract, minimum expired 2 years ago


• goto 02 website and get phone number    


• ring number, navigate annoying menu


• "to see if you are eligible for an upgrade visit my02"


• visit my 02, you must register ...


• Register, visit the upgrade center


• get upgrade code text...


• "we are unable to upgrade you, please ring ..."


• ring new number navigate the same annoying menus


• enter queue, listen to annoying musac for 20 minutes


• rep answers and immediately informs me her computer is not able to access my details.


• ask to be put back in the queue... *ring* *ring* *beeeep* * beeeep* !CLICK!


• ring again number navigate the same annoying menus


• sit in queue for only 5 minutes


• rep answers and after some to and fro tells me I have a di number and he can not help.


• transfers me to someone who can and ...


• the whole network is down try again later


• ring later, menu is not repeated instead "we are experiencing higher than expected call volumes try again later.


• ring later, menu is not repeated instead "we are experiencing higher than expected call volumes try again later.

Maybe I will tray again tomorrow.
A part from this I have only ever had praise for o2 and recommend them regularly.
Hopefully this is a one off glitch...