Working at height

We went geocaching again today. There was a bit of an "obstacle" between us and the cache though...




The photos don't quite reflect how steep and high it was! We peaked at 1350 feet above sea level.

Despite the climb (the view was worth it at the top) we found the cache, plus one other that was nearby. So that takes the total to eleven. Not bad. We're aiming for 30 by the end of the year. Problem is, we're rapidly running out of ones near our house!

The mobile has landed...

After much procrastination and research, I've finally got myself a new mobile phone. Drumroll please...


It's the Samsung SGH-D600 (to give it its full name) and - on initial impressions - it's a fairly sexy bit of kit. Nice matt black casing, an awesome screen and nicely laid out operating system.

My only reservation so far is that it doesn't work with iSync on the Mac. Not sure why not, but allegedly a fix is in the pipeline. Not that it's particularly important. I can still bluetooth contacts to and from the phone, along with pictures and music, so all is not lost.

So there we are.

The great outdoors... with a gadget

Just got back from our first solo Geocaching trip. I finally got round to buying my own GPS unit this week (after a year of using other people's!) so I thought we had better try it out. We went on a very nice five mile walk around Beningbrough Hall, and found the geocache on the way. So that takes our total up to five, but it's the first one we've done on our own. I'm pleased to say that everything worked just as it should have (despite starting the route at the opposite end to the one that we thought).

And if you're interested, here's our Geocaching profile:

It's not gadget-related, but...

I found this meme over at Dooce.com and I thought it was kind of interesting, so I thought I'd add my twopenneth... I'm slightly concerned that I can't think of four answers for some of the categories. Does that make me boring?

Four jobs I’ve had:

1. Sales assistant in a toy shop - a great job for reliving your childhood
2. Pallbearer - I fear that having this in my CV may make me a little strange, but I have my father to blame. He's a funeral director.
3. Primary school teacher - for two years.
4. Museum education officer - which is my current role, and one which I'm trying desperately to escape from (although I fear I never will...)

Four movies I can watch over and over:

1. Star Wars - A New Hope (although if I'm allowed to have the original trilogy as just one choice, then I will)
2. Heat - starring Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, directed by Michael Mann. It's an awesome film. Makes me goosebumpy just thinking about it.
3. Raiders of The Lost Ark - action adventure at its finest.
4. A Few Good Men - "You can't handle the truth!"

I wish I could have more than four, because I'd really like to include Ghostbusters, Top Gun and The Usual Suspects. Although if I'm allowed just four, I suppose the list stands.

Four places I have lived:

1. Holmer Green, Buckinghamshire - the house I lived in for the first 18 years of my life
2. Cambridge - in a variety of grotty student houses
3. Cambridge - in proper houses after I was a grotty student. My favourite has to be 62 Ditton Walk... it was lovely on a Saturday morning in the sunshine. Sheer bliss. I'm going to move back to Cambridge one day, just because it's so damn beautiful.
4. Harrogate, North Yorkshire - my current residence.

Four TV shows I love:

1. "24"
2. “Without A Trace”
3. “Cold Case”
4. “The X-Files” (I know it's not on any more, but I have it on DVD)

Four places I’ve vacationed:

1. Cornwall - all over the place
2. Les Gets, France - skiing
3. New York
4. Bristol

Four of my favorite dishes:

1. Pizza Express Quattro Formaggi
2. Take away curry from Asda (but it's only any good on a Friday night)
3. Subway Melt
4. A pasta dish that Mrs Lacey makes with fennel and pepperoni in it... dunno what it's called

Four sites I visit daily:

1. BBC News
2. eBay
3. Wired
4. Flickr

Four places I would rather be right now:

1. Cornwall
2. Cambridge
3. On the sofa
4. In bed

And all of the above would be made infinitely better with Mrs Lacey

Four people I am tagging:

1. OliTee
2. Tim
3. Tom
4. Rich

So there you have it. As I said, nothing to do with gadgets, but I don't care. Feel free to respond with your answers - either on your site or by leaving a comment.

Still on an Apple theme...

It would seem that my initial lack of enthusiasm about the new Intel-based Apple machines unveiled at the Mac Expo may actually be backed up by some hard facts according to this Wired News article.

In a nutshell, it says that at present - due to the fact that there are very few applications that are written specifically for the new Intel based system - the stated speed increases, in the main, don't exist. Worse still, if you want to run something like Aperture, Final Cut Pro or Logic Pro (and I think that would apply to a huge number of Mac users) they won't run at all at the moment.

In some cases - for example in Adobe Photoshop - the whole thing runs SLOWER on an Intel mac than it does on a G5...

Obviously, that won't be the case forever. Things will get updated and everything will be optimised for the Intel/Mac experience. However, I really like the quote in the Wired article that sums things up quite succinctly: "The Apple faithful are coming to terms with one troubling fact -- the whole platform has gone beta again".

This might explain it...

So, according to this post, there was a very good reason that Steve Jobs keynote speech at the Mac Expo was so uninspiring. Allegedly - according to "an anonymous source" - Steve was unable to talk about the "very, very cool stuff" due to the fact that is wasn't quite ready to unleash on the world at large because of a shortage of Intel Core Duo chips.

So, maybe we should take it with a pinch of salt, but I can't help but feel more than a bit excited about whatever it is that Apple has lurking just around the corner...

I'm trying to suppress a yawn...

So then... the Mac Expo has been and gone. And, to be honest, it was really very uninspiring.

Yes, they've put an Intel chip in the iMac. Yes, they've got a new laptop to replace the Powerbook, again with an Intel chip. Yes, they've updated iLife and released a new app called iWeb (but it only works with a .mac account). Yes, there's an incremental update to OSX 10.4. Yes, Garageband now does Podcasting and iPhoto can support more pictures. Ooh, and don't forget the remote control for your iPod.

SO WHAT?! COME ON APPLE! Where's all the cool, innovative, "never saw that one coming" stuff? Where's the media hub version of the Mac Mini? Where's the PVR update to Front Row? Where's the new iBook? Where's the updated Shuffle? Where's "Asteroid"?

Frankly, I'm disappointed.

Expo-nential

So, it's that time of year again. The time when Apple afficianados the world over start getting giddy about what delights lie just around the corner. Yes, that's right. The Macworld Expo. This is the annual event where Steve Jobs stands up - and with consumate showmanship - unveils an array of goodies that collectively turn the IT world upside down once more.

For those of us who love all things Apple, it's an exciting time. Last year, we were treated to the Mac Mini, the iPod Shuffle and iLife 05. This year, it looks like we'll have updates to all three (including some kind of media hub/PVR functionality for the Mini and a new app called iWeb which looks to be some kind of web design program). It's also likely that there will be the first of the Intel-based machines on show, likely to be a newly-redesigned iBook.

So, we all wait with baited breath. The keynote starts at 5pm GMT. Updates to follow...

Flickr clickr

Bolton Abbey

After much faffing around, I've finally got round to uploading some pictures to Flickr. Not many on there yet, but I'm hoping to get out and about with the camera a bit more in 2006. Feel free to browse!

High Resolution

Now it has been traditional (well, for the last three years at least) for me to announce my new year resolutions to the world at large, just to give me a bit of impetus to actually try and keep them. I've thought for quite a while about what it is that I want to achieve in 2006, and I've come up with some things. None of them are of particularly big consequence, but here we go:

1) Get outdoors some more and enjoy the fresh air.
2) Cycle more (this should help me to achieve resolution 1!).
3) Only drink proper coffee, not instant (shouldn't be too hard, as I've grown to loathe instant coffee recently).
4) Take more photographs. I have a great camera, and I don't use it enough.
5) Buy more clothes - preferably decent ones that I'll actually wear. Hopefully this will include good shoes!
6) Get rid of the CDs that I no longer listen to. They're just taking up unnecessary space.
7) Get to work earlier!

So there you have it. Nothing earth-shattering, but all worthwhile I think.

Happy New Year!

Yeah. Here's to 2006 and all that...

Review of the Year 2005

So, here we are on the last day of 2005, so it occurred to me that I should review the resolutions that I made back in January, and attempt to pick out a few other interesting bits and pieces for you!

My 2005 new year resolutions were as follows. So how did I do?

1) Buy an Apple Mac computer. I don't know what sort, but I will buy one in 2005.
I achieved this one. In fact, not only did I buy an Apple Mac, I bought two! Following the San Francisco Mac Expo in January, where Steve Jobs unveiled the Mac Mini, I was so smitten that I ordered one straight away. The, at the beginning of May, Apple unveiled their new iMac G5 models, and (despite having bought a Mac Mini only a few months earlier) I ordered one. I then sold the Mac Mini to colleague for a very respectable price. The new iMac arrived with the new operating system - OSX 10.4 Tiger - installed.

2) Successfully pass all my assessments and become a Special Police Constable.
I achieved this one too. I started my training in March and was sworn in at the end of May. And I’ve been loving it ever since!

3) Buy that expensive pair of shoes that I keep harping on about. Loakes probably.
Nope, didn’t manage this one. Couldn’t be bothered really. The closest I got was a nice pair of Clarks.

4) Weigh eleven stone. I shall do this with the help of resolutions five and six (see below).
I’m still only ten stone. I didn’t manage this because I didn’t achieve resolutions 5 and 6.

5) Eat breakfast.
Not exactly. A breakfast bar and occasionally a banana was as close as I got.

6) Go to the gym at least twice a week.
I gave up going to the gym. Too many other commitments on my time unfortunately.

7) Go skiing. Not sure where or when, but I do rather fancy it.
Yeah, I did this one and it was fantastic! We went to Les Gets for a week in March.

8) Organise my CD collection.
I have had several attempts to organise my CDs, all of which have been moderately successful, but here we are at the end of 2005 and they all still seem to be muddled up.

9) Avoid buying gadgets that I later regret and sell on eBay.
A better year than 2004 for this one, but not great. I bought an M-Audio Fast Track in February, but then sold it two months later on eBay. It just didn’t work very well.

10) Update this website regularly.
It was going quite well, but then I had a bit of a hiatus in the middle of the year. But here we are, back again.

Other highlights of 2005 included:

We discovered geocaching - essentially treasure hunting using GPS. And very good it was too (if a little cold). I still haven’t (a whole year later) decided whether to buy my own GPS unit.

In February, I acquired the gadget to rule them all - an iPod. And it has been absolutely awesome. I love it. I still haven’t filled it up, but that’s beside the point.

I also upgraded my mobile phone to a Sony Ericcson k700i - and I’ll be upgrading again in about three weeks. Don’t know what I’m going to get yet.

I sold my mountain bike on eBay in June and got a very healthy £1100 for it. I bought a road bike instead and, whilst a very different experience to mountain biking, I think I like it more. I may still get another mountain bike in 2006. Not sure yet.

After my blogging hiatus over the summer as I busied myself with policiing, cycling and a spot of freelance web design, I moved the blog to a new location, hosted at Blogspot.

I put some more RAM in my iMac which speeded things up nicely.

The Xbox360 was released a few weeks ago, but because I didn’t get my arse into gear and pre-order, I was unable (like a lot of people) to get hold of one. Ah well, I’ll get one in 2006.

And that’s about it really. Not particularly exciting, but 2006 promises to have a few surprises in store. Hopefully.

See you next year!

Brave New Music World...

Well, that's it. Christmas is over and done with. Not much to report really.

However, I did take my first tentative steps into the world of the iTunes music store today. Mrs Lacey bought me a £15 iTunes music voucher, so I bought my first track just a few moments ago.

Now a while back, I pontificated on this blog about the fact that I didn't want to buy music online and that I'd rather buy a real CD. Each to their own obviously, and I know some people get all their music via iTunes. However, I think I've discovered the perfect niche as far as I'm concerned. There are a few tracks that I love but I don't want the entire album, and iTunes is perfect for this. For example, the track that I just bought is the Michael Buble/JXL Remix version of the Spiderman theme tune (weird eh?!). Now there's no way that I want any of the other tracks from the Spiderman soundtrack, but this one tune is just fantastic.

So there you have it. I've purchased digital music. Only £14.21 left to spend now!

It's taking over my (half) life!

I got Half Life 2 for Xbox for my Birthday, and I've spent quite a few hours playing it over the past few days. Needless to say, it's absolutely awesome. So far, it's easily up there with Halo as one of the best games I have ever played. If it maintains the current standard, I think that it may even surpass Halo as my favourite ever game. Half Life - the original game - was amazing, but this is better. Once you've played with the gravity gun, you'll wish you had one in real life! I love it. Once I've completed it, I shall report further.

360 degree feedback

So then... the Xbox 360 launch day came and went. And here I am, without one.

It would appear that my "early adopter" zeal may be starting to wane. Although I do want an Xbox 360, I'm not in any desperate rush for one. And at the moment, there doesn't seem to be much of a compelling reason to upgrade. I'm - at present - quite happy with my current Xbox, and there are some good games around for it at the moment.

If I had a high def television, and/or there were some absolutely killer titles that I really wanted to play, I'd probably be more enthusiastic, but as it presently stands, I'm not really that desperate. Sure, Project Gotham Racing 3 and Perfect Dark Zero look like good games, but I can't help feeling that I wouldn't really be getting my money's worth if I was playing them on a standard definition telly.

Maybe the price will come down, or an absolute "killer app" will arrive, or maybe I'll splash out on a high-def screen. But until one of those things happens, I'm content with my big, black, obsolete, old, ordinary Xbox. And Half Life 2 is on my Christmas list, so that's definitely something to look forward to.

On your bike. Again.

I have succumbed. The lure of the great outdoors has proved too much. I've just ordered myself a new mountain bike. Nothing like as flash as the one that I sold six months ago, but then that was the point.

The new one is a 2006 Scott Reflex 20 Disc. And the best bit is that I'm saving £200 off the £600 list price via a friend who works for Scott.

That means I've only spent £900 of the £1100 that I got for my old mountain bike, leaving £200 to spend on accessories. I've already spent some of that on roadie kit, and the rest will go on bits and pieces for the new one.

And Christmas is coming up, so I should be fully kitted out ready for the new year.

Excellent.

It's terminal (part 2)

Part two! The extra RAM stick is installed, and now Terminal says:

phil-laceys-imac-g5:~ Phil$ ioreg -p IODeviceTree -n memory -S | grep ram-
| "ram-layout-architecture" = <00000002>
| "ram-bus-width" = <00000080>

I'm slightly confused, as the "architecture" value is unchanged, but the "bus width" value is now 80 instead of 40.

So does that mean I've changed from 64-bit to 128-bit or not?!?

Startup from cold now takes 38 seconds (18 seconds faster), and iPhoto takes 9 seconds to load (6 seconds faster).

I'm not sure whether these speed improvements are down to just having twice as much RAM, a 128-bit pipeline or a combination of both.

I fear there needs to be some research done. I feel an email to Apple coming on. :o)

UPDATE:
Not sure whether this is at all relevant, but 00000040 is hexadecimal for 64, and 00000080 is hexadecimal for 128.

Clear as mud.

It's terminal (Part 1)

Okay, here's part one of the memory experiment. Terminal tells me the following:

phil-laceys-imac-g5:~ Phil$ ioreg -p IODeviceTree -n memory -S | grep ram-
| "ram-layout-architecture" = <00000002>
| "ram-bus-width" = <00000040>

Which allegedly means that I'm currently running on a 64-bit architecture.

Startup from cold takes 56 seconds, and iPhoto takes 15 seconds to load.

Standby for part two!

RAM bam, thank you ma'am

So there I was, casually browsing the Apple technical support pages (yes, I am a geek) I came across a knowledgebase article entitled "iMac G5: The benefit of using matching memory modules". Intrigued, I read on, and they have this to say:

"If your iMac G5 has matching memory modules, which are known as "DIMMs," it will operate with a 128-bit data path. If the DIMMs aren't matched, then it uses a 64-bit data path. A 128-bit data path allows greater throughput than a 64-bit data path, in the same way that a 4-lane highway allows more traffic than a 2-lane highway. This allows the computer to manipulate large files faster. With a 128-bit bus, you would see better performance from the iMac when you have multiple applications open at the same time."

So it would appear that, because I've just got the single 512MB stick of RAM that came preinstalled in the iMac, that I've only been working with a 64-bit data path. The sacrilege! I've been missing out of 64 bits of lovely data goodness ever since I got it out of the box!

Not wanting to be missing out on this potentially earth-shattering upgrade, I ordered another myself another 512MB of RAM from Crucial.com and it arrived yesterday. I haven't had time to install it yet, but when I do I shall report back to let you know about the amazing performance enhancement it has given me...

Foxy

I know that I keep harping on about the Firefox web browser, but there is a good reason. The BBC website reports that now 1 in 10 people use Firefox globally, and the percentage is still rising. And with good reason too - Firefox is a much better browser than Microsoft's tired old Internet Explorer. According to the article, 14.1% of US computer users browse with Firefox, whereas it is only 4.9% in the UK. COME ON PEOPLE! What are you waiting for?! Download the Firefox browser now! There's no excuse. It's very easy, it's free and it's better than the crappy browser you're using at the moment. Talk about a no-brainer!

I have both Firefox and Safari on my Mac, and both of them are leaps and bounds ahead of Internet Explorer. To be honest I can't decide which one is better, but I do know that I prefer both of them to IE. However, you only have that luxury if you've got an Apple machine, so if you're a Windows user this makes the choice very simple indeed. Firefox. Firefox Firefox Firefox.

So go on. Do yourself a favour. Get Firefox.

Okay. Browser evangelism over.