By Tom Fotherby on September 6, 2008
Programming History, 7/10 – September 2008
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This is basically a short diary of the thoughts of Neal Stephenson about Microsoft, Apple, Linux and user interfaces. Tech is a hard subject to write about in an interesting way but Neal can do it well and obviously has a rich history and deep understanding of technology – he is one of my favorite computer-related fiction writers. It feels a little dated and a lot of the material will already be familiar to most programmers but it’s only 150 pages and worth the few hours it’ll take to read it.
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A quote from the book will demonstrate the kind of thing it’s about:
“Gnu is an acronym for Gnu’s Not Unix, but this is a joke in more ways than one, because GNU most certainly IS Unix,. Because of trademark concerns they simply could not claim that it was Unix, and so, just to be extra safe, they claimed that it wasn’t. Notwithstanding the incomparable talent and drive possessed by Mr. Stallman and other GNU adherents, their project to build a free Unix to compete against Microsoft and Apple’s OSes was a little bit like trying to dig a subway system with a teaspoon. Until, that is, the advent of Linux, which I will get to later.”
Posted in Book Reviews |
By Tom Fotherby on September 4, 2008
Fiction, 2/10 – September 2008
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This was a very British book, full of quirks and making fun of all of British society including government, politicians, British love life, TV interview programs and “belief in belief”. I found it boring and unfunny. I didn’t like the diary format or the unbelievable love story but I did like the surprising ending and the viewpoint of a scientist.
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Posted in Book Reviews |
By Tom Fotherby on August 18, 2008
At last the upstairs is finished, two bedrooms, a bathroom and now, the stairs.
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Before:
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Now, all that’s left is the dining room.
Posted in DIY |
By Tom Fotherby on August 18, 2008
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If you have a Laptop with a small circular power button (e.g. a Sony VGN-AR51E) the stickers in issue 110 of Linux format magazine seem to be perfectly sized to frame it if you cut a hole in the middle of the Ubuntu logo.
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Of course, the other thing you have to do is peel off all the Microsoft stickers that any new computer comes with out of the shop.
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Posted in Tech Journal | Tagged Modding, Ubuntu |
By Tom Fotherby on August 14, 2008
James, David, and I did an exhilarating swim from Man O’ War beach to Durdle Door beach through the archway.
The “door” at Durdle Door, Swanage.
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Knackered after the 20 min swim
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Posted in Journal |
By Tom Fotherby on August 8, 2008
The bathroom turned out to be quite difficult to get right because of drainage issues and in the end we had to raise the floor up to hide pipes and to get a better slope for waste water.
It’ll be nice having a on-suite bathroom, no more going downstairs to clean our teeth.
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Posted in DIY | Tagged beforeAndAfter |
By Tom Fotherby on July 25, 2008
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I loved this light but it was a disaster. It tripped our consumer unit half the time it was turned on, when it was on it was as bright as the sun and completely blinded anyone in the room and bulbs seemed to only last a few days before needing to be replace. It was nearly worth it because it made me feel like I lived in supermans cave but we decided we need something more eco-friendly. John Lewis were kind enough to give us a refund.
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Posted in DIY |
By Tom Fotherby on July 14, 2008
I have completed one of my life’s ambitions. I have had a hamburger in Hamburg!
It was a Murder King Whopper in Hamburg HBF train station. I swear it tasted nicer than any other burger I’ve had.
Posted in Journal | Tagged Food, Travel |
By Tom Fotherby on July 13, 2008
Fiction, 7/10 – July 2008
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Global-warming is a conspiracy! If you don’t believe me, read this book – it even has the references to relevant scientific research papers in the biography.
It is full of interesting environmental information all bound within a semi-interesting action story – a bit the same way as Dan Brown’s Da Vinci code contains lots of religions ideas inside an action plot.
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I ran out of reading material in Stockholm and was complaining when a guy offered me this book – I jumped at the chance because I was about to spend an entire day on the train to Copenhagen. Some people are so kind. The start is a bit boring but it builds and builds into something I found really interesting.
Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged Environment, Fiction |
By Tom Fotherby on July 9, 2008
Romantic Si-Fi, 5/10 – July 2008
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Quite a ridiculous book, my first (and hopefully last) romantic si-fi. Even if the story wasn’t great I still find futuristic things interesting because they make me dream. For example, her ship, SIMON (Sentient Integrated MObile Nanoessence) is like a futuristic brain embedded Google. This kind of book is brain candy for me, nice but no good for me.
The book isn’t just sci-fi, it also has a touch of Fantasy e.g. mageline sorceress. I’m not sure I like the si-fi/fantasy mix. I like the science in sc-fi to make as much sense as possible.
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Is being a goddess by accident funny/interesting? Maybe a little funny for example her drunken bar-crawl ramblings have become like religions commandments but the fallout from the ‘revelation’ of the ‘goddess’s’ true nature is never explored properly so it makes the whole thing a bit pointless? A further weakness is the ending, there’s almost no show down at all.
Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged Sci-fi |
By Tom Fotherby on July 8, 2008
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In Stockholm we found a Cola drink with the same name as our favorite Operating System. It’s fair trade and tastes just as nice as the original Cocacola.
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Ubuntu roughly means “I am because we are”. From The Guardian: In fact, the word ubuntu is just part of the Zulu phrase “Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu”, which literally means that a person is a person through other people. Ubuntu has its roots in humanist African philosophy, where the idea of community is one of the building blocks of society. Ubuntu is that nebulous concept of common humanity, oneness: humanity, you and me both.
Posted in Journal, Tech Journal | Tagged Food, Travel |
By Tom Fotherby on July 5, 2008
Why do Art Galleries not explain their exhibit pieces in more depth? I go there to learn about art and I like modern art because you don’t just learn about art but about society and human beings and yourself at the same time. But some pieces are complex and confusing and impossible to decipher without explanation so why do many pieces come with nothing helpful?
Kix being a statue
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Tom being a Lion
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Posted in Journal |
By Tom Fotherby on June 30, 2008
Fiction, 4/10 – June 2008
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Perhaps this book was a bit too clever for me? I found following the several different characters hard and always assumed the relationship between them would either be explained or inter whine at the end. I was also aware of some more complex literature techniques being used that I’m sure my old English teachers would love – I got a bit of the symbolism and metaphor but probably missed the “greatness” of it. Anyway, I found it hard work to read. I enjoyed learning a bit about old Chinese customs and also a bit about how older people might view younger people.
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Posted in Book Reviews |
By Tom Fotherby on June 26, 2008
Fiction, 8/10 – June 2008
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Firstly, I realised with a shock that this book wasn’t going to have a hint of mathematics in it but I got over the disappointment because I liked learning about Zoo keeping and I found a boy wanting to be in 3 religions funny.
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The extreme situation that the boy found himself in was an interesting read and a powerful story but because it wasn’t a true story I felt the factual nature of the book could be deceiving – a tiger would not necessarily behave as described in the book! It’s like a adult fairy tale. The make-believe island comforted me because it reminded me this was a work of fiction – I wonder if this is what the author intended?
I liked the ending an awful lot – Which version was the truth? It puts another spin on the potential fictional aspects of the tiger.
Posted in Book Reviews |
By Tom Fotherby on June 10, 2008
I took Chloe to Rome for our “cotton” anniversary where we found some amazing piles of rubble. We walked for miles and miles admiring the very rich history of the place. One of the most striking features of the the city is that every other building is a church. We watched “Gladiator” in our hotel room to get excited before seeing the Colosseum.
I had some of the best pasta I’ve ever had, but some of the worst pizza.
Posted in Journal |
