I just wanted to make sure I expressed my gratitude this week for all of the hard work. You’ve all done a superb job given the crazy deadlines we’re had, and the major workload in general. It’s great to be working with a cohesive team which can pull together and race through it when we have to.

Two notes to walk away with – I’m trying to hire another developer, so that should help things a bit, however more importantly…

There’s beer in the fridge. Bam’s shout, tuck in.

Miles.

“[[e]]yy…x

Meh Name Mimi…x

Iyy Just Mooved Owwt Ere 2 Butler && Iyy Misssin Meh M8z Sooo Badleyy But If Yuuve Got A Propa Bestiie They Will Cum && See Yuu…My Besty Whoz 14 Izz Cuming Owwt Ere In May So Iyy Cant Waiit!

NeWaiiz Ne1 Up 4 A Chatt…?…[x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x]“

Courtesy: the best website EVER: http://www.xx-clarey-bear-xx.piczo.com/?cr=5&rfm=y

P.S. I can’t help but add: Doubleplus good.

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“[In a web form on our site] we have noticed that the Gender box gives people the option of ‘Other’. Would it be possible to remove this, and leave people with the option of selecting only Male or Female? I assume that most people are either one or the other!”

Yes, that’s a fair assumption, but it’s incorrect. If you want everyone to be able to use your website, you need to be smarter than that. But what I’m talking about is fundamentally alien to many people that I have contact with. Here’s what I mean:

Accessibility

Accessibility is important. I can assume that most people can see, but we still make all our websites accessible to the vision impaired. You can assume that most people have credit cards, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have alternate means of transaction in your online commerce site.

Getting back to the gender issue, the Gender Center Inc. (Sydney, Australlia) points out:

“Gender is a fundamental part of who we are: we perceive ourselves and others through the lens of gender much of the time. Because gender is assumed to be fixed and fundamental, it can be very challenging to people when a person explores different ways of expressing or experiencing gender, or changes gender altogether. Many people experience emotional distress as a result of their own gender issues.”

And even the Australian Bureau of Statistics is (kind of) starting to open its eyes:

“27. A person’s sex may change during their lifetime as a result of procedures known alternatively as Sex change, Gender reassignment, Transsexual surgery, Transgender reassignment or Sexual reassignment. Throughout this process, which may be over a considerable period of time, sex could be recorded as either Male or Female. In clinical settings, diagnosis codes should include the appropriate ICD 10 AM code(s) that clearly identify that the person is undergoing or has completed such a process.”

In Other Words

In other words, sometimes it’s completely appropriate to include an “other” box.

For Example

Have you ever, while listening to the radio and a song begins so play, thought “Oh, I love this song,” only to realize moments later that in actual fact you hate it? That’s what I’m talking about. You got recognition and appreciation mixed up.

This Matters Why?

People use this phenomenon to sell you crap. That’s what branding is. You’ve heard the term “brand recognition” – they’re hacking into your brain to tap your appreciation reserves. That’s why companies have logos, jingles, official colors (did you know that Cadbury’s has a patent on the color purple?*) and all that. Of course, sometimes it’s impossible to do this if the product’s too awful; you soon begin to subconsciously equate the branding with the poo. Which is why TV companies change their catch-cry every year. To renew the recognition-appreciation bond.

You have yourself to blame.

If you’re not aware of this, and you go out and buy a crap album that’s on high rotation on [insert commercial radio station here], you’re being duped. That’s fine – sometimes we don’t mind other people doing our thinking for us – but you should be aware of it, all the same.

Justification

I have no intention of exploiting your mixed up brain for my benefit. So I have no obligation to imprint you with branding or whatever. So I’ll change the theme, interface, even the title of my blog whenever I feel like it. So that’s why i have no problem renaming this site from “Distance Over Time” to “Interesting Developments.”

________________________________________________________

* I just made that up. But Toblerone does have a patent on that triangle box of theirs.**

** Probably.

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One apple. Two apples.

2. Apostrophes show ownership.

One apple’s seeds. Two apples’ seeds.

2.1. The exception is: “Its”

There is an apple. Its skin is red.

3. Sometimes apostrophes replace letters.

Don’t eat the apple. You won’t like it. It’s a bad apple.

4. Apostrophes and acronyms.

4.1. Never, never use apostrophes with plurals.

There are lots of DVDs, CDs and MMORPGs about apples.

4.2. It’s okay to use apostrophes for ownership and replacement.

The DVD’s title is: “Why the sudden interest in apples?”

So I guess that’s what this is, sort of. One macroscpic component of buzz. Still:

http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony_pictures/ghostrider/medium.html

One that’s not so obvious is “Canada”. “Adanac?” I hear you ask. I admit there isn’t much there, at first. But look a little closer.

See the first three letters? ADA. Remember that. Now consider the next two: “N” and “A”. Time for a little magic! Simply bump the former back one spot in the alphabet – making it an “M” – and now compensate by pushing the latter letter (no pun intended) one place forward, making it “B”.
That’s right, you’re getting it. And there’s more: Take what we now have (Adamb); and place the final letter at the end. Whatcha got? Adam BC.

From Canada to Adam, B.C. (Canada.)

Funny, that.

See you all this June!

I wish I could upload all this directly to my brain like they do in the Matrix.

I know what you’re thinking but no, she doesn’t have lazer beam-shooting eyes. Still, I’m sure it can be activated once they distribute the patch.

Oh yeah, the cockroaches.

Here’s where I stole it from. 

I’m not going to tell you what it is, but I’ll give you a clue: sexy bitches.

(yes, it’s safe for work …)

MIT researchers build tiny batteries with viruses

“By manipulating a few genes inside these viruses, the team was able to coax the organisms to grow and self-assemble into a functional electronic device.”

That’s right. I had a Google Pages account before you. Consider yourself admonished.

The Making of “Conversations With Sea and Sand”

Sooo hot

Want to touch the hienie

I haven’t gone the way of the Dodo and screeched my last squawk. Rather, I’m the proverbial Phoenix (not River, BTW – ooh, bad joke) rising from the ashes. Cinnamon, anyone? And now, behold the awsome fury that is …

… I’ll finish that thought later. Right now I have to go to work. Meanwhile:

• I’m on skype. Search for “kittenhuffer”.
• Go to pandora and bask in audiophyllic glory.
• Reply to this post by completing this sentence: “If I were a Monopoly piece, I’d be the …”

In other news: “Web 2.0 is very open, but all that openness has its downside: When you invite the whole world to your party, inevitably someone pees in the beer.“

I just got a new account with Writely. It posts directly to any kind of blog you care to mention. In fact, I’m using it right now.

Here’s what O’Reilly Radar has to say about Writely.

Personally I think that a relatively fixed idea of human nature would be, uh, good. But it implies that human nature itself is relatively fixed, which of course would be disastrous – or would it? What if we still behave the same in a thousand years’ time?
Hmm.

… I wonder if procrastination is an inherited behavioural mechanism?

Looking forward to seeing you again. Wish me luck!

I’m happy and healthy. Still having fun. There’s some more pics and a movie in the open directory.

Just click here to go to the Open Directory, then click on the word ‘pictures’ to open the pictures folder. Then (once it’s finished loading) you can click the word ‘simple’ to change to ‘thumbnail’ view. Then just click the small pictures to see the large versions.

By the way, it turns out that http://maps.a9.com isn’t so crash hot. Sucks to be Amazon…

On another note…

Everything’s going really great – I’m getting my car and motorbike licences soon and am looking forward to going camping. There’s so many beautiful sounding campsites I’m spoiled for choice.

So I’m spending today and lots of time over the next week or so at the motorbike owner (Liz Boddy)’s house. It’s worked out really well: I’m teaching Liz adobe photoshop in exchange for motorbike lessons like riding, tuning, changing oil & plugs, etc.

I have to book a Motorbike skills test and I won’t be able to leave Vancouver until I’ve passed it. Here you don’t need to start on a 250cc, so the 440 is fine. Don’t worry, I’ll take it easy and be very careful. I’ll get proper riding gear to keep as safe as possible too.

It’s really easy making friends at the hostel so I’m keeping busy. I miss everyone back home – can’t believe it’s been a month already – so make sure and give me all the hot gossip!

I’ve been reading Umberto Eco’s Baudolino. It’s good. You should check it out. Neil Gaiman’s American Gods was excellent too.

Suffice to say I’m doing well, have made a few friends but not a whole lot, not too bored, have my own room with TV, fridge, stove, microwave etc., but no phone. I’ll be going back to vancouver next week – then will try to get to a place called Banff (somewhere in the rockies). Then I’d like to visit Niagra Falls briefly before heading slowly but surely towards Toronto (I’m told it’s the biggest city in Canada).

I miss you all. PS: Somebody say happy birthday to Simon for me.

You want to know how expensive Whistler is? Think of a number. Are you thinking of a number? Good – now double it. Just for kicks, double it again. That’s how much everything costs here. It’s OK because tuna and noodles – my staple diet back home – is still the same price.

Spent the day yesterday hiking around “Lost Lake“. It’s allright. I’ll post all my photos soon, I promise.

I’m starting to get some ideas of what to do over the mid-to-long term.

… Stay tuned.

I’m starting to miss you so be sure and add a comment to this post so’s I know I’m getting the attention I so richly deserve.

Must dash. There’s a dragonboat festival happening right now that I simply must attend.

By the way, here’s a map of where I’m staying …

An interesting point of interest is the fact that there seems to be the beginnings of an uprising from the original mechanical inhabitants. Already the streets are literally overflowing with a new generation of what could only be described as insurgents; in the form of watches, mobile phones and their ubiquitous cousins, digicams. Only time will tell whether their eventual integration into local society will be as a result of calm diplomacy or hard-core action-packed carnage.

Meanwhile I need to buy a new mobile because the on/off button on mine broke. I think some sort of portable time display device, suitable for banding about my wrist, will also be required

I call it “Existential Angst”:

either there is a virus or i have done somthing to fix it when i clicked on or someone is wrecking my email

now it wont compose a letter. there is a cross ontop of it

maybe i should change password if u can
and see if i have ticked the wrong boxes
if it sends and recieves email

as for deleting is this what i do:if i delete a message i should untick save in unsent and delete.??or save i tickedd the save up to a hundred emails in save box.

but as for every other box i have no idea. sometimes it says this message was not responding or some warning box at top of page i get alot of spam.