I really intended to have a series of posts with pictures of the kids. However, I really have to have an intermission to vent about the McCarthy situation.
If you follow the English Premier League, then you will know that Wolves recently lost to Man Utd 3-0. This game was a big deal because Wolves had managed to defeat Spurs at the weekend in a great display of football but then made 10 changes to the side and effectively put out a reserve team for the game against Man Utd. Fans howled in anger! The press howled in derision. And the plonkers at the Premier League board decided to get involved.
Now, I'm not going to get involved in discussing whether McCarthy did the right thing or not. To be fair, I can understand why he did what he did. His team would have been tired after the fantastic game they had against Spurs. Realistically, asking them to put in the same level of commitment 2 days later against Man Utd which is then followed a couple of days later by a relegation clash with Burnley is a really big ask.
On the other hand, I can also understand why the fans are annoyed. They paid good money to see their club take on Man Utd and instead were treated to their teams second string players being defeated by an injury riddled Man Utd.
So as I said, I can see both sides of the story and I really don't want to get drawn into a discussion as to whether McCarthy did the right thing or not. What I did want to comment on though was - why the f&$k are the Premier League Board getting involved in this?
The manager has a squad of players for a reason - so that he doesn't have to play the same tired legs that had played just a couple of days ago (squad rotation ftw). Bear in mind that the players that were selected to play by McCarthy weren't exactly green as grass either. Other than with one exception, all of the players had played in the first team before. Furthermore, some of them were full blown internationals. Granted, they may not have been the best players in the squad, but why should that be relevant?
I mean, its not like other teams don't put our reserve sides. The obvious examples are Arsenal (who have a policy of only playing youngsters in the League Cup) and Man Utd (who only last year, fielded a team of kids at the end of the season against Hull). Quite frankly, by getting involved, the PLB are just wasting time and money.
Plonkers!
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Gordon - an anagram of Damien?
You know, I realised that I haven't put up pictures of the kids in a while so I figure now is a good time to do another pic dump.
In many ways, Gordon really suffers from being the baby in the household. We kept a lot of Gerry's baby toys and let Gordon play with them. The problem is that Gerry is very jealous of his toys and always snatches Gordon's toys away from him. Often, the only real time that Gordon can play with his toys is after Gerry has gone to bed.
In many ways, Gordon really suffers from being the baby in the household. We kept a lot of Gerry's baby toys and let Gordon play with them. The problem is that Gerry is very jealous of his toys and always snatches Gordon's toys away from him. Often, the only real time that Gordon can play with his toys is after Gerry has gone to bed.
Here, you can see him in the rare situation where Gerry has gone to bed but Gordon is still awake and alert. I think my kids are born to be stars. Gerry is a natural born actor and Gordon seems to have been born with a mic in his hands...
As you can see, he is very happy to be able to play his toys without Gerry snatching them away.
As you can see, he is very happy to be able to play his toys without Gerry snatching them away.
A little too happy if you ask me. He looks just a little bit pyscho in this pic. Actually, now that I think about it, this isn't the only pic I have of him where he looks a little ... scary.
Just be glad I didn't name him Damien.
Just be glad I didn't name him Damien.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
How much for that?
As many of you know, I currently use a Dell XPS 1530 laptop as my PC which I am currently very happy with. Many months ago, when I was first considering whether to buy a laptop or desktop, one of the considerations was price. Although I ultimately went for the pricier laptop, a decision which I haven't regretted (particularly as I was able to keep playing Dragon Age: Origins while on holiday in Thailand!), I still keep an eye on the desktop market.
One of the amazing things about the desktop market in recent years is how much the cost of buying a decent PC has dropped. In the past, you could forget buying anything even close to decent for anything less than HK$20,000. Nowadays, you can get decent rigs for less than HK$10,000 - particularly if you don't need to buy a new monitor.
And then there's the Alienware brand of PCs. The Area-51 ALX high end gaming computer clocks in at a minimum of HK$40,000. I'll just give you a minute to pick your jaw up off the floor. Wow. Minimum price of HK$40,000 (but hey, price of delivery is included!). Just for giggles, I decided to see how much I could push the price up by choosing all the bells and whistles that I could.
By maximising out the options, I was able to push the price up to HK$53,735. So what does that get you? Well, it gets you quad a core i7-975 processor (3.33Ghz!), 21" monitor, 6GB DDR3 SDRAM, 2 hard drives totaling 2.5TB (think of all theporn family photos I could store!), dual GeForce GTX 295 graphics cards and lots of fancy lights to spruce up your case when you turn on your PC (oooh - just think of all the nerd envy if you show up for LAN gaming with a PC case that lights up!).
Unfortunately, what it doesn't come with is an encyclopedia explaining what any of the above is or a high paying job so that you can afford to pay for it.
PS I'm not actually looking to buy a new PC - I just like to keep an eye on the market (and have wet dreams about actually being able to afford something like this).
One of the amazing things about the desktop market in recent years is how much the cost of buying a decent PC has dropped. In the past, you could forget buying anything even close to decent for anything less than HK$20,000. Nowadays, you can get decent rigs for less than HK$10,000 - particularly if you don't need to buy a new monitor.
And then there's the Alienware brand of PCs. The Area-51 ALX high end gaming computer clocks in at a minimum of HK$40,000. I'll just give you a minute to pick your jaw up off the floor. Wow. Minimum price of HK$40,000 (but hey, price of delivery is included!). Just for giggles, I decided to see how much I could push the price up by choosing all the bells and whistles that I could.
By maximising out the options, I was able to push the price up to HK$53,735. So what does that get you? Well, it gets you quad a core i7-975 processor (3.33Ghz!), 21" monitor, 6GB DDR3 SDRAM, 2 hard drives totaling 2.5TB (think of all the
Unfortunately, what it doesn't come with is an encyclopedia explaining what any of the above is or a high paying job so that you can afford to pay for it.
PS I'm not actually looking to buy a new PC - I just like to keep an eye on the market (and have wet dreams about actually being able to afford something like this).
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Apple trying to put Macpro out of business
Apple as a company do a lot of things right. However, on occasion, they can also act like real dicks. Unfortunately, this is an occasion where they seem to be acting like dicks.
Brief version is that a company in Australia called Macpro have been selling Macpro branded computers since 1983 (ie before Apple introduced the Macintosh in 1984 and well before they launched the Mac Pro branded computers). Apple have been trying to register the trademark Mac Pro in Australia but have so far failed because Macpro objected (naturally, they didn't want to change their company name).
IP Australia (the body handling trademark disputes) has sided with Macpro as the Australian company was able to provide evidence that it had been using the mark prior to Apple. Apple have appealed to the Federal Court as they aren't willing to take this lying down.
To a certain extent, I can kinda understand Apple's position. They have already invested lots of money in their trademark and naturally, they don't want to lose that. But on the other hand, Macpro in Australia were clearly using the mark before Apple was. Quite frankly, I think its an open and shut case. Apple have NO claim to the mark in Australia.
It seems to me that the only reasonable course of action which Apple can take is to reach a compromise with Macpro (prob involving money). Unfortunately, it appears from the article that Apple isn't even willing to discuss this and seems determined to press on with a costly legal battle which ultimately may force Macpro to fold simply due to lack of resources.
Which is a real dick move.
PS to be fair to Apple, I should also mention that the story is all written from the side of Macpro Australia and Apple haven't commented on this at all so we don't know what their story may be.
Brief version is that a company in Australia called Macpro have been selling Macpro branded computers since 1983 (ie before Apple introduced the Macintosh in 1984 and well before they launched the Mac Pro branded computers). Apple have been trying to register the trademark Mac Pro in Australia but have so far failed because Macpro objected (naturally, they didn't want to change their company name).
IP Australia (the body handling trademark disputes) has sided with Macpro as the Australian company was able to provide evidence that it had been using the mark prior to Apple. Apple have appealed to the Federal Court as they aren't willing to take this lying down.
To a certain extent, I can kinda understand Apple's position. They have already invested lots of money in their trademark and naturally, they don't want to lose that. But on the other hand, Macpro in Australia were clearly using the mark before Apple was. Quite frankly, I think its an open and shut case. Apple have NO claim to the mark in Australia.
It seems to me that the only reasonable course of action which Apple can take is to reach a compromise with Macpro (prob involving money). Unfortunately, it appears from the article that Apple isn't even willing to discuss this and seems determined to press on with a costly legal battle which ultimately may force Macpro to fold simply due to lack of resources.
Which is a real dick move.
PS to be fair to Apple, I should also mention that the story is all written from the side of Macpro Australia and Apple haven't commented on this at all so we don't know what their story may be.
Monday, November 23, 2009
UK Digital Economy Bill
I've mentioned before that I think the UK government seems to be going mad. The latest in this trend is the UK's Digital Economy Bill (which I found via Techdirt). Without going into too many specifics, the key thing which seems absolutely absurd is that the bill would allow the Business Secretary, Lord Mandelson, to change copyright law at will without parliamentary approval.
To be fair, I don't know anything about Lord Mandelson. He could be a sleazebag or he could be very honourable (probably less likely considering he is in politics - zing!). However, the point is that giving any one person or office that level of power just seems to beg for an abuse of power later down the line.
The bill itself has yet to be debated in Parliament and this could well get amended before the bill is passed. However, if this particular element isn't laughed out of town, I will be chalking this episode up as further evidence that the UK has gone stark bonking looneytunes.
To be fair, I don't know anything about Lord Mandelson. He could be a sleazebag or he could be very honourable (probably less likely considering he is in politics - zing!). However, the point is that giving any one person or office that level of power just seems to beg for an abuse of power later down the line.
The bill itself has yet to be debated in Parliament and this could well get amended before the bill is passed. However, if this particular element isn't laughed out of town, I will be chalking this episode up as further evidence that the UK has gone stark bonking looneytunes.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Game movies
Its a well known fact that any movie which is based on a video game is probably going to suck (there are a couple of exceptions - eg I kinda liked Tomb Raider although I'm willing to admit this may simply be due to the lead actress). Anyway, despite most movie conversions being poor, there are actually quite a lot of good video shorts based on games.
By far the most impressive that I have seen is the Assassin's Creed II - Lineage video. Granted, this is because this is a professional production by a studio within Ubisoft who were created (acquired?) for the sole purpose of producing these videos but still, it shows what you can do if you approach it properly.
By far the most impressive that I have seen is the Assassin's Creed II - Lineage video. Granted, this is because this is a professional production by a studio within Ubisoft who were created (acquired?) for the sole purpose of producing these videos but still, it shows what you can do if you approach it properly.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Hard sell doesn't work on me
Sales is a funny thing. Sales tactics which work on one person will completely backfire on another. In my particular case, the hard sell just doesn't work. I guess its just a part of my psychological makeup where I am perfectly willing to act in a contrary manner, which might not even be in my best interest, if I get annoyed (and nothing annoys me quicker than the hard sell!).
This reared its head recently as I joined a gym.
I'll give you a second to let that sink in.
Yes, I joined a gym. This is part of my plan to get a little exercise now that I'm not playing badminton anymore. Hopefully, I can go 2-3 times a week during weekday nights. Hopefully.
Anyway, the first day I join, the gym gives you a free health assessment. Obviously, the idea behind this is to try and sell you on a personal trainer. And that's fine - I knew what I was getting into and to be honest, I was also seriously considering it. Granted, it would have been very expensive but it would probably also have been very effective. If I'm being honest with myself, I probably won't be able to lose much weight on my own and the idea of throwing money at the problem in order to really properly target reducing my waistline and building my muscle tone was enticing.
At the end of the presentation though, the guy asked for my ID card and credit card. This was before he had even given me a quote (this is an obvious sales tactic based on psychology which I immediately recognised from browsing the web). Naturally, I didn't fall for it and asked him how much it would be.
"Oh, we need your ID card and credit card to get a quote" (seriously, this was his answer).
Yeah right. I mean, seriously, do I have "sucker" printed on my forehead or something? Is there a giant schlong on my head telling people that I'm an easy mark?
This reared its head recently as I joined a gym.
I'll give you a second to let that sink in.
Yes, I joined a gym. This is part of my plan to get a little exercise now that I'm not playing badminton anymore. Hopefully, I can go 2-3 times a week during weekday nights. Hopefully.
Anyway, the first day I join, the gym gives you a free health assessment. Obviously, the idea behind this is to try and sell you on a personal trainer. And that's fine - I knew what I was getting into and to be honest, I was also seriously considering it. Granted, it would have been very expensive but it would probably also have been very effective. If I'm being honest with myself, I probably won't be able to lose much weight on my own and the idea of throwing money at the problem in order to really properly target reducing my waistline and building my muscle tone was enticing.
At the end of the presentation though, the guy asked for my ID card and credit card. This was before he had even given me a quote (this is an obvious sales tactic based on psychology which I immediately recognised from browsing the web). Naturally, I didn't fall for it and asked him how much it would be.
"Oh, we need your ID card and credit card to get a quote" (seriously, this was his answer).
Yeah right. I mean, seriously, do I have "sucker" printed on my forehead or something? Is there a giant schlong on my head telling people that I'm an easy mark?
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
My Sony boycott
I've moaned about Sony on this blog on numerous occasions in the past. However, unless you visit my gaming blog, you probably wouldn't have known that I'm actually boycotting Sony as a result of my issues with how they run their business.
Having said that, it wasn't really much of a boycott as there weren't that many Sony products that I was interested in buying so it was relatively easy for me to pick alternatives (a boycott isn't a boycott if the company doesn't release anything you are interested in). However, my boycott was put to the test recently.
The missus and I were on the lookout for a new hi-fi system for the living room. While looking at our options, we settled on choosing between three potential models.
The first choice was an expensive system from Philips which could also double as a DVD player (with HDMI output too!). Actually, this wasn't much of a choice as the system was too expensive for our budget. However, the system itself looked really snazzy and, from prior experience Philips products, we knew that the sound would be pretty good as well.
The second option was a micro component system from Sony. It was within our budget and the system itself looked quite stylish (despite my complaints against Sony, I have to admit that they know how to design good looking products). The only problem was, as I said before, I'm boycotting Sony.
The third option was a slightly more expensive system from JVC. Although slightly more expensive, it had the same functions as the Sony system.
Naturally the missus, being the fashion victim that she is, wanted to go for the Sony system which would have been a good compromise between price and form. On the other hand, my boycott of Sony meant that I wanted to go with the JVC. After discussing the choice over lunch, the decision ultimately came down to an ultimatum.
I told her, "we can buy the Sony system if you want - but I'm not going to pay for it. You can pay for it yourself."
And with that, I am now the proud new owner of the JVC UX-LP5.
Having said that, it wasn't really much of a boycott as there weren't that many Sony products that I was interested in buying so it was relatively easy for me to pick alternatives (a boycott isn't a boycott if the company doesn't release anything you are interested in). However, my boycott was put to the test recently.
The missus and I were on the lookout for a new hi-fi system for the living room. While looking at our options, we settled on choosing between three potential models.
The first choice was an expensive system from Philips which could also double as a DVD player (with HDMI output too!). Actually, this wasn't much of a choice as the system was too expensive for our budget. However, the system itself looked really snazzy and, from prior experience Philips products, we knew that the sound would be pretty good as well.
The second option was a micro component system from Sony. It was within our budget and the system itself looked quite stylish (despite my complaints against Sony, I have to admit that they know how to design good looking products). The only problem was, as I said before, I'm boycotting Sony.
The third option was a slightly more expensive system from JVC. Although slightly more expensive, it had the same functions as the Sony system.
Naturally the missus, being the fashion victim that she is, wanted to go for the Sony system which would have been a good compromise between price and form. On the other hand, my boycott of Sony meant that I wanted to go with the JVC. After discussing the choice over lunch, the decision ultimately came down to an ultimatum.
I told her, "we can buy the Sony system if you want - but I'm not going to pay for it. You can pay for it yourself."
And with that, I am now the proud new owner of the JVC UX-LP5.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Liverpool - club in crisis
And with this draw, Liverpool are effectively out of the Champions Cup.
Carragher is trying to be defiant but at least Benitez is a bit more realistic. The reality is that Liverpool need a major miracle if they want to progress in the Champions Cup. And honestly, with the luck that Liverpool have had so far and with their poor performances to date, I just don't see it happening.
Which puts Benitez in a whole world of trouble. Liverpool's only real hope of staying in the Champions League next year is if they come 4th or better in the league. With the club being ditched out at the group stage, you know that the owners are going to be looking at the clubs balance sheet and counting the potential cost of not qualifying for the Champions League next year.
Factor in the issues which Benitez has had with Gillett and Hicks in the past and you really start to wonder for much longer Benitez will still have a job.
Carragher is trying to be defiant but at least Benitez is a bit more realistic. The reality is that Liverpool need a major miracle if they want to progress in the Champions Cup. And honestly, with the luck that Liverpool have had so far and with their poor performances to date, I just don't see it happening.
Which puts Benitez in a whole world of trouble. Liverpool's only real hope of staying in the Champions League next year is if they come 4th or better in the league. With the club being ditched out at the group stage, you know that the owners are going to be looking at the clubs balance sheet and counting the potential cost of not qualifying for the Champions League next year.
Factor in the issues which Benitez has had with Gillett and Hicks in the past and you really start to wonder for much longer Benitez will still have a job.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Favre gets booed by Packers fans
Wow - how fickle the loyalty of fans.
For those of you who don't follow American Football, Brett Favre was the quarterback of the Green Bay Packers for 16 years and was probably considered the best thing since sliced bread to many Packers fans. His professionalism and ability (particularly his ability to shine in big games) resulted in over a decade of success for the Packers and he was loved by the fans as a result of it.
However, for the last several seasons, Favre has been vacillating between retirement and playing one more season. Basically, he said he would retire at the end of the season and then, just before the new season starts, he would announce that he would play one more year. As you can imagine, this makes it extremely hard for management to do any long term planning and a couple of years ago, the Packers sold him off to the NY Jets. After a season with the Jets, Favre, after another 11th hour decision to play another year, signed with the Minnesota Vikings.
Which wouldn't have been so bad except that the Vikings are division rivals with the Packers. The upshot being that the Packers fans actually booed Favre as a traitor for signing with a rival team. This despite the 16 years of glory that Favre brought to Green Bay.
Which finally brings me to my point - I have never understood sporting rivalries to the extent that it becomes so personal.
This effect isn't just limited to American Football. Just as another example, there is a heated rivalry between Liverpool and Man Utd. Just by being a Liverpool supporter, everyone assumes that I hate Man Utd. And actually, I don't. I actually wish Man Utd and Fergie the best of luck in the premiership.
Actually, that's not strictly true. If I had a choice, Man Utd would only finish second in the premiership (Liverpool would be first naturally!) but this is a far cry from other Liverpool supporters who seem to wish that Manchester would be swallowed up by a gigantic fireball of fiery death (with raining fire to boot, natch!).
Why do people get so worked up over stuff like this? Is their life so devoid of meaning that this is all they have to look forward to?
PS flamebait ftw!
For those of you who don't follow American Football, Brett Favre was the quarterback of the Green Bay Packers for 16 years and was probably considered the best thing since sliced bread to many Packers fans. His professionalism and ability (particularly his ability to shine in big games) resulted in over a decade of success for the Packers and he was loved by the fans as a result of it.
However, for the last several seasons, Favre has been vacillating between retirement and playing one more season. Basically, he said he would retire at the end of the season and then, just before the new season starts, he would announce that he would play one more year. As you can imagine, this makes it extremely hard for management to do any long term planning and a couple of years ago, the Packers sold him off to the NY Jets. After a season with the Jets, Favre, after another 11th hour decision to play another year, signed with the Minnesota Vikings.
Which wouldn't have been so bad except that the Vikings are division rivals with the Packers. The upshot being that the Packers fans actually booed Favre as a traitor for signing with a rival team. This despite the 16 years of glory that Favre brought to Green Bay.
Which finally brings me to my point - I have never understood sporting rivalries to the extent that it becomes so personal.
This effect isn't just limited to American Football. Just as another example, there is a heated rivalry between Liverpool and Man Utd. Just by being a Liverpool supporter, everyone assumes that I hate Man Utd. And actually, I don't. I actually wish Man Utd and Fergie the best of luck in the premiership.
Actually, that's not strictly true. If I had a choice, Man Utd would only finish second in the premiership (Liverpool would be first naturally!) but this is a far cry from other Liverpool supporters who seem to wish that Manchester would be swallowed up by a gigantic fireball of fiery death (with raining fire to boot, natch!).
Why do people get so worked up over stuff like this? Is their life so devoid of meaning that this is all they have to look forward to?
PS flamebait ftw!
Bohemian Rhapsody by the Muppets
I know this will be the second Youtube video post in a week but, as a fan of both the Muppets and Bohemian Rhapsody, I just can't help myself.
I would say more, but really, the video speaks for itself. Anything I can say would just detract from the awesomeness that is the Muppets.
I would say more, but really, the video speaks for itself. Anything I can say would just detract from the awesomeness that is the Muppets.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Parents banned from playgrounds
Growing up in the UK, I used to be very proud of being British and of the various freedoms that entailed. Unfortunately, that pride is waning rapidly. In recent years, it seems like the British Government has gone mad with all sorts of stupid and ridiculous policies. However this one has to take the biscuit.
In brief, parents in Watford are being banned from playing with their children (they will only be allowed to watch from outside the fenced area) in council playgrounds unless they undertake a criminal records check. To quote the mayor of Watford, "you can't have adults walking around unchecked in a children's playground..."
In other words, take a hike unless you can prove you're not a paedophile.
This is absolutely disgraceful. The people who approved this policy deserve, at a minimum, to be fired from their jobs.
What is particularly worrying is the mayors stance that they are only enforcing government policy. If this is indeed the case, and its not a rogue mayor of Watford taking the piss, then I'm just glad that my children aren't being raised in the nanny state that the UK seems to have become. I admit, Hong Kong has its problems, but I've never seen or heard anything as patently ridiculous as this.
In brief, parents in Watford are being banned from playing with their children (they will only be allowed to watch from outside the fenced area) in council playgrounds unless they undertake a criminal records check. To quote the mayor of Watford, "you can't have adults walking around unchecked in a children's playground..."
In other words, take a hike unless you can prove you're not a paedophile.
This is absolutely disgraceful. The people who approved this policy deserve, at a minimum, to be fired from their jobs.
What is particularly worrying is the mayors stance that they are only enforcing government policy. If this is indeed the case, and its not a rogue mayor of Watford taking the piss, then I'm just glad that my children aren't being raised in the nanny state that the UK seems to have become. I admit, Hong Kong has its problems, but I've never seen or heard anything as patently ridiculous as this.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
What is a browser?
What is a browser?
This is one of those funny questions which, for a nerd like me at least, is something which is just assumed. I assume everyone knows what it is as, in this day and age, everyone uses it. Unfortunately, this assumption may very well be unwarranted.
I could easily believe that a lot of people hadn't heard of Chrome. Or even that some people may not know what a browser is. But for less than 8% of people to know what a browser is? Wow.
Granted, this isn't a scientific study but still - that is sad...
This is one of those funny questions which, for a nerd like me at least, is something which is just assumed. I assume everyone knows what it is as, in this day and age, everyone uses it. Unfortunately, this assumption may very well be unwarranted.
I could easily believe that a lot of people hadn't heard of Chrome. Or even that some people may not know what a browser is. But for less than 8% of people to know what a browser is? Wow.
Granted, this isn't a scientific study but still - that is sad...
Monday, October 19, 2009
Ultraman Gerry
As a rule, we are very careful in monitoring what Gerry watches on TV. We don't let him watch just any old TV and focus him on watching educational TV shows which we purchased on DVD (or VCD). However, when all is said and done, there is a limit to how much you can control this.
Recently, while Gerry was in the estate clubhouse, one of his friends lent him a VCD of Ultraman Dyna. Ultraman is a long running series of TV shows from Japan generally entailing a being of great power (and size) embodied in a human who fights and defeats numerous monsters who are wreaking havoc on Earth (or in space). If you've watched any Japanese TV shows before involving heroes and monsters, you probably have a pretty good idea of what to expect.
Naturally, the immediate impact is that Gerry now runs around shooting monsters (ie other people) and blasting them with his spacium ray:
If you don't know what the spacium ray is, check out 1:17 on this video.
And to wrap up, some random pictures of Gordon.
Look how happy he is to be stuck in his little jail of a crib!
Recently, while Gerry was in the estate clubhouse, one of his friends lent him a VCD of Ultraman Dyna. Ultraman is a long running series of TV shows from Japan generally entailing a being of great power (and size) embodied in a human who fights and defeats numerous monsters who are wreaking havoc on Earth (or in space). If you've watched any Japanese TV shows before involving heroes and monsters, you probably have a pretty good idea of what to expect.
Naturally, the immediate impact is that Gerry now runs around shooting monsters (ie other people) and blasting them with his spacium ray:
If you don't know what the spacium ray is, check out 1:17 on this video.
And to wrap up, some random pictures of Gordon.
Look how happy he is to be stuck in his little jail of a crib!
Gordon is now just over 9 months old and can crawl around on his own pretty well. Here you can see him, not just crawling around, but justifying the title of "big eyed baby" as bestowed to him by the nurses who delivered him.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Gerry and the school story
The school that Gerry goes to at the moment has quite a fun program where they invite parents to go to the school and read a story to the entire class. The parent can either bring his own storybook or borrow one of the books in the class to read.
Here you can see me sitting in front of a clearly riveted class as they enjoy my masterful story telling skills (honed from years of telling tall tales as a kid!). Bonus points if you can spot Gerry!
addendum - obviously, being a good boy, I didn't tell any tall tales to either my dad or brother. :)
For the story, I decided to take along one of our own storybooks. The book you see here is a pop-up book telling the story of Goldilocks and the three bears. In the picture below, you can see Goldilocks sitting on Baby Bears chair.
The great thing about the pop-up story book is that it actually moves which makes it much more interesting for the kids to watch. In the next picture, you can see that Goldilocks has broken poor Baby Bears chair.
Here is a picture of the missus holding Gordon - just to prove that I do sometimes take pictures of them together. Sometimes.
Here you can see me sitting in front of a clearly riveted class as they enjoy my masterful story telling skills (honed from years of telling tall tales as a kid!). Bonus points if you can spot Gerry!
addendum - obviously, being a good boy, I didn't tell any tall tales to either my dad or brother. :)
For the story, I decided to take along one of our own storybooks. The book you see here is a pop-up book telling the story of Goldilocks and the three bears. In the picture below, you can see Goldilocks sitting on Baby Bears chair.
The great thing about the pop-up story book is that it actually moves which makes it much more interesting for the kids to watch. In the next picture, you can see that Goldilocks has broken poor Baby Bears chair.
And last of all, just so that Gordon doesn't feel left out, here are some recent pics of Gordon. Look at how happy he looks when daddy kisses him!
Here is a picture of the missus holding Gordon - just to prove that I do sometimes take pictures of them together. Sometimes.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Gerry goes to Gold Coast
Wow - just realised that its been ages since I uploaded any photos of Gerry and Gordon. Guess I've got some catching up to do!
Anyway, back in August, we took Gerry and Gordon out to Gold Coast. There is a nice childrens play area there where kids can run around so we took his trike and a ball with us.
This is a good action shot of Gerry just as he gets ready to shoot.
He is actually quite good at kicking the ball these days and can get a decent amount of strength behind his kick if he gets the timing right. Look -the ball is blurry and everything!!
And here he is on his trike. As you can tell from the position of his legs, its gonna be time to upgrade him to a bigger bike soon.
We also took a quick video of him on his bike using the camera:
And this is what he looks like after he's been riding for a while and is tired:
Anyway, back in August, we took Gerry and Gordon out to Gold Coast. There is a nice childrens play area there where kids can run around so we took his trike and a ball with us.
This is a good action shot of Gerry just as he gets ready to shoot.
He is actually quite good at kicking the ball these days and can get a decent amount of strength behind his kick if he gets the timing right. Look -the ball is blurry and everything!!
And here he is on his trike. As you can tell from the position of his legs, its gonna be time to upgrade him to a bigger bike soon.
We also took a quick video of him on his bike using the camera:
And this is what he looks like after he's been riding for a while and is tired:
Thursday, October 8, 2009
The holodeck
As you know, I'm a huge Star Trek fan. I love the stories and the technology and the ... well, I could go on but that would derail the point of this post.
One of the coolest pieces of tech on Star Trek is the Holodeck. For those who aren't Star Trek fans, the Holodeck is basically a room which creates 3D holograms which have substance. Using the holodeck, you can create stunning parks for you to walk through or recreate a cafe in Paris where you and your friends can sit down for a coffee.
Can you imagine how much fun you could have with a holodeck? With just one room, you could have any entertainment you wanted. Want to play snooker? No problem. Badminton? Done deal - the holodeck could even create your opponent. Mountain climbing or skiing? The mountain will come to you. All in all, an awesome piece of technology.
Of course, in real life, the Holodeck has always been a pipe dream. Except that with recent technology, that pipe dream is one step closer to reality.
The above video shows a demo of a fully 3D virtual environment that you can interact with. However, on its own, that isn't much of a holodeck. To be a true holodeck, you need to have the physical sensation of touching something within the 3D environment.
Which brings us to the next video. Touchable holography.
Wow.
One of the coolest pieces of tech on Star Trek is the Holodeck. For those who aren't Star Trek fans, the Holodeck is basically a room which creates 3D holograms which have substance. Using the holodeck, you can create stunning parks for you to walk through or recreate a cafe in Paris where you and your friends can sit down for a coffee.
Can you imagine how much fun you could have with a holodeck? With just one room, you could have any entertainment you wanted. Want to play snooker? No problem. Badminton? Done deal - the holodeck could even create your opponent. Mountain climbing or skiing? The mountain will come to you. All in all, an awesome piece of technology.
Of course, in real life, the Holodeck has always been a pipe dream. Except that with recent technology, that pipe dream is one step closer to reality.
The above video shows a demo of a fully 3D virtual environment that you can interact with. However, on its own, that isn't much of a holodeck. To be a true holodeck, you need to have the physical sensation of touching something within the 3D environment.
Which brings us to the next video. Touchable holography.
Wow.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Gerry likes butter
Gerry really likes plain food with little embellishment. For example, he likes eating plain boiled rice, plain noodles (he will even pick out the green onions if he sees them) and plain bread or toast. However, we recently found out that he likes butter on his toast.
We were out at the local Cafe de Coral for breakfast when Gerry asked for butter on his toast! We immediately said no at which point he told us that his grandmother normally spreads butter on his toast before he eats it. The horror! It turns out that his grandmother has been secretly spreading butter on his toast without my knowledge!
To be honest, I'm not really averse to him putting butter on his toast so we agreed that it was okay for him to have some butter. Being such a small kid, he doesn't quite understand the concept or consequences of having too much butter. As a result, we had to tell him to only put a little bit of butter on his bread (try saying that quickly after a couple of pints!). Naturally, he asks why at which point we explain that having too much butter is bad for him and will make him fat. A couple more "why's?" later, we ended up explaining that being fat will mean that he can't run around as much (one of his favourite activities) before he accepted that too much butter wasn't a good thing.
Anyway, one day, while he was at home and playing with his toy kitchen, he decides to cook me a pancake. However, we don't have any toy pancakes so as a surrogate, he uses his toy steak instead. After he finishes cooking the steak, he picks up his toy knife and says "I put butter on it for you".
"Just a little bit Gerry," I say automatically. By now, this comes out without even thinking although I immediately realise how cute it is that he wants to help me put butter on my "toast".
"Why?" he asks.
Here we go again, I thought. "Because if you eat too much butter, it isn't good for you."
"Why?" he asks again.
"Because if you eat too much butter, then you will become fat and cannot run around."
He ponders this for a moment before coming up with the perfect answer. In a very matter of fact tone, he says "Oh, but you fat already."
Ouch.
We were out at the local Cafe de Coral for breakfast when Gerry asked for butter on his toast! We immediately said no at which point he told us that his grandmother normally spreads butter on his toast before he eats it. The horror! It turns out that his grandmother has been secretly spreading butter on his toast without my knowledge!
To be honest, I'm not really averse to him putting butter on his toast so we agreed that it was okay for him to have some butter. Being such a small kid, he doesn't quite understand the concept or consequences of having too much butter. As a result, we had to tell him to only put a little bit of butter on his bread (try saying that quickly after a couple of pints!). Naturally, he asks why at which point we explain that having too much butter is bad for him and will make him fat. A couple more "why's?" later, we ended up explaining that being fat will mean that he can't run around as much (one of his favourite activities) before he accepted that too much butter wasn't a good thing.
Anyway, one day, while he was at home and playing with his toy kitchen, he decides to cook me a pancake. However, we don't have any toy pancakes so as a surrogate, he uses his toy steak instead. After he finishes cooking the steak, he picks up his toy knife and says "I put butter on it for you".
"Just a little bit Gerry," I say automatically. By now, this comes out without even thinking although I immediately realise how cute it is that he wants to help me put butter on my "toast".
"Why?" he asks.
Here we go again, I thought. "Because if you eat too much butter, it isn't good for you."
"Why?" he asks again.
"Because if you eat too much butter, then you will become fat and cannot run around."
He ponders this for a moment before coming up with the perfect answer. In a very matter of fact tone, he says "Oh, but you fat already."
Ouch.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Patrick Swayze R.I.P.
Just a very quick post today to let you know that I'll be taking a brief hiatus from posting. If you check this blog via RSS, then no worries. However, if you are checking this blog manually, then you might wanna find something else to read for a week or two until normal service resumes.
Before I go, I wanted to leave you with the pleasant theme of death as another boyhood hero of mine passes on. For me, Patrick Swayze will always be remembered for his roles in Dirty Dancing and Ghost. Although I liked some of the other films he starred in, none of them compared to these classics (can you believe he was already 35 years old in Dirty Dancing!).
I loved these films as a kid. Although I haven't seen any of his recent stuff, I can't help but feel a pang of regret that he is gone.
Before I go, I wanted to leave you with the pleasant theme of death as another boyhood hero of mine passes on. For me, Patrick Swayze will always be remembered for his roles in Dirty Dancing and Ghost. Although I liked some of the other films he starred in, none of them compared to these classics (can you believe he was already 35 years old in Dirty Dancing!).
I loved these films as a kid. Although I haven't seen any of his recent stuff, I can't help but feel a pang of regret that he is gone.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Typhoon Koppu
For the benefit of readers outside HK, we are currently in the middle of a typhoon number 8 signal. Typhoon Koppu hit HK earlier today and the number 8 signal was hoisted at around 6pm.
Which got me interested about typhoons in HK over the years. After jumping on google, I managed to find this site which has some interesting facts about the deadliest and the most powerful typhoon recorded in HK. Interestingly, the two aren't the same.
Apparently, the deadliest typhoon was in 1937 when approximately 11,000 people died. However, the most powerful was in 1962 when, with the benefit of forewarning, "only" 127 fatalities were recorded. Which is impressive in that the number of deaths fell by such a large amount when people had sufficient warning to prepare for the coming storm.
Probably a good thing then that our current technology means that we can predict coming typhoons with relative accuracy.
Which got me interested about typhoons in HK over the years. After jumping on google, I managed to find this site which has some interesting facts about the deadliest and the most powerful typhoon recorded in HK. Interestingly, the two aren't the same.
Apparently, the deadliest typhoon was in 1937 when approximately 11,000 people died. However, the most powerful was in 1962 when, with the benefit of forewarning, "only" 127 fatalities were recorded. Which is impressive in that the number of deaths fell by such a large amount when people had sufficient warning to prepare for the coming storm.
Probably a good thing then that our current technology means that we can predict coming typhoons with relative accuracy.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Buy more, save more!!
There's an interesting pschological effect which occurs whenever people see discounts. In essence, common sense takes an extended holiday while the demon of impulse rears its ugly head. Its a discussion which I've had with the missus on more than one occasion. Basically, she passes by a store, sees a discount sale on and immediately starts proclaiming "Honey, the more I buy, the more I save!!"
Yeah...
I always used to believe that I was better than that. That I was above such petty and tawdry marketing. And then I read this article which made me remember my time in London.
The article basically talks about the writers efforts to minimise his spending on video games. He did this by no longer buying games at full price and instead, would only purchase a game if it was on budget. Unfortunately, the plan backfired as he ended up buying a lot of games on budget even though he didn't have time to play them. The fear was that the budget game would no longer be available by the time he got around to it.
Which is almost identical to my own experience when I was in London. You see, unlike HK, London has a very vibrant video game retail market. The end result is that lots of games are offered for sale at discount prices (we're talking GBP5 or GBP10 here). And just like the author in the above article, I ended up buying a lot of old games and only playing them superficially before moving onto the next game. Hey, at GBP5 or GBP10 a pop, it really wasn't a big deal.
Since my return to HK and more expensive games, I find that my gaming habits have changed considerably. Due to the more expensive nature of games, and the introduction of achievements on the Xbox 360, I find that I play the games I buy a lot more and probably get even more value for money out of it as a result.
Despite this, the old desire to get a bargain is still there. I often find myself trawling the second hand games bins to keep an eye out for any good bargains. I also check Steam every weekend to see what the big weekend sale is. This phenomenon isn't limited to myself either. Sales figures for games sold on Steam are very often dominated by games which are on sale at the weekend. Pretty impressive when you consider that those games are being sold at a huge discount in many cases.
Ultimately, despite all my snide comments to the missus about her ability to be suckered by a sale, I'm just as bad as she is.
PS to the missus - if you are reading this, I just wanna say that this is the closest you will get to an apology for all the snide comments from yours truly.
:)
Yeah...
I always used to believe that I was better than that. That I was above such petty and tawdry marketing. And then I read this article which made me remember my time in London.
The article basically talks about the writers efforts to minimise his spending on video games. He did this by no longer buying games at full price and instead, would only purchase a game if it was on budget. Unfortunately, the plan backfired as he ended up buying a lot of games on budget even though he didn't have time to play them. The fear was that the budget game would no longer be available by the time he got around to it.
Which is almost identical to my own experience when I was in London. You see, unlike HK, London has a very vibrant video game retail market. The end result is that lots of games are offered for sale at discount prices (we're talking GBP5 or GBP10 here). And just like the author in the above article, I ended up buying a lot of old games and only playing them superficially before moving onto the next game. Hey, at GBP5 or GBP10 a pop, it really wasn't a big deal.
Since my return to HK and more expensive games, I find that my gaming habits have changed considerably. Due to the more expensive nature of games, and the introduction of achievements on the Xbox 360, I find that I play the games I buy a lot more and probably get even more value for money out of it as a result.
Despite this, the old desire to get a bargain is still there. I often find myself trawling the second hand games bins to keep an eye out for any good bargains. I also check Steam every weekend to see what the big weekend sale is. This phenomenon isn't limited to myself either. Sales figures for games sold on Steam are very often dominated by games which are on sale at the weekend. Pretty impressive when you consider that those games are being sold at a huge discount in many cases.
Ultimately, despite all my snide comments to the missus about her ability to be suckered by a sale, I'm just as bad as she is.
PS to the missus - if you are reading this, I just wanna say that this is the closest you will get to an apology for all the snide comments from yours truly.
:)
Monday, September 7, 2009
7th Wedding Anniversary
So, if you've been paying attention, you would know that my 7th wedding anniversary was last week. That's right, folks - the Meister has been enslaved for 7 years!
To celebrate this joyous occasion, I created another video for your amusement.
As with before, some notes
1) Again, if you listened to the video, my apologies (and condolences) for the assault upon your ears.
2) I should also give you warning that this video contains almost more sugar than humanly bearable. Definitely not for the diabetic of faint of stomach. But then, hey, it is my wedding anniversary.
3) The song is I'm Yours by Jason Mraz - another difficult song to sing (to be fair, the main reason for that is because I can't sing). In some ways, its easier than Bad Day while more difficult in others. Although the pitch of this song is also high, it doesn't vary as much which makes it easier to maintain the pitch. However, the strange pacing of the lyrics makes it difficult to sing unless you are extremely familiar with the song.
4) The song itself is a lovely song with some nice lyrics. If it sounds familiar, its because it has currently been in the US Top 100 billboard for a record breaking 70+ weeks. I really recommend you check out the original Jason Mraz version here (or here for a live rendition)
To celebrate this joyous occasion, I created another video for your amusement.
As with before, some notes
1) Again, if you listened to the video, my apologies (and condolences) for the assault upon your ears.
2) I should also give you warning that this video contains almost more sugar than humanly bearable. Definitely not for the diabetic of faint of stomach. But then, hey, it is my wedding anniversary.
3) The song is I'm Yours by Jason Mraz - another difficult song to sing (to be fair, the main reason for that is because I can't sing). In some ways, its easier than Bad Day while more difficult in others. Although the pitch of this song is also high, it doesn't vary as much which makes it easier to maintain the pitch. However, the strange pacing of the lyrics makes it difficult to sing unless you are extremely familiar with the song.
4) The song itself is a lovely song with some nice lyrics. If it sounds familiar, its because it has currently been in the US Top 100 billboard for a record breaking 70+ weeks. I really recommend you check out the original Jason Mraz version here (or here for a live rendition)
Friday, September 4, 2009
I'm not drunk
Despite appearances to the contrary, I just wanna clarify that I'm not drunk.
Really.
I'm just v happy.
:)
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Marvel vs Disney
Now here's a matchup that you might not have expected.
If you've been watching the news, then you will know that Disney acquired Marvel over the weekend. Which, potentially, is exciting news. I say potentially because the natural fear is that Disney will interfere with Marvel's operations and make Marvel too kid friendly.
However, if you know anything about Marvel, then you know that there really isn't anything to worry about. Even if I discount that Marvel has never been too risque, there is a separate Marvel Kids lineup which has kid friendly versions of all Marvel heros and villains anyway. Frankly, I doubt that even Disney could make them even more sugary. Besides, when you consider the history of Pixar, then you have pretty good evidence that Disney will probably let Marvel do its own thing without too much interference.
What has been great about the merger though is the creativity of the internet after the announcement. If you jump on Google or Flickr and search for "Marvel Disney mashup", you will find a veritable plethora of images, drawn by fans, imagining what would happen if Marvel characters merged with Disney characters - some of which are absolutely hilarious.
Despite the fact that I'm a huge Spidey fan, I have to say that the best one I've seen so far is by James Sheng here.
The juxtapositon of the Hulk, with his trademark grimace, and the silly Mickey Mouse hat is simply priceless. This image alone makes the merger worthwhile!
If you've been watching the news, then you will know that Disney acquired Marvel over the weekend. Which, potentially, is exciting news. I say potentially because the natural fear is that Disney will interfere with Marvel's operations and make Marvel too kid friendly.
However, if you know anything about Marvel, then you know that there really isn't anything to worry about. Even if I discount that Marvel has never been too risque, there is a separate Marvel Kids lineup which has kid friendly versions of all Marvel heros and villains anyway. Frankly, I doubt that even Disney could make them even more sugary. Besides, when you consider the history of Pixar, then you have pretty good evidence that Disney will probably let Marvel do its own thing without too much interference.
What has been great about the merger though is the creativity of the internet after the announcement. If you jump on Google or Flickr and search for "Marvel Disney mashup", you will find a veritable plethora of images, drawn by fans, imagining what would happen if Marvel characters merged with Disney characters - some of which are absolutely hilarious.
Despite the fact that I'm a huge Spidey fan, I have to say that the best one I've seen so far is by James Sheng here.
The juxtapositon of the Hulk, with his trademark grimace, and the silly Mickey Mouse hat is simply priceless. This image alone makes the merger worthwhile!
Monday, August 31, 2009
Another update on the kids
I'm running behind on posting pics of the kids (or at least that's what both my dad and the missus say) so here is another family update for ya.
I love this picture - he looks so happy in it. Its pictures like this that really make me wonder what is going through his head.
Not all smiles though as this next picture shows. The missus took this picture and I wonder if he was thinking "Hey! Why aren't you holding me instead of that shiny thing!".
And with the beautiful mug shot in the last picture, it is only fitting to include a profile shot as well. Now all he needs is a plaque with a number on it...
And lest we forget, here is a picture of Gerry. He is smiling again in this pic despite the fact that his favourite phrase lately is "mama, wo bu happy ah!".
Friday, August 28, 2009
Football Manager
Sometimes, its amazing what will set off your long term memory. Posting about the Championship Manager game on Monday reminded me of Football Manager. Or to be more precise, the original and first Football Manager which came out on the ZX Spectrum in 1982.
Although the game itself came out in 1982, my recollection of this particular event is from sometime post 1985. I know it was after 1985 as the memory was from our new home in the east end of Glasgow. Also, although I'm not sure which year this was, I know the date exactly - April 22. My birthday.
Somehow, my brother and I had managed to get some balloons which was impressive in that we weren't exactly loaded with dosh when I was a kid. Did my granny buy them for us? Or were they purchased using my brother's pocket money? Did my brother even get pocket money in those days or was he already working part time for cash? Anyway, I have no idea where those balloons came from - I only remember that we had an assortment of multicoloured balloons which we blew up and that some of them were classic round balloons while some of them were the longer sausage shaped balloons.
That night, after my grandmother had gone to bed but before our parents came home from work, we setup the ZX Spectrum in the living room. We took out the cassette tape which held the Football Manager game and put it into the cassette player and pressed play. And then we waited. And then we waited some more. And then we reset the tape player and pressed play again as it didn't manage to load properly the first time.
(You see, in those days, before you got to play a game, you needed to load it using a tape player. And, as you can imagine with analog technology being used to transmit digital data, the game didn't always load on the first attempt.)
Eventually, we got the game loaded and ready to play. Obviously, by today's standards, the game is incredibly simplistic. However, to my young mind at the time, this was the best thing since fast cars and toy soldiers. It had real life football clubs that you could become manager of. It had real players (K Keegan for the win!) albeit not in the right teams. You had to worry about the fitness of those players as some of them could get injured. In addition to the league, it also had FA cup matches. It even had a transfer market where you could buy and sell players. Surely the only thing better would be to actually take over a real club in real life!!
The game even had a match engine. After picking your players and starting the match, you would see little stick figures running around with the ball. The attacker would take the ball, run forward a couple of steps and then blast it at the goal while hoping that the opposition defenders didn't manage to get in the way. All very exciting when you're just a bairn.
Our star striker at the time was a player called Bedders who scored most of our goals. The match engine itself didn't differentiate between the player names. However, in our imagination, we always imagined him taking the ball in midfield and running with it down the bottom wing (bottom wing as its easier to score from the bottom of the screen due to the isometric viewpoint of the match engine) before planting the ball beyond the keepers reach in the top corner of the net!
And so a long term love affair with footie management games was born as we took our little team all the way from League 4 to the top of the heights of League 1. We ended up sitting in front of the television into the wee hours of the morning while screaming our lungs out and banging away with the balloons every time one of our players scored.
And we loved every second of it.
Although the game itself came out in 1982, my recollection of this particular event is from sometime post 1985. I know it was after 1985 as the memory was from our new home in the east end of Glasgow. Also, although I'm not sure which year this was, I know the date exactly - April 22. My birthday.
Somehow, my brother and I had managed to get some balloons which was impressive in that we weren't exactly loaded with dosh when I was a kid. Did my granny buy them for us? Or were they purchased using my brother's pocket money? Did my brother even get pocket money in those days or was he already working part time for cash? Anyway, I have no idea where those balloons came from - I only remember that we had an assortment of multicoloured balloons which we blew up and that some of them were classic round balloons while some of them were the longer sausage shaped balloons.
That night, after my grandmother had gone to bed but before our parents came home from work, we setup the ZX Spectrum in the living room. We took out the cassette tape which held the Football Manager game and put it into the cassette player and pressed play. And then we waited. And then we waited some more. And then we reset the tape player and pressed play again as it didn't manage to load properly the first time.
(You see, in those days, before you got to play a game, you needed to load it using a tape player. And, as you can imagine with analog technology being used to transmit digital data, the game didn't always load on the first attempt.)
Eventually, we got the game loaded and ready to play. Obviously, by today's standards, the game is incredibly simplistic. However, to my young mind at the time, this was the best thing since fast cars and toy soldiers. It had real life football clubs that you could become manager of. It had real players (K Keegan for the win!) albeit not in the right teams. You had to worry about the fitness of those players as some of them could get injured. In addition to the league, it also had FA cup matches. It even had a transfer market where you could buy and sell players. Surely the only thing better would be to actually take over a real club in real life!!
The game even had a match engine. After picking your players and starting the match, you would see little stick figures running around with the ball. The attacker would take the ball, run forward a couple of steps and then blast it at the goal while hoping that the opposition defenders didn't manage to get in the way. All very exciting when you're just a bairn.
Our star striker at the time was a player called Bedders who scored most of our goals. The match engine itself didn't differentiate between the player names. However, in our imagination, we always imagined him taking the ball in midfield and running with it down the bottom wing (bottom wing as its easier to score from the bottom of the screen due to the isometric viewpoint of the match engine) before planting the ball beyond the keepers reach in the top corner of the net!
And so a long term love affair with footie management games was born as we took our little team all the way from League 4 to the top of the heights of League 1. We ended up sitting in front of the television into the wee hours of the morning while screaming our lungs out and banging away with the balloons every time one of our players scored.
And we loved every second of it.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Pay what you want for Champ Man 2010
One of the things I talk about a lot on this blog is video games (my fifth most popular topic at this moment in time). One of the reasons for this is because of the interesting stuff that happens in the video game industry as a business. The latest thing worth talking about is that Eidos are effectively giving away Championship Manager 2010 for free.
That's right - up until September 10, you can preorder CM2010 and pay whatever you want (minimum charge of 1 penny plus GBP2.50 transaction fee). And despite the comments in that article, this isn't similar to what some bands tried to do. In any event, I agree with Techdirt that 'Give it away and pray' isn't a business model and doesn't really work.
What Eidos have actually done is a really clever marketing move. And I'm surprised that no-one commented on this in the comments section of the article (is this an indication of the quality of the readers?). To understand why this is a clever move and why it differs from what some bands tried to do, you have to understand a little about the history of Championship Manager.
Not that long ago, the Championship Manager games were developed by sigames and published by Eidos. The game allows you to be the manager of a football club and was highly successful in its day. However, for some reason, sigames and Eidos parted ways. As part of the settlement, Eidos kept the Championship Manager brand name and the look of the User Interface of the game. Meanwhile, sigames kept the fundamental programming and player database and continued developing football management games under a new brand name (Football Manager).
And this is when we get to the key point. The footie management games created by sigames are by far the most detailed and comprehensive simulations of football management that are available in the market. It is definitely NOT for the casual fan and is firmly targeted at the hardcore audience. What happened next was obvious.
When sigames left and created Football Manager, most of their fans ditched Eidos. I don't have any definite numbers but I'm pretty sure the sales of Championship Manager would have plummeted. And again, this should have been obvious to anyone who understood the nature of the games existing hardcore fanbase.
Which brings us to the current situation and why this is a clever move by Eidos. My guess is that, currently, the Championship Manager franchise is probably in deep trouble. It doesn't have the large dedicated hardcore fanbase that sigames has. Similarly, it probably doesn't have the name recognition that EA has (EA also has a footie manager simulation in the market). However, by effectively offering the latest game for free, Eidos have managed to generate a lot of publicity for their game while also ensuring that lots of people will be able to legitimately play the game at a dirt cheap price this year. And if some of those new players like the game, then Eidos will have a fan available in future years who may be willing to pay full price.
Eidos are only running this promotion up until September 10, at which point the game goes back to normal pricing. This isn't really a 'Give it away and pray' scenario as Eidos, although taking a short term hit, are really doing this for the long term market share and future profits which is a very different business model to what some bands like Radiohead did. Its also worth mentioning that the clever bands don't rely on 'Give it away and pray' either as, whilst effectively giving away their music for free, they also have a business model in place that allows them to generate money from the sale of scarce goods (you can read the Techdirt links above to find out more).
All in all, a great move to try and generate market share at the expense of short term profits.
That's right - up until September 10, you can preorder CM2010 and pay whatever you want (minimum charge of 1 penny plus GBP2.50 transaction fee). And despite the comments in that article, this isn't similar to what some bands tried to do. In any event, I agree with Techdirt that 'Give it away and pray' isn't a business model and doesn't really work.
What Eidos have actually done is a really clever marketing move. And I'm surprised that no-one commented on this in the comments section of the article (is this an indication of the quality of the readers?). To understand why this is a clever move and why it differs from what some bands tried to do, you have to understand a little about the history of Championship Manager.
Not that long ago, the Championship Manager games were developed by sigames and published by Eidos. The game allows you to be the manager of a football club and was highly successful in its day. However, for some reason, sigames and Eidos parted ways. As part of the settlement, Eidos kept the Championship Manager brand name and the look of the User Interface of the game. Meanwhile, sigames kept the fundamental programming and player database and continued developing football management games under a new brand name (Football Manager).
And this is when we get to the key point. The footie management games created by sigames are by far the most detailed and comprehensive simulations of football management that are available in the market. It is definitely NOT for the casual fan and is firmly targeted at the hardcore audience. What happened next was obvious.
When sigames left and created Football Manager, most of their fans ditched Eidos. I don't have any definite numbers but I'm pretty sure the sales of Championship Manager would have plummeted. And again, this should have been obvious to anyone who understood the nature of the games existing hardcore fanbase.
Which brings us to the current situation and why this is a clever move by Eidos. My guess is that, currently, the Championship Manager franchise is probably in deep trouble. It doesn't have the large dedicated hardcore fanbase that sigames has. Similarly, it probably doesn't have the name recognition that EA has (EA also has a footie manager simulation in the market). However, by effectively offering the latest game for free, Eidos have managed to generate a lot of publicity for their game while also ensuring that lots of people will be able to legitimately play the game at a dirt cheap price this year. And if some of those new players like the game, then Eidos will have a fan available in future years who may be willing to pay full price.
Eidos are only running this promotion up until September 10, at which point the game goes back to normal pricing. This isn't really a 'Give it away and pray' scenario as Eidos, although taking a short term hit, are really doing this for the long term market share and future profits which is a very different business model to what some bands like Radiohead did. Its also worth mentioning that the clever bands don't rely on 'Give it away and pray' either as, whilst effectively giving away their music for free, they also have a business model in place that allows them to generate money from the sale of scarce goods (you can read the Techdirt links above to find out more).
All in all, a great move to try and generate market share at the expense of short term profits.
Monday, August 17, 2009
How not to get a job - update
As you should know if you have followed my blog for a while, I always try to give a measured view when I comment on things. You may recall I recently blogged about the case of the college grad suing her college for her tuition fees back because she couldn't get a job. In the interest of giving both sides of the story, I thought I would direct you to this article defending the student in question.
I actually suspected that an article similar to this one showing that a degree from Monroe College isn't worth the money its printed on (paraphrasing heavily here!) would come out sooner or later. Not because I'm familiar with Monroe College but because I know that no matter what happens, you can guarantee that someone will come up with an opposite viewpoint (and wouldn't the World be boring if everyone agreed with everyone else?). It was for this reason that I specifically added the disclaimer that I didn't know how Monroe College markets itself or what it had agreed with the student.
Given that I was expecting this article, it probably won't surprise you to learn that I stand by the statements I made in my previous blog post. I deliberately worded my comments in the last post so that they would stand regardless of how poor Monroe College actually is (or not - to be fair, I have no idea about the quality of Monroe College).
Anyway, the point of this post isn't to brag about my superior intellect but to give you both sides of the story and to respond to one of the points raised in the article.
The very point of an institution like Monroe is to improve its students' standing in the work force, but the irony is that in comparison with traditional institutions, Monroe seems to do quite badly at helping graduates make a living
How is this relevant? In any ranking of education institutions, you will always have those which aren't doing as good a job as others. The point isn't whether Monroe College is doing a good job (or even if the course there is worth the money) – the point is whether you can get a degree there or not and if yes, whether having a degree will improve your chances of getting a job.
As I mentioned before, all a degree does is give you a chance that you wouldn't have without the degree. Just in case its not clear, I should also add that this statement is just in relation to your chances of getting a job. I know that the process of going to college to get a degree is about much more than just getting a job.
The article makes a big thing about Monroe College being more like a “vocational school” rather than a full blown college. It paints this as a rip-off as, by billing itself as a college, it can charge students higher fees over a period of 4 years as opposed to having shorter courses like other vocational schools. In fact, it seems that Monroe College actually charges higher fees relative to even other colleges.
Again, I don't see how this is relevant. Granted, I agree that Monroe College sounds like a rip-off but so what? I'm assuming the student knew about the fees in advance. From my point of view, it looks like she paid her money, did her work and got her degree. The degree gives her a chance to get jobs which she wouldn't have a chance otherwise – which is apparently what she wanted in the first place. Where is the problem (other than that she doesn't have a job yet!)?
Well, it appears the problem (according to the last paragraph on page 2) is how Monroe College advertises itself. Again, I should stress that I haven't actually seen any ads for Monroe College. However, just from common sense, I can guess that they talk about how good Monroe College is and why you should go there. After all, I don't see them paying money to advertise how bad a college they are. Regardless, unless Monroe College lied in their ads, I really don’t see how this student has a leg to stand on.
I actually suspected that an article similar to this one showing that a degree from Monroe College isn't worth the money its printed on (paraphrasing heavily here!) would come out sooner or later. Not because I'm familiar with Monroe College but because I know that no matter what happens, you can guarantee that someone will come up with an opposite viewpoint (and wouldn't the World be boring if everyone agreed with everyone else?). It was for this reason that I specifically added the disclaimer that I didn't know how Monroe College markets itself or what it had agreed with the student.
Given that I was expecting this article, it probably won't surprise you to learn that I stand by the statements I made in my previous blog post. I deliberately worded my comments in the last post so that they would stand regardless of how poor Monroe College actually is (or not - to be fair, I have no idea about the quality of Monroe College).
Anyway, the point of this post isn't to brag about my superior intellect but to give you both sides of the story and to respond to one of the points raised in the article.
The very point of an institution like Monroe is to improve its students' standing in the work force, but the irony is that in comparison with traditional institutions, Monroe seems to do quite badly at helping graduates make a living
How is this relevant? In any ranking of education institutions, you will always have those which aren't doing as good a job as others. The point isn't whether Monroe College is doing a good job (or even if the course there is worth the money) – the point is whether you can get a degree there or not and if yes, whether having a degree will improve your chances of getting a job.
As I mentioned before, all a degree does is give you a chance that you wouldn't have without the degree. Just in case its not clear, I should also add that this statement is just in relation to your chances of getting a job. I know that the process of going to college to get a degree is about much more than just getting a job.
The article makes a big thing about Monroe College being more like a “vocational school” rather than a full blown college. It paints this as a rip-off as, by billing itself as a college, it can charge students higher fees over a period of 4 years as opposed to having shorter courses like other vocational schools. In fact, it seems that Monroe College actually charges higher fees relative to even other colleges.
Again, I don't see how this is relevant. Granted, I agree that Monroe College sounds like a rip-off but so what? I'm assuming the student knew about the fees in advance. From my point of view, it looks like she paid her money, did her work and got her degree. The degree gives her a chance to get jobs which she wouldn't have a chance otherwise – which is apparently what she wanted in the first place. Where is the problem (other than that she doesn't have a job yet!)?
Well, it appears the problem (according to the last paragraph on page 2) is how Monroe College advertises itself. Again, I should stress that I haven't actually seen any ads for Monroe College. However, just from common sense, I can guess that they talk about how good Monroe College is and why you should go there. After all, I don't see them paying money to advertise how bad a college they are. Regardless, unless Monroe College lied in their ads, I really don’t see how this student has a leg to stand on.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Gerry and Gordon (in a rare day out)
In many ways, Gerry is so much luckier compared to his little brother Gordon. When Gerry was little, we pretty much took him everywhere with us. However, with Gordon, we very often leave Gordon at home while we take Gerry out (our reasoning is mainly that taking both out would be very tiring).
Poor Gordon - left at home.
Which isn't to say that we never take him out. Once in a while, we do take him out with us. Naturally, when we do, the camera is out and snapping!
Here you can see us just before lunch. In case you are wondering, Gordon is looking at the TV which the restaurant had turned on.
A rare occurrence - everybody is not only looking at the camera but they are are all smiling too!
A rare family photo. :)
Waaaaahhhhhh!! Extreme closeuuuuup!
Most Excellent!!
Poor Gordon - left at home.
Which isn't to say that we never take him out. Once in a while, we do take him out with us. Naturally, when we do, the camera is out and snapping!
Here you can see us just before lunch. In case you are wondering, Gordon is looking at the TV which the restaurant had turned on.
A rare occurrence - everybody is not only looking at the camera but they are are all smiling too!
A rare family photo. :)
Waaaaahhhhhh!! Extreme closeuuuuup!
Most Excellent!!
And here is Gerry in a rare photo at the swim school. As I said before, we aren't allowed to take photo's so this is actually taken just after he put on his swim suit but before he went poolside. As you can see, he is really looking forward to his lesson...
Monday, August 10, 2009
Update on my views re the iPhone
Back in May, I dedicated an entire blog post to why I wasn't going to buy the iPhone. At the time, I thought that would put an end to the discussion. What a foolish fool of a fool I was.
Anyway, the first thing I want to say is that I'm not anti-Apple. To be fair, I can understand why you might think I am considering my comments regarding the hypocrisy of Apple in my previous post (what you wouldn't have known is that I consider most big companies hypocritical). Anyway, I will support Apple products when they come up with a product and business model that I'm happy with hence why I have an iPod Nano (good size, easy to use, stylish - whats not to like?). If I ever boycott Apple products, you will know about it (assuming you read my gaming blog that is - for legacy reasons, my boycott list is posted there but not here).
Similarly, despite the problems I mentioned in my last post, I'm not anti-iPhone. If Apple fixes the problems which I identified in my previous post, then I would consider buying one. And the reality is that some fixes may come sooner than expected as the FCC seem to be investigating how Apple runs the App Store although to be honest, I don't really see anything happening as a result of FCCs investigation. What is more likely is that competition from other phones with more open systems will eventually force Apple's hand in opening up the App Store (unless Apple somehow uses some form of bogus patent/copyright/govt lobbying etc to stifle competition). Ultimately, when it comes to open vs closed systems, I agree with Techdirt.
So what is the point of this post?
Basically, its to make a prediction. I predict that, within a space of 5 years, the Apple iPhone will lose its dominant status in the market unless one of the issues which I highlighted in my previous post changes. You heard it here first!
Anyway, the first thing I want to say is that I'm not anti-Apple. To be fair, I can understand why you might think I am considering my comments regarding the hypocrisy of Apple in my previous post (what you wouldn't have known is that I consider most big companies hypocritical). Anyway, I will support Apple products when they come up with a product and business model that I'm happy with hence why I have an iPod Nano (good size, easy to use, stylish - whats not to like?). If I ever boycott Apple products, you will know about it (assuming you read my gaming blog that is - for legacy reasons, my boycott list is posted there but not here).
Similarly, despite the problems I mentioned in my last post, I'm not anti-iPhone. If Apple fixes the problems which I identified in my previous post, then I would consider buying one. And the reality is that some fixes may come sooner than expected as the FCC seem to be investigating how Apple runs the App Store although to be honest, I don't really see anything happening as a result of FCCs investigation. What is more likely is that competition from other phones with more open systems will eventually force Apple's hand in opening up the App Store (unless Apple somehow uses some form of bogus patent/copyright/govt lobbying etc to stifle competition). Ultimately, when it comes to open vs closed systems, I agree with Techdirt.
So what is the point of this post?
Basically, its to make a prediction. I predict that, within a space of 5 years, the Apple iPhone will lose its dominant status in the market unless one of the issues which I highlighted in my previous post changes. You heard it here first!
Thursday, August 6, 2009
How not to get a job
By now, you have probably heard about the college grad who couldn't get a job and decided to sue her college to get back tuition fees. The argument being put forth is that the college didn't do enough to assist her in getting a job (and not that the college should have guaranteed her a job after graduation).
Of course, without actually knowing what the college agreed with her or how the college markets itself, its not possible to accurately comment on the complaint. However, looking at her quotes in the CNN article and also at how she completed the court filing does tell us a couple of things.
"any reasonable employer would pounce on an applicant with her academic credentials, which include a 2.7 grade-point average and a solid attendance record."
er ... no.
A 2.7 grade-point average is just that - average. She didn't get particularly good grades, doesn't seem to have any other qualifications worth talking about (at least, the article didn't talk about any other qualifications) and she thinks "any reasonable employer would pounce" on her?
She is dreaming. Even in a good economy (never mind the shitty economy we are in now where people who actually have good grades and other qualifications are having trouble finding jobs), she wouldn't be considered a top catch. She may get a job, but employers would definitely NOT be pouncing on her.
"They're supposed to say, 'I got this student, her attendance is good, her GPA is all right -- can you interview this person?"
Is this meant to be a joke? She seriously thinks that the college should call up all prospective employers in their list and ask them if they want to interview a particular individual with average grades?
The reality is that the college probably isn't even doing this for people with good grades. Logistically, its just not feasible to call up every employer on their list to do this. Bear in mind that if they do it for her, they have to do it for every one of their students.
Also, by mentioning her good attendance first, does this mean that she thinks her key selling point is her attendance? Seriously? You think people should hire you because you will turn up? I can see that going down well in an interview...
"But no more than two employers have responded to her outreach, and those leads have borne no fruit"
In other words, you sent out your CVs and even though two potential employers responded, neither of them thought you were worth hiring.
The only real responsibility of the career advancement office should be to highlight opportunities to students and give advice to students on CV's, interviews etc. I have no idea if she took advantage of the career office other than to locate job openings as the article doesn't mention this. In any event, it looks like she had her chance and blew it.
"It doesn't make any sense: They went to school for four years, and then they come out working at McDonald's and Payless. That's not what they planned."
So? A degree doesn't get you a nice high paying job. All it does is make you comparable to the thousands upon thousands of other people with degrees so that you have a chance of landing a job which, when combined with additional experience and/or other qualifications, will ultimately give you a chance of landing a nice high paying job.
Just because you got a degree doesn't give you the right to anything - not even an interview. All it does is give you a chance that you wouldn't have without the degree.
"did not make sure their monroe e-recruiting clients call the graduates that recently finished college for a interview"
My response to this is similar to the second point above. Why does she expect that the college should guarantee that she gets an interview? This is just ridiculous.
Comment response
Despite the silliness of the complaint as it appears to be, the incredible thing is that there are a lot of comments being posted in various forums in support of her (although, to be fair, the overwhelming majority of comments are people laughing at her). It seems that quite a few people are disenfranchised with how college's in the USA advertise themselves.
Again, to reiterate, I've not seen any of the actual ads myself. However, from a common sense point of view, I just can't believe that these ads are actually giving a guarantee that people who graduate with a degree will get a nice high paying job. The only thing that you can guarantee is that, if you don't get a degree, you will find it unbelievably hard to get a nice high paying job.
My overall view
In case its not clear, I think this is just a waste of time lawsuit brought about by someone with a sad sense of entitlement. Judging from the number of comments in support of her, there are quite a few people with a similar sense of entitlement. Here's a life lesson for you - Get over yourself, the World doesn't owe you a single damn thing! Having said that, it is worth repeating that the overwhelming majority of comments seem to be derisory.
The second point which occurs to me is that, after lodging this lawsuit, does she seriously think that any reasonable employer would ever hire her? If I was the employer, as soon as I saw her application and ran her name in Google and saw this frivolous lawsuit, I wouldn't touch her with a 10 foot bargepole.
Of course, without actually knowing what the college agreed with her or how the college markets itself, its not possible to accurately comment on the complaint. However, looking at her quotes in the CNN article and also at how she completed the court filing does tell us a couple of things.
"any reasonable employer would pounce on an applicant with her academic credentials, which include a 2.7 grade-point average and a solid attendance record."
er ... no.
A 2.7 grade-point average is just that - average. She didn't get particularly good grades, doesn't seem to have any other qualifications worth talking about (at least, the article didn't talk about any other qualifications) and she thinks "any reasonable employer would pounce" on her?
She is dreaming. Even in a good economy (never mind the shitty economy we are in now where people who actually have good grades and other qualifications are having trouble finding jobs), she wouldn't be considered a top catch. She may get a job, but employers would definitely NOT be pouncing on her.
"They're supposed to say, 'I got this student, her attendance is good, her GPA is all right -- can you interview this person?"
Is this meant to be a joke? She seriously thinks that the college should call up all prospective employers in their list and ask them if they want to interview a particular individual with average grades?
The reality is that the college probably isn't even doing this for people with good grades. Logistically, its just not feasible to call up every employer on their list to do this. Bear in mind that if they do it for her, they have to do it for every one of their students.
Also, by mentioning her good attendance first, does this mean that she thinks her key selling point is her attendance? Seriously? You think people should hire you because you will turn up? I can see that going down well in an interview...
"But no more than two employers have responded to her outreach, and those leads have borne no fruit"
In other words, you sent out your CVs and even though two potential employers responded, neither of them thought you were worth hiring.
The only real responsibility of the career advancement office should be to highlight opportunities to students and give advice to students on CV's, interviews etc. I have no idea if she took advantage of the career office other than to locate job openings as the article doesn't mention this. In any event, it looks like she had her chance and blew it.
"It doesn't make any sense: They went to school for four years, and then they come out working at McDonald's and Payless. That's not what they planned."
So? A degree doesn't get you a nice high paying job. All it does is make you comparable to the thousands upon thousands of other people with degrees so that you have a chance of landing a job which, when combined with additional experience and/or other qualifications, will ultimately give you a chance of landing a nice high paying job.
Just because you got a degree doesn't give you the right to anything - not even an interview. All it does is give you a chance that you wouldn't have without the degree.
"did not make sure their monroe e-recruiting clients call the graduates that recently finished college for a interview"
My response to this is similar to the second point above. Why does she expect that the college should guarantee that she gets an interview? This is just ridiculous.
Comment response
Despite the silliness of the complaint as it appears to be, the incredible thing is that there are a lot of comments being posted in various forums in support of her (although, to be fair, the overwhelming majority of comments are people laughing at her). It seems that quite a few people are disenfranchised with how college's in the USA advertise themselves.
Again, to reiterate, I've not seen any of the actual ads myself. However, from a common sense point of view, I just can't believe that these ads are actually giving a guarantee that people who graduate with a degree will get a nice high paying job. The only thing that you can guarantee is that, if you don't get a degree, you will find it unbelievably hard to get a nice high paying job.
My overall view
In case its not clear, I think this is just a waste of time lawsuit brought about by someone with a sad sense of entitlement. Judging from the number of comments in support of her, there are quite a few people with a similar sense of entitlement. Here's a life lesson for you - Get over yourself, the World doesn't owe you a single damn thing! Having said that, it is worth repeating that the overwhelming majority of comments seem to be derisory.
The second point which occurs to me is that, after lodging this lawsuit, does she seriously think that any reasonable employer would ever hire her? If I was the employer, as soon as I saw her application and ran her name in Google and saw this frivolous lawsuit, I wouldn't touch her with a 10 foot bargepole.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Gerry and the swimming lesson
Gerry recently started to learn how to swim. We enrolled in the weekend course at Stanford Swim School (the site is chinese only so don't bother clicking if you can't read chinese) which seems to be quite a popular and semi-famous locally. They also ban photo's at the swimming pool as they have a lucrative side business of providing photo's of your kids with the swim instructor...
Anyway, Gerry's been to several lessons now. The first lesson initially started well. Despite one of the other kids in his class crying severely, he wasn't phased at all and really enjoyed himself in the pool. At this point, I have to admit that the class is quite well run. There are quite a lot of instructors to keep an eye on the kids and the instructors seem to be quite experienced in dealing with children as well.
Unfortunately, near the end of the first lesson, things took an unfortunate turn. While the instructors were gathered together and chatting (I guess about what they were going to do next), Gerry slipped and fell into the water. Luckily, the pool isn't deep so he was able to stand up on his own. However, he swallowed a mouthful of water and together with him falling under the water, he became really scared and ended up crying for the rest of the lesson. This happened so quickly that I only saw the after effect - I didn't actually see him slip into the water. In hindsight, this may have been a good thing as I can only imagine how terrified I would have been to see him fall!
As he got out of the pool, all he could say was that he was very scared and didn't want to go swimming anymore. For the rest of the week, everytime we mentioned the prospect of swimming, he would repeat that he had fallen into the water and didn't want to swim anymore as he was scared.
Despite this, we still took him along to the second lesson. Which promptly resulted in him crying the whole time and ultimately, us leaving early as there was no way he could stay for the whole lesson. We had a chat with the instructor and they allowed us to change over to the parent accompanied class (which was rather nice of them as the class was actually full).
And so we spent the whole of the next week telling Gerry not to be scared as mummy would go with him into the pool. Despite this, he still didn't want to go swimming. In fact, this time, he started crying as soon as we got to the swim school. Nevertheless, we decided to soldier on - after all, the course fees had been fully prepaid...
And as expected, he was crying the whole time that we were changing him into his swimsuit. As the missus took him to the pool, he was extremely reluctant (even more so than in the second lesson). In the end, the missus had to physically pick him up and carry him into the pool. At this point, I expected him to really kick up a fuss but instead, he just stood in the pool and cried. If anything, this shows how scared he must have been of slipping and falling under the water again.
The instructor brought over some toys and let him play with mummy. Credit where credit is due - the missus did a great job of playing with Gerry and making him forget that he was afraid of swimming. After around 5 minutes, you could see Gerry laughing and having fun just standing there and playing with mummy in the pool.
Next weekend is my turn to go into the pool with Gerry. Lets hope I can do as good a job as the missus!
Anyway, Gerry's been to several lessons now. The first lesson initially started well. Despite one of the other kids in his class crying severely, he wasn't phased at all and really enjoyed himself in the pool. At this point, I have to admit that the class is quite well run. There are quite a lot of instructors to keep an eye on the kids and the instructors seem to be quite experienced in dealing with children as well.
Unfortunately, near the end of the first lesson, things took an unfortunate turn. While the instructors were gathered together and chatting (I guess about what they were going to do next), Gerry slipped and fell into the water. Luckily, the pool isn't deep so he was able to stand up on his own. However, he swallowed a mouthful of water and together with him falling under the water, he became really scared and ended up crying for the rest of the lesson. This happened so quickly that I only saw the after effect - I didn't actually see him slip into the water. In hindsight, this may have been a good thing as I can only imagine how terrified I would have been to see him fall!
As he got out of the pool, all he could say was that he was very scared and didn't want to go swimming anymore. For the rest of the week, everytime we mentioned the prospect of swimming, he would repeat that he had fallen into the water and didn't want to swim anymore as he was scared.
Despite this, we still took him along to the second lesson. Which promptly resulted in him crying the whole time and ultimately, us leaving early as there was no way he could stay for the whole lesson. We had a chat with the instructor and they allowed us to change over to the parent accompanied class (which was rather nice of them as the class was actually full).
And so we spent the whole of the next week telling Gerry not to be scared as mummy would go with him into the pool. Despite this, he still didn't want to go swimming. In fact, this time, he started crying as soon as we got to the swim school. Nevertheless, we decided to soldier on - after all, the course fees had been fully prepaid...
And as expected, he was crying the whole time that we were changing him into his swimsuit. As the missus took him to the pool, he was extremely reluctant (even more so than in the second lesson). In the end, the missus had to physically pick him up and carry him into the pool. At this point, I expected him to really kick up a fuss but instead, he just stood in the pool and cried. If anything, this shows how scared he must have been of slipping and falling under the water again.
The instructor brought over some toys and let him play with mummy. Credit where credit is due - the missus did a great job of playing with Gerry and making him forget that he was afraid of swimming. After around 5 minutes, you could see Gerry laughing and having fun just standing there and playing with mummy in the pool.
Next weekend is my turn to go into the pool with Gerry. Lets hope I can do as good a job as the missus!
Monday, July 27, 2009
IE in HK?
Last Friday, I took the afternoon off work so that I could go to the HK Book fair with the missus. Before going though, I needed to have lunch so the missus and I decided to go to Central, more specifically to a restaurant halfway up the hill to Lan Kwai Fong.
On the way back down the hill after lunch, I noticed two people standing next to the pavement fence. They were both holding up different signs. I can't remember exactly what was on the signs but they effectively said "Free high fives". Just as I passed them, a guy literally materialises out of thin air (that's the only explanation for where he could have come from!) with his hand raised. I immediately realised what was happening and, being the good sport that I am, I high fived him (the wuss was wearing gloves!).
If this sounds familiar, then you are probably a fan of Improv Everywhere. I blogged about them in the past and one of their recent pranks was the High Five Escalator which, by all accounts, went down really well. I'm guessing this was the inspiration behind the stunt in Central last Friday but to be fair, I don't actually know if this is the case or if they came up with a similar idea all by themselves.
In any event, there were a couple of reasons why the stunt in Central didn't actually work very well.
For starters, the two people holding the signs were standing next to each other with the high five guy just a little bit behind them. This meant that by the time I saw them, I was almost on top of the guy giving the high five. In fact, if he hadn't jumped in front of me, I would have missed him altogether as I was staring at the signs. Of course, this also raises another problem as people will be startled by the whole thing which may make them more likely to avoid the "crazy" high five guy instead of actually giving him a high five. To be honest, if I hadn't realised what was happening, I might have avoided him as well.
Secondly, the guys holding the signs were all standing on the left hand side of a relatively broad and busy pavement. This meant that a lot of people didn't even see the signs as they were concentrating on navigating the street and avoiding bumping into people. When you factor in the different walking speeds of people, I wonder how many people actually responded to the sign and gave the high five.
Contrast this with the IE version where they have the signs spread apart so that you can easily see them and see the guy doing the high five as well long before you actually get there. This lets people get used to the idea first so that they are ready to give a high five by the time they get to the high five guy.
Also, by being next to an escalator, the IE guys have a captive audience. You know that everyone on the escalator will see the sign - the only question is whether they want to take part or not. This actually has the added benefit of peer pressure - if you see lots of people in front of you giving a high five, then you may be more likely to give a high five as well.
Obviously, an MTR escalator wouldn't work in HK as the stairwell isn't located next to the escalators here. However, a better location would have been the mid-levels escalator. Particularly if you did this during the lunch hour rush, you would have had a huge stream of people all going up the escalator with relatively few people taking the stairs. Furthermore, with the stairs being on the right hand side of the escalator on the way up, it means that the people you will be high fiving will all be standing still and will have plenty of time to see you and your signs before they get to you.
Still, it was interesting to see something like this happen in HK and I hope that they do more of this kinda stuff in future.
On the way back down the hill after lunch, I noticed two people standing next to the pavement fence. They were both holding up different signs. I can't remember exactly what was on the signs but they effectively said "Free high fives". Just as I passed them, a guy literally materialises out of thin air (that's the only explanation for where he could have come from!) with his hand raised. I immediately realised what was happening and, being the good sport that I am, I high fived him (the wuss was wearing gloves!).
If this sounds familiar, then you are probably a fan of Improv Everywhere. I blogged about them in the past and one of their recent pranks was the High Five Escalator which, by all accounts, went down really well. I'm guessing this was the inspiration behind the stunt in Central last Friday but to be fair, I don't actually know if this is the case or if they came up with a similar idea all by themselves.
In any event, there were a couple of reasons why the stunt in Central didn't actually work very well.
For starters, the two people holding the signs were standing next to each other with the high five guy just a little bit behind them. This meant that by the time I saw them, I was almost on top of the guy giving the high five. In fact, if he hadn't jumped in front of me, I would have missed him altogether as I was staring at the signs. Of course, this also raises another problem as people will be startled by the whole thing which may make them more likely to avoid the "crazy" high five guy instead of actually giving him a high five. To be honest, if I hadn't realised what was happening, I might have avoided him as well.
Secondly, the guys holding the signs were all standing on the left hand side of a relatively broad and busy pavement. This meant that a lot of people didn't even see the signs as they were concentrating on navigating the street and avoiding bumping into people. When you factor in the different walking speeds of people, I wonder how many people actually responded to the sign and gave the high five.
Contrast this with the IE version where they have the signs spread apart so that you can easily see them and see the guy doing the high five as well long before you actually get there. This lets people get used to the idea first so that they are ready to give a high five by the time they get to the high five guy.
Also, by being next to an escalator, the IE guys have a captive audience. You know that everyone on the escalator will see the sign - the only question is whether they want to take part or not. This actually has the added benefit of peer pressure - if you see lots of people in front of you giving a high five, then you may be more likely to give a high five as well.
Obviously, an MTR escalator wouldn't work in HK as the stairwell isn't located next to the escalators here. However, a better location would have been the mid-levels escalator. Particularly if you did this during the lunch hour rush, you would have had a huge stream of people all going up the escalator with relatively few people taking the stairs. Furthermore, with the stairs being on the right hand side of the escalator on the way up, it means that the people you will be high fiving will all be standing still and will have plenty of time to see you and your signs before they get to you.
Still, it was interesting to see something like this happen in HK and I hope that they do more of this kinda stuff in future.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Total eclipse of the heart?
Unless you have been living under a rock, you probably already know about the recent eclipse. In HK, we didn't get a full eclipse - only a 70% eclipse. Even so, this was something which I was looking forward to (and what were the chances of a full eclipse occuring in the same year as the 40th anniversary of the Moon landings!).
And I wasn't the only one. The region seems to have been gripped by eclipse fever with eclipse tours being run around China. Even flights at the time of the eclipse were fully booked as people tried to get a birds eye view of this once-in-a-lifetime phenomena.
In HK, first contact was at 8:16am with last contact at 10:47am. Considering my normal travel schedule, this means that I would miss the start. However, at the time, I wasn't too worried as I normally get out of the MTR at around 8:45am which would have given me a great view of the eclipse.
Sure enough, I entered the MTR system at approx 7:50am when the sky was still bright. As I got to Tai Koo station, I could feel the anticipation building. What would the sky be like as I exited the MTR? Would the skies darken in biblical fashion? Would I be exiting onto a dark street? I figured this wasn't very likely as HK wasn't getting a full eclipse. As I said above, we only got a 70% eclipse. Nonetheless, I figured that 70% would still darken the sky noticeably.
I get off the train at Tai Koo and eagerly rush to street level, almost forgetting to buy my breakfast bun from Maxims in my boyish eagerness to view the eclipse. And as I rush out into the street, I am almost blinded by the sunlight.
Double U - Tee - Eff!!
Where was the eclipse? Why wasn't the land shrouded in darkness? Considering that, not only was it not darker, it was actually brighter than its been in weeks, the sense of disappointment was palpable.
What a gyp!
And I wasn't the only one. The region seems to have been gripped by eclipse fever with eclipse tours being run around China. Even flights at the time of the eclipse were fully booked as people tried to get a birds eye view of this once-in-a-lifetime phenomena.
In HK, first contact was at 8:16am with last contact at 10:47am. Considering my normal travel schedule, this means that I would miss the start. However, at the time, I wasn't too worried as I normally get out of the MTR at around 8:45am which would have given me a great view of the eclipse.
Sure enough, I entered the MTR system at approx 7:50am when the sky was still bright. As I got to Tai Koo station, I could feel the anticipation building. What would the sky be like as I exited the MTR? Would the skies darken in biblical fashion? Would I be exiting onto a dark street? I figured this wasn't very likely as HK wasn't getting a full eclipse. As I said above, we only got a 70% eclipse. Nonetheless, I figured that 70% would still darken the sky noticeably.
I get off the train at Tai Koo and eagerly rush to street level, almost forgetting to buy my breakfast bun from Maxims in my boyish eagerness to view the eclipse. And as I rush out into the street, I am almost blinded by the sunlight.
Double U - Tee - Eff!!
Where was the eclipse? Why wasn't the land shrouded in darkness? Considering that, not only was it not darker, it was actually brighter than its been in weeks, the sense of disappointment was palpable.
What a gyp!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Gerry and the digital camera
The invention of the digital camera is something which is rightly hailed as a significant advance in camera technology. Particularly for parents.
As any parent will know, taking pictures of children is extremely difficult. Actually, let me rephrase that. Taking good pictures of children is extremely difficult. As a general rule, you have to take loads and loads of photos before you get a good one.
This is particularly true for Gerry as he is so aware of the camera now. As soon as he sees the camera, and even before you have pointed it at him, he starts to do this:
or this:
These are just some of the outtakes that we had to go through before we finally got to one we liked here:
Can you imagine trying to do that with the old film cameras? Can you picture how expensive it would be?
Of course, the other option is to try to catch him unawares. Unfortunately, although you can get some funny pictures, you have no guarantee of getting a good photo:
As any parent will know, taking pictures of children is extremely difficult. Actually, let me rephrase that. Taking good pictures of children is extremely difficult. As a general rule, you have to take loads and loads of photos before you get a good one.
This is particularly true for Gerry as he is so aware of the camera now. As soon as he sees the camera, and even before you have pointed it at him, he starts to do this:
or this:
These are just some of the outtakes that we had to go through before we finally got to one we liked here:
Can you imagine trying to do that with the old film cameras? Can you picture how expensive it would be?
Of course, the other option is to try to catch him unawares. Unfortunately, although you can get some funny pictures, you have no guarantee of getting a good photo:
Monday, July 13, 2009
Literal music videos
Today's blog post is a bit of a video dump so I'd advise you to skip unless you have broadband (but really, who doesn't these days?).
Anyway, the genesis of today's post is the question - Ever wish songs just sang what was happening in the music video? DustoMcNeato on youtube posed this very question and to illustrate his answer, came up with the below incredibly awesome music video of Take On Me by A-Ha.
By the way, if you like the Darth Thriller clip at the end (and really, why wouldn't you?), you can find the full version by searching youtube for "Dancing With the Star Wars Stars 2008".
Since DustoMcNeato posted his first video (this was back in 2008), the literal music video has really taken off and is now an internet phenomenon. If you search youtube (or even Google) for literal music video, you get inundated with tons of hits. Unfortunately, not all of them are good as the majority of people just don't have good singing voices or don't have decent equipment to record the audio with.
So, being the good guy that I am, I have trawled through the cesspit to find the couple of gems that are worth you spending time to watch. Don't worry, you can thank me later.
:)
It probably goes without saying that you probably won't find this funny unless you have heard the original song.
Head over Heels by Tears for Fears - another 80's classic pop song in keeping with the theme.
Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler - this is one of my favourite videos. It does drag a bit in the middle but picks up at the end. Overall, a great video with some hilarious lines and a decent voice.
Anything for Love by Meatloaf - dascottjr actually has several good videos. He was behind Total Eclipse of the Heart as well as this one. What's impressive is the quality of the singing - Meatloaf songs are generally quite hard to sing as Meatloaf has an impressive range to his voice which isn't always apparent until you try singing one of his songs.
Under the Bridge by Red Hot Chilli Peppers - not as funny as the other vids but worth including due to the quality of the singing.
Never gonna give you up by Rick Astley - the singing and lyrics are relatively poor in this one (its a measure of how bad the singing in some of these vids is that this wasn't bad enough to exclude). Having said that, now that you can literally rick roll people, how could I not include it?
Making Love out of Nothing at all by Air Supply - included because the missus is a fan of Air Supply (and because it has some funny lyrics)
Anyway, the genesis of today's post is the question - Ever wish songs just sang what was happening in the music video? DustoMcNeato on youtube posed this very question and to illustrate his answer, came up with the below incredibly awesome music video of Take On Me by A-Ha.
By the way, if you like the Darth Thriller clip at the end (and really, why wouldn't you?), you can find the full version by searching youtube for "Dancing With the Star Wars Stars 2008".
Since DustoMcNeato posted his first video (this was back in 2008), the literal music video has really taken off and is now an internet phenomenon. If you search youtube (or even Google) for literal music video, you get inundated with tons of hits. Unfortunately, not all of them are good as the majority of people just don't have good singing voices or don't have decent equipment to record the audio with.
So, being the good guy that I am, I have trawled through the cesspit to find the couple of gems that are worth you spending time to watch. Don't worry, you can thank me later.
:)
It probably goes without saying that you probably won't find this funny unless you have heard the original song.
See more funny videos at Funny or Die
Head over Heels by Tears for Fears - another 80's classic pop song in keeping with the theme.
Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler - this is one of my favourite videos. It does drag a bit in the middle but picks up at the end. Overall, a great video with some hilarious lines and a decent voice.
Anything for Love by Meatloaf - dascottjr actually has several good videos. He was behind Total Eclipse of the Heart as well as this one. What's impressive is the quality of the singing - Meatloaf songs are generally quite hard to sing as Meatloaf has an impressive range to his voice which isn't always apparent until you try singing one of his songs.
Under the Bridge by Red Hot Chilli Peppers - not as funny as the other vids but worth including due to the quality of the singing.
Never gonna give you up by Rick Astley - the singing and lyrics are relatively poor in this one (its a measure of how bad the singing in some of these vids is that this wasn't bad enough to exclude). Having said that, now that you can literally rick roll people, how could I not include it?
Making Love out of Nothing at all by Air Supply - included because the missus is a fan of Air Supply (and because it has some funny lyrics)
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Owen to Man Utd?
Its been a funny summer for premiership football this year. At times, it's felt like a very quiet summer with very little transfer activitiy. And then comes news that Michael Owen has joined Manchester United.
Wow. I didn't see that one coming at all.
Don't get me wrong - I still think Owen can play in the premiership even though he is injury prone (despite his protestations to the contrary, I think any objective analysis of his injury time will agree). However, I have serious doubts as to whether he can play at the level that Man Utd will require of him.
Still, considering that Owen is on a free transfer, I'm sure Fergie is smart enough to make sure that Owen's wages are primarily in the form of bonuses for goals and appearances etc. Still, as a former Liverpool player, I wish him luck (but not in the matches against Liverpool obviously!).
Wow. I didn't see that one coming at all.
Don't get me wrong - I still think Owen can play in the premiership even though he is injury prone (despite his protestations to the contrary, I think any objective analysis of his injury time will agree). However, I have serious doubts as to whether he can play at the level that Man Utd will require of him.
Still, considering that Owen is on a free transfer, I'm sure Fergie is smart enough to make sure that Owen's wages are primarily in the form of bonuses for goals and appearances etc. Still, as a former Liverpool player, I wish him luck (but not in the matches against Liverpool obviously!).
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
My psychological profile according to Scott Adams
Here's something interesting. As you know, I'm a big fan of Scott Adams (love reading Dilbert and his blog posts are interesting as well. Recently, Scott Adams went through his old blog posts to see which ones got the highest ratings from readers and compiled a psych profile of his average reader based on that info. In other words, if I was an average Scott Adams fan, I:
- am curious about how things work;
- value function over form;
- like solving problems (even if they aren't my own);
- am argumentative;
- like pets;
- have at least one parent who is intellectual;
- place a high value on education;
- think people control their own success;
- have gotten in trouble for my generosity;
- don't trust the media;
- think I'm smarter than most people in my life;
- like trying to save time and money;
- have bumpy relationships;
- get justifiably angry a lot;
- wish I am funnier and more creative;
- have imperfect vision;
- don't exercise as much as I should;
- wonder what it would be like to be attractive;
- value science over superstition; and
- like learning.
Wow, quite a list. Out of the 20 points, 17 of them apply to me (can you guess which 17?). So, at first glance, it seems like the profile is accurate.
Having said that, looking at the list, so many of them are so general or apply to the majority of people anyway that you have to wonder whether he actually trolled through his blog posts or just decided to post a general profile up there. For example, get justifiably angry will apply to most people as very few people will get angry without some kind of (twisted) justification. Similarly, guessing that the reader has imperfect vision isn't particularly astounding considering the number of people who wear glasses.
Ultimately, I suspect his next blog post will say that this was all just an experiment in the Forer effect.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Damien Walters
I'm feeling a bit lazy so all I'll do is post the below video and ask you to watch it. Besides, after watching the video, I'm a bit speechless anyway!
btw - my understanding is that Damien Walters is an Olympic level tumbler from Blighty who also practices parkour (also known as free running) and martial arts.
btw - my understanding is that Damien Walters is an Olympic level tumbler from Blighty who also practices parkour (also known as free running) and martial arts.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Four years old?
Recently, if you ask Gerry what age he is, he will tell you that he is four years old. In fact, he is only 3.5 years old. At first, you might think that he has trouble counting up to four.
The truth is far more illuminating.
Several of Gerry's friends from school turned four recently. Their parents decided to have a birthday party and invited the classmates to the party. After seeing all the fuss and presents received by his friends, Gerry immediately started to declare that he was four years old as well!
Here you can see Gerry with one of the birthday boys. The birthday was at McDonalds and it was the first time that Gerry has ever stepped within the golden arches.
This is Gerry watching the entertainment provided by McD's.
Of course, no family picture collection would be complete without a pic of Gordon! Just in case it isn't clear from the chairs and tables, this wasn't taken at Maccy D's.
Huzzah! Another rare photo of me holding Gordon without him crying. I also can't help but wonder what he and Gerry are talking about.
The truth is far more illuminating.
Several of Gerry's friends from school turned four recently. Their parents decided to have a birthday party and invited the classmates to the party. After seeing all the fuss and presents received by his friends, Gerry immediately started to declare that he was four years old as well!
Here you can see Gerry with one of the birthday boys. The birthday was at McDonalds and it was the first time that Gerry has ever stepped within the golden arches.
This is Gerry watching the entertainment provided by McD's.
Of course, no family picture collection would be complete without a pic of Gordon! Just in case it isn't clear from the chairs and tables, this wasn't taken at Maccy D's.
Huzzah! Another rare photo of me holding Gordon without him crying. I also can't help but wonder what he and Gerry are talking about.
And to top it off, here is a close up of Gordon. I'm told he looks just like me which is frankly insulting - I'm much more handsome!
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