serialdeviant.org(y)

Dinosaurs’ Gaseous Emissions Warmed Earth? — ergo, Neil has contributed greatly to modern climate change. More than his fair share, really.

Oh, yummy: Dell working on Ubuntu Ultrabook for developers. Not that I’m a developer, but an Ubuntu-based ultrabook would be lightning-fast and should last a really, really long time. My Dell laptop — purchased in 2006 — runs Ubuntu 12.04 pretty well at the moment, so I will be watching these developments with interest (assuming it develops further).

I’m still in denial at what’s about to happen to my, er, unmentionables in several weeks’ time. But we have now bought nappies and a cot, so I guess we’re reasonably prepared.

(And boxes for organising. Oh, boxes…)

It hasn’t exactly been dead quiet round these parts, but I’ve been busy in the background, trying out HTML 5 (a new theme is coming soon, which looks suspiciously similar to the old theme), and my Recesky DIY TLR arrived today!

I added a Lomo filter to this digital photo just to be corny

When they say it’s a DIY camera, they mean it. It comes in a box of bits that you assemble youself, following a set of not-bad-but-not-great instructions (I used a photo tutorial from lofico as a reference to make sure I was doing it right). Mine came in a styrofoam box and I had to be very, very careful not to knock it over and lose screws and springs (they are very small). It took me a few hours to put it together, with a break for lunch and a wee Skype session with family.

Originally, I thought I’d need Neil’s help in putting it together, but as he’s rather busy this week and I’m not exactly known for my patience, I thought I’d give it a go.

Tangent: It’s a good thing Neil is Mr. Handy. I got to use his small screwdriver set. I kept my oily fingers off the lenses by using my teeshirt to hold them.

The good news is I think I’ve managed it — without breaking anything. If I can put this camera together, anyone whose fingers are less clumsy can do it, too.

Okay, I now own five cameras (Neil has three), none of which are particularly flash (see what I did there). That’s a bit mad. However, I’ve never used a TLR before, so if I can get one cheaply (this kit cost buttons) and experiment, it’s all good. That’s my excuse.

Now I just need some prolonged periods of sunshine. And a camera strap. And a camera bag.

Only having read two of Cory Doctorow’s novels, I can’t really say if he’s going to be one of my favourite authors, but the prognosis is good.

What I’ve liked so much about what I’ve read so far is his science fiction-y view of our near future is so plausible (and so deliciously geeky). In Eastern Standard Tribe, our protagonist is a user experience expert who is also a saboteur, working in GMT but is really a double agent for EST. But then he meets a girl.

The story flips back and forth in time, over a period of a few months (I think). We know that he’s been locked up somewhere (that’s how the novel starts), and then we go back in time and meet the girl. The entire story is basically about how these two events collide.

It was fun, and if you dabble a little in cyberpunk now and again, you’ll probably like it.

• Details: Eastern Standard Tribe by Cory Doctorow, HarperVoyager, £7.99
• Verdict: 4/5

Springwise has brought PleaseBringMe.com to my attention. Pretty handy, if not for the fact that what I want brought to me is freshly-prepared hawker food.

Okay, this is now beyond a joke. The Offspring and Ben Folds Five are also playing in the UK this year. So I’ll be missing these guys, Chris Isaak, Soundgarden, Faith No More, and all five captains from Star Trek?! This baby had better be cool as fuck to make up for the cruel deprivation I’m about to face.

A little quiz in Paranormality indicated that I might be a natural-born liar — or at least am very good at lying — but an article in Pacific Standard indicates that fellas are worse. Maybe. Am I telling the truth about that?

Yeah, sometimes I feel that way, too.

Britain’s richest see fortunes rise to record high: well, at least something in the UK is growing…

*sigh* Discriminated against, again… Sports stats show why lefties are rare.

We got up at 6am on Sunday so that Neil could play at being Chris Hoy.

Just kidding! He was asked if he’d like to join in with a colleague’s cycling club on a track day at Wales National Velodrome. I’ve never seen the inside of a velodrome in person, so I kaypoh’d along.

(Tangent: the best thing for Neil to eat the night before he goes on a long ride is a Pizza Hut pan pizza. He thought any pizza would do, but I surmised it was the dough and the almost fried bread-like quality from the Hut that has that energy-boosting effect. And I was right. I love it when I’m right.)

I took lots of shots, but only a few have made it to the upload. I didn’t notice the Lumix’s indoor sports mode until they were, er, halfway through their training session.

That’s Neil in the red sleeves and black t-shirt. He was the only one not in skin-tight Lycra.

The day Alex Reid enters politics and is successful at the polls is the day we must leave the UK as it will soon crumble into a gazillion, banana-flavoured pieces.

Lomography, an Analog Company Surviving in a Digital World: I’d definitely buy a camera from their company if they didn’t cost so freaking much. Why would anyone pay so much for a plastic toy camera if not simply for the brand?

Deity, I’m getting lazy. 15-year old trackies? Check. (To think I once taught a bunch of toddlers some basic gymnastics wearing these. Those toddlers would be in their teens now. Eep!) I’m pretty much wearing my jammies in this picture.

Whether or not he’s doing well in spite of the opposition, Obama sure knows how to connect with people (or perhaps just a particular demographic).

Via mashable.