In part 1 I mentioned how we entered our daughter in a poetry contest despite her protestations that she didn't want to submit the poem..... and then she won first prize and was really upset.
Well now a couple of weeks later we discovered the next chapter in the unfortunate events scenario..... she hadn't written the poem, she had just copied it down from somewhere (she can't remember where). Officially we didn't give her a chance to tell us that she hadn't written it, however I think she learnt a bit of a lesson about straightening out any misunderstandings as soon as possible.
And our lesson has well and truly been learnt.... 1) give your kids a chance to speak and 2) listen to them when they have spoken!
Everything worked out well, the first prize went to the runner up etc. and the mistake was caught before it went into the print brochures!
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Friday, March 16, 2007
God Bless the Microsoft boys....
I wonder how many production servers broke down yesterday?
We use Windows 2003 servers in our production environment. Previously we have disabled the 'auto-update-install' feature on these servers as it hasn't proved the most reliable mechanism, often requiring a technician to sort out the ensuing mess.
It seems that yesterdays update was SO important that Microsoft went ahead and installed the update despite our setting the option to prevent this. It took us two hours to recover the situation.... a big thank you to Microsoft.
If they ignore your configuration settings I can only guess what else they ignore.... big brother and privacy invasion?
We use Windows 2003 servers in our production environment. Previously we have disabled the 'auto-update-install' feature on these servers as it hasn't proved the most reliable mechanism, often requiring a technician to sort out the ensuing mess.
It seems that yesterdays update was SO important that Microsoft went ahead and installed the update despite our setting the option to prevent this. It took us two hours to recover the situation.... a big thank you to Microsoft.
If they ignore your configuration settings I can only guess what else they ignore.... big brother and privacy invasion?
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
The great global climate change swindle
Originally published: 10 Mar 07. A lot of noise on the web about CO2 emmissions and vested interested
http://community.channel4.com/groupee/forums/a/frm/f/9250037634
http://errortheory.blogspot.com/
Seems that politicians have created and hi-jacked the 'glolbal warming' agenda to create a UK mandate for Nuclear Power Stations and restricting the developing world to Wind and Solar Power....
Vested interestes abound in this debate. Call me 'mr conspiracy theory' but I don't trust either side.
Common sense tells me to avoid un-necessary waste (i.e. buy a car that delivers more than 30mpg) and avoid destroying the environment BUT would I really trust the hysterical CO2 lobby to have no wider agenda.... I think not.
I published this to stop me forgetting to look into it further
http://community.channel4.com/groupee/forums/a/frm/f/9250037634
http://errortheory.blogspot.com/
Seems that politicians have created and hi-jacked the 'glolbal warming' agenda to create a UK mandate for Nuclear Power Stations and restricting the developing world to Wind and Solar Power....
Vested interestes abound in this debate. Call me 'mr conspiracy theory' but I don't trust either side.
Common sense tells me to avoid un-necessary waste (i.e. buy a car that delivers more than 30mpg) and avoid destroying the environment BUT would I really trust the hysterical CO2 lobby to have no wider agenda.... I think not.
I published this to stop me forgetting to look into it further
DOS 8.3 filenames... a shadow of the past and weird unsolved nonsense
Originally published: 6 Mar 07. I ran into a rather unusual problem yesterday.
A client who has been FTP'ing files to one of our servers for over a year now changed their FTP client program. For some reason on our 2003 servers the arriving files could no longer be manipulated using Windows, instead we had to use an old DOS prompt and the hidden 8.3 filenames to access these files (I thought DOS was dead and buried a long time ago!).
After a few hours looking for insight from Google, I failed to come up with any insight on how to address the issue. Instead we asked the client to ensure that the files arriving adhered to a 8.3 filename convention and we walked away from the problem..... muttering and pretending that it doesn't exist.
A client who has been FTP'ing files to one of our servers for over a year now changed their FTP client program. For some reason on our 2003 servers the arriving files could no longer be manipulated using Windows, instead we had to use an old DOS prompt and the hidden 8.3 filenames to access these files (I thought DOS was dead and buried a long time ago!).
After a few hours looking for insight from Google, I failed to come up with any insight on how to address the issue. Instead we asked the client to ensure that the files arriving adhered to a 8.3 filename convention and we walked away from the problem..... muttering and pretending that it doesn't exist.
Only 10 miles away but a different universe.... and a bit of a Titanic moment
Originally published: 2 Mar 07. There's a glorious 5 star hotel in Dublin City Centre. It's called The Shelbourne and it is steeped in Dublin history.
Last night I arranged to meet 4 friends in it's famous Horseshoe Bar before going on to dinner. Well I arrived on time to discover that it is closed and has been for a year undergoing extensive renovations!
So one by one I rang my friends to organise a different venue... and can you guess what each of them said to me? That's right, it went along the lines of "I assumed you knew it had been closed but I guessed that it had just opened again".
It made me think of the Titanic hitting the iceberg... I wonder how many people had private misgivings about charging through an icefield but assumed somebody else knew better? My advice to all my friends is 'please save me from myself!'.
I only live 10 miles from the city centre but it's obvious that I don't get out much anymore.
PS. The Shelbourne Hotel did actually open it's doors to the public again on the 13th March
Last night I arranged to meet 4 friends in it's famous Horseshoe Bar before going on to dinner. Well I arrived on time to discover that it is closed and has been for a year undergoing extensive renovations!
So one by one I rang my friends to organise a different venue... and can you guess what each of them said to me? That's right, it went along the lines of "I assumed you knew it had been closed but I guessed that it had just opened again".
It made me think of the Titanic hitting the iceberg... I wonder how many people had private misgivings about charging through an icefield but assumed somebody else knew better? My advice to all my friends is 'please save me from myself!'.
I only live 10 miles from the city centre but it's obvious that I don't get out much anymore.
PS. The Shelbourne Hotel did actually open it's doors to the public again on the 13th March
Michael O'Leary and Ryanair have changed the world... in more ways than one
Originally published: 27 Feb 07. We flew Ryanair last week to Birmingham for a day trip.... in the last year these 'day trips' have become routine for me.
For me it's staggering how much the world has changed in the last twenty years. I live about 10 minutes from Dublin Airport and have made some 50-60 day trips to the UK in the last year, at the same time I have made less than 50 trips to my company office in Tallaght. It's weird but unless I'm flying out of the country, I prefer to stay locked in my house and working from home in order to avoid traffic... it definitely feels like a weird reality to me.
It took us at least fifty years to realise that easy mobility (in cars) does have environmental consequences. I guess it will take us a few more years to acknowledge that easy mobility with Ryanair planes will have even bigger environmental consequences... by which time I will always work from home and refuse to leave the house unless going somewhere on my bicycle!
For me it's staggering how much the world has changed in the last twenty years. I live about 10 minutes from Dublin Airport and have made some 50-60 day trips to the UK in the last year, at the same time I have made less than 50 trips to my company office in Tallaght. It's weird but unless I'm flying out of the country, I prefer to stay locked in my house and working from home in order to avoid traffic... it definitely feels like a weird reality to me.
It took us at least fifty years to realise that easy mobility (in cars) does have environmental consequences. I guess it will take us a few more years to acknowledge that easy mobility with Ryanair planes will have even bigger environmental consequences... by which time I will always work from home and refuse to leave the house unless going somewhere on my bicycle!
Politicians and thieves in the night... Irish Government is an embarrasment to human decency
Originally published: 23 Feb 07. On Wednesday night of the 21st the Irish Government snuck through emergency legislation that completely changed the landscape of the Irish Health Insurance Industry..
Make no mistake, this was TOP SECRET, cloak and dagger stuff. At the close of business on the 21st a Mr Sean Quinn was in the process of buying the Irish section of Health Insurance company Bupa, at the start of business on the 22nd (with absolutely no advance information of the change), his new venture would now be liable to €160m of compensation payments to competitors.
Well I just hope that Sean Quinn didn't sign the legal purchase contract on that night.
I wouldn't expect this kind of behaviour from a despot dictatorship in a third world country! Irish Politics really needs a credible opposition party and I need to lighten up.
Make no mistake, this was TOP SECRET, cloak and dagger stuff. At the close of business on the 21st a Mr Sean Quinn was in the process of buying the Irish section of Health Insurance company Bupa, at the start of business on the 22nd (with absolutely no advance information of the change), his new venture would now be liable to €160m of compensation payments to competitors.
Well I just hope that Sean Quinn didn't sign the legal purchase contract on that night.
I wouldn't expect this kind of behaviour from a despot dictatorship in a third world country! Irish Politics really needs a credible opposition party and I need to lighten up.
And for something completely different...
Originally published: 22 Feb 07. An overland rally, covering thousands of miles in a tiny banjaxed Fiat. The two competitors in this case were 19. I think the guy who won it was also 19 and drove a 16 year old Daihatsu Charade that he bought on ebay for 600 quid. It seems the spirit of adventure is alive and well.
James Rickwood-Dodsworth and Andy Wallace did a great job competing and a great job reporting on the event, it's hilarious... read all about the dynamic duo here. I hope they produce a real video diary for next years event.
Mind you they didn't seem too PC, they eventually abandoned the dead machine in a desert.
James Rickwood-Dodsworth and Andy Wallace did a great job competing and a great job reporting on the event, it's hilarious... read all about the dynamic duo here. I hope they produce a real video diary for next years event.
Mind you they didn't seem too PC, they eventually abandoned the dead machine in a desert.
Is Mary Harney an Independent TD
Originally published: 21 Feb 07. In Ireland there is a political party called the Progressive Democrats and for the last 10 years they have been 'punching above their weight'.
This party which has just eight elected representatives and yet has managed to hold the position of deputy prime minister and been influential in all government policy since 1997.
In September 2006, the party leader Mary Harney (the country's deputy Prime Minister) stepped down and allowed the Justice Minister, Michael McDowell to become the party leader. In the intervening period it has become obvious that Mary Harney was the only 'professional' politician that the party possessed.
It would not surprise me if this party is decimated at the next election. McDowell is a loose canon who seems more intent on gaining publicity for himself than for actually contributing to government. His antics to-date, include,
1. He stalled the Irish housing market in the autumn of 2006 by issuing ungrounded utterances on the abolishment of punitive housing stamp duty
2. He piped up more nonsense last week castigating the cost of the ongoing mahon tribunal. What's laughable here is that he was the actual minister who rubber stamped the exorbitant ‘per diem' rates being charged by this tribunal a few years earlier.
3. And now it seems you can be taken to court for having slow instinctive reactions. I think he should concentrate on his day job as Justice Minister and sort this nonsense out before he goes showboating in other areas for publicity.
It seems he cannot open his mouth without considering the bigger picture implications of what he is about to say.
And where is Mary Harney in all this?? At a time when her party really needs statesman's advice and guidance, she is no where to be seen.
Perhaps she's stopped giving or the parties stopped listening, who knows but either way it looks like she doesn't really care about the future of the Progressive Democrats any more!
This party which has just eight elected representatives and yet has managed to hold the position of deputy prime minister and been influential in all government policy since 1997.
In September 2006, the party leader Mary Harney (the country's deputy Prime Minister) stepped down and allowed the Justice Minister, Michael McDowell to become the party leader. In the intervening period it has become obvious that Mary Harney was the only 'professional' politician that the party possessed.
It would not surprise me if this party is decimated at the next election. McDowell is a loose canon who seems more intent on gaining publicity for himself than for actually contributing to government. His antics to-date, include,
1. He stalled the Irish housing market in the autumn of 2006 by issuing ungrounded utterances on the abolishment of punitive housing stamp duty
2. He piped up more nonsense last week castigating the cost of the ongoing mahon tribunal. What's laughable here is that he was the actual minister who rubber stamped the exorbitant ‘per diem' rates being charged by this tribunal a few years earlier.
3. And now it seems you can be taken to court for having slow instinctive reactions. I think he should concentrate on his day job as Justice Minister and sort this nonsense out before he goes showboating in other areas for publicity.
It seems he cannot open his mouth without considering the bigger picture implications of what he is about to say.
And where is Mary Harney in all this?? At a time when her party really needs statesman's advice and guidance, she is no where to be seen.
Perhaps she's stopped giving or the parties stopped listening, who knows but either way it looks like she doesn't really care about the future of the Progressive Democrats any more!
Dangerous Driving Irish Style?
Originally published: 20 Feb 07. In Dublin today, a jury has begun deliberating at the trial of Kenneth Henvey. He is a bus driver who is on trial for dangerous driving. His bus went out of control at a place called Wellington Quay and killed 5 pedestrians.
The case of the Wellington Quay bus accident three years ago is a tragic one and only the deepest sympathy can be felt for all those affected; however in reading the news stories that abound I can't help getting an uneasy feeling that the driver is facing prosecution due to the consequences of the accident and not the circumstances of the accident. It seems the bus driver came on shift, sat in the seat and stood on the accelerator pedal instead of the brake pedal while preparing to move off.
The bus careered forward out of control for about 8.5 seconds and killed 5 people at the bus stop, however a Garda Kelly, in giving evidence (to quote the story above) felt that the driver should have been able to get the bus under control within 2 seconds.
And that is the hub of the prosecution's case! Patrick McGrath BL, prosecuting told the jury that the length of time it took Mr Henvey to react was clearly above the length of time any reasonable driver would have taken. He said that this failure to react was ‘inexcusable' and coupled with Mr Henvey's foot hitting the accelerator constituted dangerous driving. ‘inexcusable'? Is he suggesting that the driver made a conscious effort not to get the bus under control? Well God help us all because it now seems you can be tried for not having Top Gun pilot reactions. The fact that this case has come to court must surely be a cause for reflection on the Irish Legal System and indirectly on the Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell.
Apparently this man is on trial because his reactions were not quick enough DURING an ‘out of control' panic situation.
While I don't have a legal definition of ‘dangerous driving', surely the case the defendant must answer is ‘was I driving dangerously up to the point that control was lost'. And it seems according to the news stories that the ONLY driving act Mr Henvey actually did was to step on the accelerator peddle by mistake when we was trying to step on the brake.
UPDATE 21st Feb: It took the jury 4 hours of deliberation in order to acquit Mr Henvey. However in order to reach this verdict the jury was required to formally acknowledge that a ‘power surge' COULD have happened despite concrete evidence from the prosecution that no power surges took place. It sounds like the jury ignored the evidence and did the RIGHT thing; there was no case to answer here and the jury took the only common sense option left open. My only hope is that I never find myself in the dock facing serious charges because my instinctive reaction times are not quick enough..... and it is only HOPE that will save me because it seems our legal system will afford me no protection.
The case of the Wellington Quay bus accident three years ago is a tragic one and only the deepest sympathy can be felt for all those affected; however in reading the news stories that abound I can't help getting an uneasy feeling that the driver is facing prosecution due to the consequences of the accident and not the circumstances of the accident. It seems the bus driver came on shift, sat in the seat and stood on the accelerator pedal instead of the brake pedal while preparing to move off.
The bus careered forward out of control for about 8.5 seconds and killed 5 people at the bus stop, however a Garda Kelly, in giving evidence (to quote the story above) felt that the driver should have been able to get the bus under control within 2 seconds.
And that is the hub of the prosecution's case! Patrick McGrath BL, prosecuting told the jury that the length of time it took Mr Henvey to react was clearly above the length of time any reasonable driver would have taken. He said that this failure to react was ‘inexcusable' and coupled with Mr Henvey's foot hitting the accelerator constituted dangerous driving. ‘inexcusable'? Is he suggesting that the driver made a conscious effort not to get the bus under control? Well God help us all because it now seems you can be tried for not having Top Gun pilot reactions. The fact that this case has come to court must surely be a cause for reflection on the Irish Legal System and indirectly on the Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell.
Apparently this man is on trial because his reactions were not quick enough DURING an ‘out of control' panic situation.
While I don't have a legal definition of ‘dangerous driving', surely the case the defendant must answer is ‘was I driving dangerously up to the point that control was lost'. And it seems according to the news stories that the ONLY driving act Mr Henvey actually did was to step on the accelerator peddle by mistake when we was trying to step on the brake.
UPDATE 21st Feb: It took the jury 4 hours of deliberation in order to acquit Mr Henvey. However in order to reach this verdict the jury was required to formally acknowledge that a ‘power surge' COULD have happened despite concrete evidence from the prosecution that no power surges took place. It sounds like the jury ignored the evidence and did the RIGHT thing; there was no case to answer here and the jury took the only common sense option left open. My only hope is that I never find myself in the dock facing serious charges because my instinctive reaction times are not quick enough..... and it is only HOPE that will save me because it seems our legal system will afford me no protection.
The trouble with kids is...
they have rights and feelings. Originally published: 19 Feb 07.
Our 8 year old daughter recently won the under-12 category of a poetry competition. The morning she opened the notification letter was priceless. For about 3 seconds her face was a perfect picture of happiness and then everything changed! Unfortunately we had been bad parents and ridden rough shot over her wishes, in fact I feel worse than I'd feel if I were one of those pageant parents in 'Little Miss Sunshine'!
Our daughter originally filled in the competition application with her poem but at the last minute baulked and decided she didn't want anyone else seeing her poetry. When she wasn't looking and had forgotten about the application (it was sitting on the side counter) I slipped it into the post. I guess the worst thing that could have happened was that she'd win, now she know's I'm a bad adult who doesn't care her feelings! Things have calmed done in the last couple of days and I think she has forgiven me, she's even talking about bringing a few friends along to the prize giving.
As for 'Little Miss Sunshine'... what a great movie. I haven't cried with laughter at a film for thirty years. This movie is a must see.
Our 8 year old daughter recently won the under-12 category of a poetry competition. The morning she opened the notification letter was priceless. For about 3 seconds her face was a perfect picture of happiness and then everything changed! Unfortunately we had been bad parents and ridden rough shot over her wishes, in fact I feel worse than I'd feel if I were one of those pageant parents in 'Little Miss Sunshine'!
Our daughter originally filled in the competition application with her poem but at the last minute baulked and decided she didn't want anyone else seeing her poetry. When she wasn't looking and had forgotten about the application (it was sitting on the side counter) I slipped it into the post. I guess the worst thing that could have happened was that she'd win, now she know's I'm a bad adult who doesn't care her feelings! Things have calmed done in the last couple of days and I think she has forgiven me, she's even talking about bringing a few friends along to the prize giving.
As for 'Little Miss Sunshine'... what a great movie. I haven't cried with laughter at a film for thirty years. This movie is a must see.
Another wet Monday
Originally published: 19 Feb 07. Woke up this morning feeling all washed out... it was blowing a gale and raining.... I felt like I used to feel 30 years ago when getting up for school; I just didn't want to do it. I've had an ear infection (very mildly making it's presence felt) for two months and have done nothing about it. I live in the dream world of 'given a chance the body will do it's best to sort these things out', for me two actimels is my idea of medicine.
Well last night I took an antibiotic, my stomach started to play up and this morning... yep felt totally washed out. Don't know if I'll keep taking them... it always feels like antibiotics are the machine gun approach to medicine.
Well last night I took an antibiotic, my stomach started to play up and this morning... yep felt totally washed out. Don't know if I'll keep taking them... it always feels like antibiotics are the machine gun approach to medicine.
Blog-city charge money??
I'm setting up this blog because I didn't realise that Blog-City would start asking for money after a trial period. I have now copied all my entries across and will delete the account.
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