Kimputer's Weblog

Christmas is a cheerful time, and laughter should be one of the main ingredients. But since I’m not quite the joke producer, I have to do an awful copy & paste action, something that goes into my very core of staying original. But for the greater good, here it is (from http://www.goofydave.com/twist.htm):

A New Twist on an Old Tradition

One particular Christmas season a long time ago, Santa was getting ready for his annual trip … but there were problems everywhere. Four of his elves got sick, and the trainee elves did not produce the toys as fast as the regular ones so Santa was beginning to feel the pressure of being behind schedule. Then Mrs. Claus told Santa that her mom was coming to visit. This stressed Santa even more. When he went to harness the reindeer, he found that three of them were about to give birth and two had jumped the fence and were out, heaven knows where. More stress. Then when he began to load the sleigh one of the boards cracked and the toy bag fell to the ground and scattered the toys. Needless to say Santa wasn’t in the best mood.
Just then the doorbell rang and Santa went to the door expecting another problem. He opened the door and there was a little angel with a great big Christmas tree there just to cheer Santa up.
The angel said, very cheerfully, “Merry Christmas Santa. Isn’t it just a lovely day? I have a beautiful tree for you. Isn’t it just a lovely tree? Where would you like me to stick it?”
Thus began the tradition of the little angel on top of the Christmas tree.

Is there a masseuse in the house ? Somehow, without actually physically straining myself, somehow, a tendon or muscle got rewired (or at least, it feels like that) somewhere between my spine and right shoulder blade. Now I can only turn my head in excruciating pain, and right arm functionality is also highly limited. If your job is an emergency masseuse, please call me. Before lunch time. (I’ve had this before to a lesser extend, and it always goes away in one or two days, so if you’re in a helping mood, help fast)

UK doctors have begun reporting incidences of iPod Finger, a repetitive strain injury caused by constant manipulation of the iPod scroll wheel or buttons.

The British Chiropractic Association (BCA) says the condition could soon be as commonplace in the UK as it is in the US where some users have lost the full use of their thumb.

(source: http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/81056/doctors-diagnose-ipod-fingers.html )

That’s why I have an iRiver. No scratches on the screen either. No cracked LCD. No whining about battery life. And most importantly, it’s not ugly white either !

Oh, by the way, who needs downloading when you can go to the movies all you want ? The Pathe Unlimited incentive (17.50 will buy you a whole month of unlimited access) sounds like a success to begin with. And to support it, I got myself one of those. For the mathematicians among you, break even point is 4 times or more a month. (edit 29-11-2005: Ai, I’m not quite the mathematician myself, break even is actually already at 3 or even 2 times (3 x 6 or 2 x 8.75 depending on how you buy your tickets))

Hardware failures… it’s so inherent to technology, so my trusty old server had to have at least a few of those. Yesterday was the hard drive’s turn (actually, it began a few weeks earlier, but I found ways around it). Anyways, new hard drive, put in some more memory while I was at it. And if I’m correct, everything is back to the way it was.
Coz, you know, you have those people advising other people to backup once in a while, and when push comes to shove, those people themselves didn’t backup their stuff. As you can see, I’m not one of those people. Lucky you, all this bullshit of mine is still online.

Not a lot of new blood on the silver screen, but on the tiny screen, I found one again. With only a few guest spots (Smallville, Boston Legal, and even an unaired episode (Jake 2.0)) under her belt, she’s definitely going to make it. Who is it ? Tamara Feldman.
Proving on recent episodes of Boston Legal, not only is her looks (with a face (and body) that seems like it’s sculpted according to the mathematical equations described in God’s Handbook of building a Hot Chick) a constant visual diversion, she’s got some acting skills to show too. Though, hopefully she won’t be typecasted as the next generic screaming chick as her two upcoming movies (Something’s Wrong in Kansas and Hatchet) are of the horror genre. In any case, don’t tell me I didn’t warn ya.
Here are some pics: Picture 1 | Picture 2 | Picture 3

Chicken Little proves to be the biggest one in town, yet again, as he spends a second week at the top spot, with $32 million (only 20% drop, and just in time to chicken out next week to make room for the boy wizard).
New entry Zathura (somewhat a sequel to Jumanji) can’t keep up, opening second with $14 million. Derailed is just what it says it is, slowly choo-choo-ing in at number 3 with $12.8 million. Right behind at 4 is Get Rich or Die Tryin’ starring 50 Cents, with $12.5 million. Rounding out the top 5 is Jarhead, with $12.3 (with a 50% drop).

Hey, a new flavor ? Nopz. Not at all. The ‘Island’, just as it is printed on the can, is between quotes. So, t2he only probable cause I can think of the name, without actually changing the flavor is that is a code printed can to promote King Kong (code can be entered on the Pringles website. And no, I didn’t win anything). Just so you know.

Normal chilli I know, Thai Sweet Chilli I probably don’t. There’s a slight chili flavor, but there’s a distinct ginger overtone. This makes you eat away this can much more slowly than you would another flavor, and addiction danger is hence a bit lower than usual. Still, having a new flavor to try out is always an adventure.7-.

You’ve seen them magically appear on my table, and now it’s time to review them. All are new, so new, here and there it’s not even localised, so you’ll have to bear with me with the untranslated parts. The thin luxurious tablets are all 150 grams, and since they appeared magically, I have no pricing.

First up is from the Coeur Patissier series, Tiramisu. Extra fine chocolate, covering a bit of crispy cookie layer, with a very light tiramisu taste. The contrast is okay, and there’s a slight milky taste to it. It’s not addictive, but it’s definitely okay.7.

Second is another Coeur Patissier, it’s Crumble a la Pomme. Front cover shows a apple pie picture, but the taste is more sharp, the artificial candy like flavor. While it is very edible, only after a few bites, you’ll have this “Wow, I’ve had enough” feeling. Definitely a self controlling sweet. Then again, I’m not on a diet.6.

Third up is another one of the same series, with the title Poire Belle Helene. Exquisite title, exotic taste. The extra fine chocolate melts away perfectly, while the creamy cacoa mass inside provides a transitional phase to the dried pieces of pear. The taste is unconventional, but it’s very nice. Texture of pear is like wine gummy candy, but without the sticking between the teeth part. And above all, every dried piece of fruit is highly nutritional (think mango or raisins), so it’s healthy while you enjoy this highly addictive piece of chocolate art.8½.

Off to the fourth, from the Coeur Truffe series, a l’Orange. This tablet is a bit more massive, and the bites melt less quickly in your mouth. The content is no surprise, truffle with an orange flavor. For contrast, the are crispy sugary cacoa and orange pieces. The pieces could be a bit sharp though (which will scratch a bit on the palate of your mouth), and the flavor is a bit heavy on the stomach. This means there’s only a slight chance of addiction.8-.

Last but not least, is the Noir Pamplemousse. Like the direct translation says, dark chocolate with piecies of dried grapefruit. The natural bitterness of the grapefruit combines nicely with the bitterness of the extra dark chocolate (64% cacoa). It’s a strong combo with intense flavor, and hence, this is the only tablet that’s 100 grams (the other ones are 150 grams). With a slower melting rate, it takes about the same time to eat away the same amount of the others in the same time though. Fans of dark chocolate will definitely love this.8.

Even though I don’t have my White Hair of Wisdom anymore (I used to shave it off, but that last time I pulled it out. I have faith it’ll be back within a year though), here are a few more lines of wise advice:

If you think I stole pencils and pens in my younger years (from the art classes I still have found no use for in the real world) just for sports or other petty purposes, think again. I saved them all, and now, for instance, the Steadler pencils (softness catagory 2B) are used by my lil’ niece to do her homework (writing exercises, currently at “vr” (as in vrij, vraag)). So, IF you ever think of stealing something, be responsible, save it for later, even if it’s 15 years later.

It’s about time some old sayings get updated. So I’ll throw in another wise one, as the “don’t take candy from strange men” is a bit outdated. What you should use more to warn the little ones is “Don’t start chatting with strange people unless a live webcam feed that can verify the appearance of the other side, with real-time checks (for instance, “wave now”, “stick out your tongue”) not exceeding a 10 seconds lag”.

Usually, most things Google makes, are instant successes. It started with the super fast lean mean search machine in 1998, growing bigger every year ever since. Taking over the Usenet database (can’t even remember what is was called) and reforming it to Google Groups was the next step. Revenue came pouring in with sponsored links, and new projects spawned over the years. For instance, Google Earth distributed faster than any nasty Windows Worm could dream of, purely on its merits and word of mouth.
But now comes Google Talk. The instant messenging everybody already knows. ICQ was the startup, even before Google was formed (1996), but with Windows Messenger’s inclusion in Windows, and other rivals (Yahoo, AOL), that market is really crowded. It also includes voice chat, but that was already a feature on MSN (which is a pain in the ass when used in a NAT-ed environment, and hence Skype is the way to chat currently). So what is really new (besides another restriction, your contacts must be fellow GMail users) ? Will you be trying it ?

John Singleton’s new movie Four Brothers ruled the box office this week with $20.7 million. Starring Tyrese, Mark Wahlberg and Andre 3000 might have helped the outcome quite a bit.
Second was The Skeleton Key, Kate Hudson’s comeback after giving birth to her son, earning $15.8 million. Third was last week’s topper, The Dukes of Hazzard, with a steep drop to $13 million. Still strong and going are the Wedding Crashers, $12 million in its fourth week of release.
Vulgarity had to take a lower spot, Rob Schneider’s Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo rounds off the top five with $9.4 million.

Climbing out of the pool of awards won for the 2 seasons (and one special) of The Office (both in the States and back home in Britain), Ricky Gervais and Stephan Merchant cook up a new comedy. Airing free on the BBC2 (the States will get it later this year, on the payed cable channel HBO), only 6 episode are produced again. Luckily, they all are quite funny. The premise (Ricky plays an extra, with every episode featuring another gig) is a rich environment, and the line up of guest stars is fabulous. Luckily, stories are not dependent on the guest spots (for instance, Ben Stiller, Kate Winslet, Samuel L. Jackson and Patrick Stewart, all of them willing to play either an outrageous role, or an exaggerated charicature of themselves), and there’s still time to delve into the lives of the two principle characters (Ricky Gervais as Andy Millman and Ashley Jensen as Maggie Jacobs). It’s a shame 4 episodes have already aired, and the only thing to do is hope for more seasons to come.

Still no real summer in sight, but the second batch of the Magnum 5 Senses series is already upon us (still €2.99 for a pack). Still containing 3 flavors, it means a comeback for Taste, the least special one from the first series (light caramel flavored).
New is Vision, strawberry flavored icecream with a bit of strawberry flavored sauce, covered in white chocolate. Melts away nicely, and flavor combines well. Then there’s Sound, the most special one of this batch. Dark chocolate covering coconut flavored icecream, with a bit of chocolate sauce. Sugary chunks are embedded in the coating, making up for a nice crunchy contrast. As I gave a grade for the whole box last time, I’ll do the same here.8.