17 posts from August 2009

Tues 1st Sept 09, 9.30am

I won't bother explaining who Alan Turing was and the vital work he did at Bletchley Park in WWII, since Wikipedia can explain much better.  (Or even better have a read of Simon Singh's excellent The Code Book, an entertaining and informative tome covering history of cryptography.)

What is worth mentioning is that Turing was persecuted for being homosexual in less enlightened times, and committed suicide at a young age (though being a depressive and living during the war probably didn't help).  

An e-petition has been raised on the Number 10 website that I've just signed asking for an official apology for the way he was treated, and thought I'd link to it for anyone else who thinks this maths genius should be recognised as the hero he was - link here.

Turing

Sat 29th Aug 09, 9.30pm

Fri 28th Aug 09, 9.30am

We had an earthquake in Wellington at 2am this morning, registering 5.3 on the richter scale (9.5 on the sphincter scale). 

I was fast asleep when it happened, and incorporated the movement of the bed into my dream as a creature bolting into my room and under the bed.   I awoke with a jolt, heart hammering, and put the light on.

I felt like an 8 year old after a nightmare - I couldn't even face looking under the bed in case it was still there!   After a few seconds, and hearing others in the house stirring, I realised there'd been an earthquake.

Most of the watercooler chatter today is about "the big one" that's due any day.   The joys of living on a faultline ...

Wed 26th Aug 09, 4.25pm

Another pains-taking animation doing the rounds, this time somebody with a huge amount of lego, a lot of spare time and a love of old '80s computer games.  Ticks all the geeky boxes!

Wed 26th Aug 09, 4.15pm

I have been mostly :-

• Getting back into the routine of work, and relieved that the stresses I was feeling prior to T'Pilgrimage have largely gone.
• Getting a new sofa delivered, lots of suedette reclining action going on!
• Earning Man Points (redeemable at B&Q Depot) by hiring a trailer to collect a free desk from a friend, though I didn't get to drive since my Alfa doesn't have a tow bar. 
  
• Reading the last Inspector Rebus novel, bought second hand in Bangkok.
• Trying to recapture one final flush of youth and playing Unreal Tournament 2004 with The Boy Genius lodger.  Still pants at gaming, but at least I have an excuse.  (Gamer years are like dog years, with a multiplier of 3:1).
• Loving the new District 9 film, best film of the year so far.  Must drag my SA work wife Wendell to see it.  Fokken prawns!
• Revising my opinion of the new Star Trek film on second viewing - pretty good, providing you ignore the bus-sized plot holes and occasional moments of stupidity (big hands, Scotty's water slide, etc).

Thu 20th Aug 09, 5.45pm

Here's the latest viral video doing the rounds.  Not particularly convincing special effects but maybe I'm just tired and narky.  Meh, at least it's short.

Tues 18th Aug 09, 7.45am

Our own clown prince of football - the video explains everything.

Tues 18th Aug 09, 7.30am

Got back home safely, despite a few Immigration glitches, and back to work.  Knackered from the travel and in a bit of a daze but otherwise healthy.  Just aiming to get through the week and chill out at the weekend.  

Thankfully the New Zealand Winter has retreated since we left - we're commuting in daylight again and don't need the heat pump and gas fire on at the same time.

Fri 14th Aug 09, 10.30pm

A British ad for the Subway chain, quite irritating and daft, but that me and Wor Lass are quoting to each other ad nauseum, particularly in this heat.

Fri 14th Aug 09, 9.45pm

Somewhat of a testing day. 

Woken at 5am by a dramatic thunderstorm and torrential rain, the flashes of lightning illuminating already heavy traffic trying to plough through rivers of water.  Woke again at 9am to completely dry streets!

Nipped out for a McShame, then played Musical Porcelain Chairs in the hotel room for an hour -- Wor Lass' stomach is really playing, probably just travel -- before heading out into the sticky, oppressive heat.

Warned at Reception that we wouldn't be able to get into the Buddhist temple in our attire - apparently the sight of my knobbly knees would be too much for them to deal with.  Went back upstairs and changed into long trousers and shirts, just what you don't need in this weather. 

Took a seat-belt free taxi through heavy traffic to the Grand Temple - seemingly the fancy trains don't reach anywhere tourists might actually want to visit as yet - the constant stopping and starting resulting in Wor Lass turning an unpleasant shade of green.  Suspicious that the driver crossed the river twice, when our destination was on the same side of the river as our hotel!  Had he really taken us the long way round to bump up the fair, or was I just being paranoid?

The web had warned me the temple closes for lunch -- cue images of Buddha opening his packup and checking his Blackberry -- so we tried the National Museum first to get a primer on Thailand's long history and cultural delights.  Needing a toilet break we weren't pleased to find them paper-free.  Had to purchase three packs of "Hello Kitty" tissues from the cafe, Wor Lass fuming at the gormless counter staff for giggling as we left.  Tried in vain to take in any of the bewildering names and history in an uninspiring display until we gave up, bought the obligatory fridge magnet and handed our tickets to the next unlucky pair of tourists.

Walking down to the Grand Palace we were stopped by a couple of friendly locals who warned us that the Palace and Buddhist temples would be closed that afternoon to non-Buddhists, and highlighted some other places on the map we could visit instead, even flagging down a passing tuk tuk.  Sensing something wasn't right, and with Wor Lass giving me "The Look", I decided to cut our losses and jumped into a cab to go back the hotel.

The return visit got even worse - the cab crawling along in traffic jams, Wor Lass now a deep shade of lime and hyperventilating, and the driver not even able to show me our location on a map.  What kind of idiot doesn't even recognise his frickin' home town drawn on a piece of paper?  Probably worried about the increasing possibility of Wor Lass redecorating the back of his cab, he dropped us off at a the nearest BTR (overhead railway) station.  We headed up the steps, thankful to bypass the hideous traffic and fumes.

I got halfway through changing money to buy tickets when Wor Lass said "I'm going" then promptly fainted in my arms.  Smiling apologetically at the bemused counter girl -- who could only see the back of her head -- I tried to pocket my coins with one hand while propping the unconscious girlfriend against the counter with the other.  I managed to lower her to the floor beside the ticket stand while I bought the tickets, by which time she'd come round and was able to walk to the escalator, station assistants in facemasks watching our every move.  I just hoped a Swine Flu swat team wasn't being alerted.

The first train was full to bursting, but by the second one Wor Lass couldn't wait another minute and barged her way through the crowd and into a seat.  Twenty minutes later we piled back into our lovely hotel room and safety.

I left her to snooze for a couple of hours and headed for "The Penalty Spot" -- another fake English bar -- for a well-earned pint and read of a photocopied Sun.

Needless to say we've taken it easy the rest of the day.

Someone described Bangkok as "chaotic" and more difficult to engage with than other Far Eastern destinations such as Singapore and Hong Kong.  And they're bang on. 

I made the mistake of not doing my homework in advance, and assuming we would be able to find out feet quickly.  Not so.  Bangkok has its charms, but you have to work hard to get to them.  It's hot, sticky, noisy and crowded.  The pavements go from pristine to rubble within meters, people pester you every few minutes and travel is a nightmare, whether by cab, tuktuk or motorcycle taxi.  The people are lovely, but I feel very much the "rich westerner" ripe for exploitation, which has closed me up to potentially rewarding experiences.

To be honest we're looking forward to flying on to New Zealand and won't be in a hurry to return.  Never mind, all is well now and at least we have a fridge magnet to show for the day!