I’ve subtley modified Visual Studio to better suit my current needs:

Crooked Nines

I’m loving the current Evil Nine single, Crooked. Now its got an ace new video.

Gizmondo

Stupid name, cool gadget, nice looking website with some cool little features (just don”t look at the code beneath it).

Now, I know I said it was a nice site earlier, but its not. I clicked on the music link and got told “The site you have tried to enter requires Internet Explorer 6 (or better)” — the thing is, I am using something better than IE6! Rubbish.

The Marriage of Presentation and Structure

One for the web geeks amongst you: Ethan Marcotte‘s Presentation from Web Design World 2004. Built using Eric Meyer’s S5 – its like Powerpoint for the web.

Ten million users

Mozilla Firefox is downloaded 10 million times in just over a month. That is very very impressive work.

Google to buy lots of scanners

The libraries of five of the world’s most important academic institutions are to be digitised by Google.

…I’ll be opening up my Marzocchi Super-T Pros for the first time. Wish me luck!

And then a bit later on…

I’ve just had one of those “OH B******S!” moments.

I went over to the Windwave site and downloaded some of their excellent technical guides to servicing your Marzocchi fork. They explain the whole oil and spring change in a very clear and simple manner — unfortunately they can’t take human error into acocunt.

I took everything apart. I poured the old oil out. I noted how the oil in the damper-cart leg was black and horrible, and how it was lovely and clean in the other leg. I replaced it with new oil. I put everything back together. I rode around the car-park, noting that the fork is now a lot more supple, but there’s still perhaps a little too much oil in there. “I’ll sort that out next time around”, I think to myself.

And then it happens. I’m disposing of the old fork oil when “Ooh, whats that?”. That’ll be one of the washers from inside the fork then. That really ought to be on the inside of the fork. But I’ve got no daylight left, and there’s no lights in the garage. There’s no way in hell that I’m doing this in the flat.

Oh well, that’ll have to wait for next weekend then. The complete lack of daylight in the winter is such a pain in the backside! You live and learn…

And then about a week later…

I emailed Windwave during the week to find out where the mystery washer should go. It took about five minutes flat to take the top-cap off of the the fork, take a few bits out, put the washer back where it was supposed to go and then put it all back together. I could probably have done it in the dark. I still think there’s a bit too much oil in there but I’ll test ride it first.

I read a lot of websites – people’s weblogs, journals, news sites, bike sites, the list is endless. It takes me absolutely ages to trawl through them every day. The list of sites seems to grow on a fairly regular basis too, so the trawl takes longer every time. I need to look at every single site to see if its been updated, and quite often they haven’t, which is just wasted time. This needs to be fixed. Its taking too long and its too much of a distraction.

Now, I’d heard about RSS, but I didn’t really get it or what it did. Then Thunderbird came along and BISH BASH BOSH! It all made sense.

You know when someone sends you a new email, it appears as a bold item in your inbox? Well now you can do that with your frequently-read websites.

You’ve tempted me. How does it work then?

Its remarkably simple to set it up:

1. Open Thunderbird. Now go to File > New > Account
2. Select RSS News and Blogs, and then press Next a few times.
3. You’ve now got an account set up. Fire up Firefox (or your browser of choice) and come to this very site.
4. You see that RSS 2.0 link towards to bottom of the sidebar? Drag and drop that onto News & Blogs in Thunderbird (see below).

Now whenever I update my site, the new article will show up in there. The same goes for any other sites who offer an RSS feed:

What’s more, if a site offers RDF or Atom feeds instead of RSS, they’ll work too. Just drag and drop the link in exactly the same way.

Alternatives?

If you don’t like Thunderbird, there’s plenty of other RSS readers out there aswell. One that I’ve heard very good things about is FeedDemon, which comes from the same stable as the rather wonderful TopStyle.

There’s something screwy about those pictures…

It might look like I’m using an Apple computer in the screenshots, but sadly its all an elaborate hoax. I’m actually using the Flyakite mod for Windows XP SP2. Sadly I can’t afford an iMac right now…

All of my CDs are now in iTunes. Rock on, quite literally. Methinks I’ll be needing something slightly bigger than a 20gb iPod…

I seem to have had this cold ever since we went to New York. That’s getting on for a month now, and I just don’t seem able to shake it. Every time I think I’m nearly there, progressing along the road to a snot-free existence I’ll have a couple of late nights or something and just relapse into it.

I woke up this morning so bunged up with phlegm that I could barely speak without coughing a gallon or so of the stuff up (so much so that when I phoned work to tell them I wouldn’t be there, they didn’t understand me at first).

So now I’m consigned to a day of drinking Lemsip, not watching daytime T.V. (its always painfully bad) and trawling the internet for something interesting to read. This is why I avoid sick days unless I’m feeling really crappy. They’re just so flinking dull.

Still, at least the music is making me feel better. I got a text message read out on Radio 1 this morning (something about the Thirteen Senses album being ace), and now I’m listening to Talk Talk‘s Spirit of Eden, which always cheers me up. Its a beautiful chilled masterpiece, completely unlike the synth-pop that made their name. You’d probably hate it.

Hey! You lot! I know that you’re still using Outlook or Outlook Express to read your email. That makes your computer ridiculously susceptible to email-borne virii.

The answer to this problem is simple. So simple that even my mum has done it.

Get Thunderbird 1.0.

It’ll even import all of your emails, server details and so on from Outlook for you. It’ll help filter out all of the junk mail you get. If you’re geeky enough it’ll even help you with RSS feeds and Newsgroups. So go do it.

Update

Daniel Wang has written a guide to help users migrate to Thunderbird 1.0, with useful information for users of Outlook, Outlook Express, Mozilla, Eudora, AOL, and other mail clients .

Its only a short blast through town, but I always seem to turn it into a balls out rampage from A to B.

The Cove is set up as a 32:16 singespeed. I tend to go everywhere at the fastest possible speed, so I always find myself spinning out on the long straight bits.

The flip-side of that is that I can accelerate out of junctions like an ICBM. If there’s any moisture or ice on the ground I find myself spinning out the back wheel as I try to force the full power of my legs through the balding rear tyre.

If there’s any traffic that I have a cat in hells chance of keeping up with, I’ll play the part of that cat and stick to their bumper like a limpet. I’m learning to trackstand for longer and longer at traffic lights, and on the narrow roads, waiting for cars to come the other way. If there’s a kerb in my way I’ll try to hop up it. If there’s a fast sweeping corner I won’t brake if I can get away with it. I’m even starting to dart through gaps in the traffic only slightly wider than my handlebars. Every morning and evening bring me a new challenge.

Its just pure unadulterated fun!