Month: January 2005

Put it off-itis

Just been checking through some old draft posts that never got published, including the following which, in light of yesterday’s post about the wonders of Sky+ and how it will change my TV viewing.. well it’s a tad… ohh what’s the word… ironic?

OK, this has a PROPER name I know. Some sort of -ology or -itis or summat. But I can’t be bothered looking it up, I’ll just put it off until later.
I’m a sufferer though, constantly starting things, finishing few. Hell even Scottish Blogs is still well short of my initial plans but hey, I accept who/what I am. Don’t get me wrong I DO finishing some things but if the opportunity to put something off presents itself then I’ll take it.
Now some people would suggest that it is down to laziness, and I can see why they would come to that conclusion. Me, I put it down to being of above average intelligence. No (stop sniggering at the back) I’m serious. I get bored easily. Very easily. Just TYPING this is boring me as my brain is already skipping ahead a few lines… look..
… and that’s why I don’t watch much TV, I find it transitory and wholly unstimulating…
See.
Anyway, as I was saying, I get bored easily, most nights I’ll end up on the computer generally reading articles or playing with software or doing something that engages me and makes me think. I’ll happily watch some programmes but I find the majority of TV to be.. well.. dross. Even the really good stuff can bore me. I was a big fan of The Sopranos but kinda lost track after one episode which dragged and dragged, and that’s why I don’t watch much TV, I find it transitory and wholly unstimulating for the majority of the time (but maybe I’m watching the wrong things. I need TiVo!).
Now, there WAS a point to me typing all this out but, alas, I’ve forgotten it.
Or maybe I’m just putting it off.
Editors note: I’ve re-read this a couple of times and still baulk at my arrogance. Obviously, I’m far too intelligent to watch TV like the rest of the ignorant and stupid. I despair of myself sometimes. It’s no wonder I’ve so few friends.

I honestly can’t believe what nonsense I talk. Why DO you keep coming back??

Just Push Play

Since we got Sky+ late last year I’m already noticing that it’s changing my attitude towards the gogglebox. But let’s rewind a bit first.

Despite having a video recorder we rarely, if ever, used it. Sheer laziness, coupled with growing apathy about even watching television, was the main reason. If I did spot something I might want to watch the thought of having to check to find a tape I could use, then confront the recording options, was usually enough to put me off. Admittedly I’m quite happy with the fact that TV is a transistory medium, it’s not really meant to be around forever that’s why it’s broadcast. I think.

Anyway, recording with Sky+ is so much easier. Zip through the TV planner/guide and if you spot something you want to record you hit the little [ R ] button on the remote. Done. If it’s a series you can hit another (green) button and it’ll search for the rest of the programmes in the series and record them for you too (currently it’s set for Desperate Housewives).

And of course watching TV is now completely different. On Tuesday night Louise goes out with Susan so I chucked my dinner in the oven (pasta bake) and decided to watch last weeks Desperate Housewives. I skipped through the adverts, paused when I was fetching my dinner from the oven and then started watching ‘live’ TV. My brother-in-law phoned and I paused the episode of Frasier I was watching, and then hit fast forward past the adverts again. It’s simple enough, but it’s impact is exponential.

Question – would you pay to watch a specific TV programme? Or would you pay NOT to have to watch adverts (I’ll leave the whole BBC thing out of the equation at the moment).

The reason I ask is simple enough, the advertisers are worried. With the growth of PVR systems (Personal Video Recorder) fewer people will watch ‘live’ TV and so fewer people will watch the adverts. I’m already in this category and I’ve only got a couple of programmes ready to be watched at any one time. Once I upgrade the capacity of the Sky+ box I’ll be recording a lot more of the stuff we enjoy but don’t mind missing (Frasier, Simpsons etc), and spending a little longer checking BBC3 and 4 and the documentary channels so we have a good bank of programmes at our disposal. It won’t stop live TV altogether but it will definitely change the way we watch TV dramatically.

Next up, push TV?

Anyway, what are your TV viewing habits? What programmes do you never miss?

Notes on a Family

I can’t remember which one it is, but there is a sketch that Lee Evans does when he “learns” comedy from a tape. It starts off with him reciting the opening line to a joke: “My mother-in-law…”

It’s quite a funny sketch, but more because of Mr. Evans than the content of the joke. You see I get on very well with my in-laws, especially my mother-in-law. That MAY be because I can already see aspects of her surfacing in Louise, something that is a constant source of amusement for me, and some annoyance (at times) for Louise. Mind you her annoyance is that I’m chuckling away not that she is turning into her Mum.

So it was with some relief that I watched my mother-in-law, late on Sunday evening, walk into the living room and start dancing. Heart attack? What heart attack?

And of course I can’t let the day pass without wishing my nephew a Happy Birthday. He’s now 18 and can legally drink.. er… and some other things as well no doubt. It’s been a real pleasure watching him grow into a young man. Mind you, I’ll have to start hiding my Southern Comfort now! (I don’t think he’s matured into Guinness yet, small mercies and all that).

Boy, Interrupted

Finally we have internet access back. It’s odd, I hadn’t really noticed just how much I relied on the internet to fuel my working day. I would venture that I’m slightly LESS productive without it to be honest for, despite it’s propensity to distract, it was an good way to help me refocus on a task when stuck. Given that the projects I’m working on are all on products new to me (at the depth I require at least) I find that I’ve become reliant on the internet to give me a two minute break every now and then to free up my thoughts and help me look at things from a different angle. My job requires a fair amount of analysis and filtering of technical information, distilling it down to meet the correct user audience, and I often have moments when I find myself blocked.

When they occur I usually check my email, do some minor tasks or anything else but think about the immediate problem. I often find that I can then rethink my ideas quite quickly – I guess I work better on the move than by brute force… if that make senses.

Admittedly sometimes I get ‘in the zone’ and I can hammer away for hours without interruption but those moments usually occur towards the end of projects when my understanding is a lot better than it is now. That time will come but for now I need the interruptions to keep me productive.

Hence the reason I’m typing up a post at 11:17am when I know fine well that it probably won’t be posted until, at the very least, late this afternoon.

Read in Spain

I’m trying to keep track of the books I read this year, just to see.. er.. how many I read or something.

Anyway, I started the year with three books on the go – Lazy Ways to Make a Living, London Fields, and Snow Falling on Cedars.

Despite that I read the following whilst on holiday:
Chasing the Dime – Fairly standard ‘everyman’ thriller with the worst opening chapter I’ve stumbled through. Suspension of disbelief beyond the call of duty.
Just One Look – good stuff from the ever reliable Harlan Coben. Another ‘every(wo)man’ thriller but a keeper.
Notes on a Scandal – recommended to me and an excellent read. Funny, moving and acerbic.
Astonishing Splashes of Colour – another recommendation and a very moving book. I could relate, to a point, to some of the aspects of the main character. Poignant but not sad or morose.

Musical Meme

Don’t do these often but I’m lacking inspiration – via Lyle and Uborka

1. What is the total amount of music files on your computer?
48.8 GB at time of writing (9217 songs to be precise).

2. The cd you last bought is:
Still waiting to be delivered! The Milk-Eyed Mender by Joanna Newsom.

3. What is the song you last listened to before reading this message?
Sabotage by the Beastie Boys, all of 30 seconds ago (currently playing The Truth by Handsome Boy Modelling School).

4. Write down 5 songs you often listen to or that mean a lot to you

    Telegraph Road – Dire Straits.
    Reminds me of family holidays in France when I ‘discovered’ Dire Straits early albums (on chrome tape no less!).
    Queen and The Soldier – Suzanne Vega.
    Because it’s a great great song.
    Teardrop – Massive Attack.
    Put it on, turn it up loud, close your eyes and float away.
    Sweet Child O’Mine – Guns ‘n’ Roses.
    First single I bought Louise “I’d hate to look into those eyes and see an ounce of pain”.
    Learn to Fly – Foo Fighters.
    Was from an album that I used to raise my spirits, I was looking to the sky to save me and it did.

Note: I’m surprised at how mainstream the above list is, truth is I listen to music in spurts, focussing my attention on a few albums at a time, then I move on. Very few songs every get to come back around (until I discovered MP3s and the ‘shuffle’ option that is!)

5. Who are you going to pass this stick to? (3 persons) and why?
Lyle.. no no he’s done it. The musicality that is Troubled Diva? Hmmm he’s not even finished his current project, I wouldn’t do that to him. Would Peter do it or just talk about doing it? (I’m hoping he does, what with his radio background) Hanni maybe? Would Caroline manage to NOT list a u2 track? Gosh, I dunno.