Flaky web hosting continues

Robert Saunders — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 14:52:57 +0100

Well, I have taken the decision to switch to a new web hosting company. The repeated "500 internal server error" events (which included about 12h solid early this week), coupled with totally inadequate response for the "technicians" at my current hosting company have swung my decision to act. By totally inadequate, I mean that I received a prompt "cut and paste" response on 13th July, and not a whisper since.

I'll migrate the site as soon as I can make a backup of the databRead More...

Stoke Hammond '10' 15th July 2009

Robert Saunders — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 03:45:58 +0100

It was rather wet when I set off from this house in the morning, and while the weather dried up, the rather strong wind did not moderate appreciably. A modest field of 13 riders was possibly due to it being holiday season. The strong wind was blowing almost directly in our faces at the start, and so made it hard on the ride up to the dual carriageway section - at times IRead More...

Flaky database affecting Flies & Bikes

Robert Saunders — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 18:54:24 +0100

Apologies for the intermittent service over the last 24 hours. I appear to be having database issues, which I'm trying to rectify. I'd expect access to the site to be a bit flaky for the next day or so until I can get this fixed.

Eating bananas monkey-style - on a tandem

Robert Saunders — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 12:55:21 +0100

This video on how to unpeel a banana the correct way (the method used by monkeys) has popped up on a number of atheist-inclined websites (for the explanation, see PZ Myers' blog at Pharyngula). I can confirm that the method works, even when steering a tandem.

[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBJV56WUDng 425x344]

Anyway, we had a smashing 50 mile tandem ride over to a garden centre cafe in Milton Ernest, avoided rain (mostly) and discovered our local fruit farm was selRead More...

Astwood '20' 8th July 2009 - NBRC Club Championship

Robert Saunders — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100

The weather broke a few days before this event - this came as something of a relief for me, as I find the hot and humid conditions we've had recently as something of a trial. I got a little damp riding down to work (I usually ride to club events directly from work), but the temperature was nice at around 13 degrees C, with only a gentle wind.

Google's Chrome OS to be launched 2010

Robert Saunders — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 07:43:38 +0100

The BBC reports (Google to launch operating system) that Google will release an operating system aimed at netbooks in 2010. I particularly like the HAL9000-like logo (see picture). There's a collection of media comments on this development, mostly commenting on the threat to Windows.

Of course, netbooks kicked off with a focus on Linux as their OS, until MS realised they'd committeRead More...

Phorm - It's about invading our web-browsing privacy, not advertising.

Robert Saunders — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:45:59 +0100

In a brief article in The Guardian (Consumers will see benefits - The case for Phorm), Guy Phillipson and Nick Stringer the chief executive and head of regulatory affairs respectively at the Internet Advertising Bureau attempt to make the case for Phorm. Of course, they are (in my opinion) slightly economical with the truth in that the objections of the "Privacy Pirates"* over at nodpi.org lies not with targeted advertising, but with the probably illegal interception of internet trafficRead More...

Now Carphone Warehouse dumps Phorm...

Robert Saunders — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 03:45:02 +0100

According to The Times (Phorm stranded as BT and Carphone pull plug on online 'spying' technology), Carphone Warehouse, who's TalkTalk subsidiary were one of the ISPs lining up to use Phorm's invasive DPI technology, have now decided to fall into line an announce they would likewise not implement it. BT's role as the market leader is evident:

After BT's move, Charles Dunstone, head of Carphone Warehouse, said: "We were only going to do it if BT did it Read More...

EU law may stop the intrusive e-Borders scheme

Robert Saunders — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 06:37:19 +0100

As part of its authoritarian stance on everything the public do, the UK Government has set its sights on controlling ingress and egress across our borders, via the notorious 53 Questions that travellers will need to supply answers to before being allowed to travel. This whole e-Borders shenanigans is projected to cost the UK Border Agency £1.3bn over the next 10 years. And with the responsibility for collecting the data falling on the transport companies (ferry companies andRead More...

BT drops plans to implement Phorm?

Robert Saunders — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 03:42:21 +0100

The Guardian reports (BT drops Phorm targeted ad service after customers cry foul over privacy) that BT have decided not to implement the vile DPI system for targeting adverts that has been devised by the former spyware company Phorm.

The company, which has received complaints from customers about Phorm, said the decision was down to its need to conserve resources as it looks to invest £1.5bn in putting a next-generation super-fast broadbanRead More...

Hemel Hempstead CC '25' 5th July 2009

Robert Saunders — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 10:38:58 +0100

Unbelievably, this was only my first solo '25' of the 2009 season. In part this has been because there seems to have been a smaller number of events in the London North district, but also because of calendar clashes with, for example, our cycle tour in June, and in part my reluctance to return to racing on the F1 courses after the Icknield RC '25Read More...

Mitchell & Webb - Homeopathic A&E

Robert Saunders — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:17:42 +0100

I caught this excellent sketch on this week's That Mitchell & Webb Look (BBC2).

[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMGIbOGu8q0 580x360]

Sydney Brenner on C. elegans

Robert Saunders — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 05:46:23 +0100

The latest issue of Genetics to flop onto my desk has a rather nice article by Sydney Brenner entitled "In the Beginning Was the Worm...". This brief article (in the regularly excellent Perspectives section) presents an account of the origins of Caenorhabditis elegans research, by the beast's main man, research which ultimately earned him Nobel Prize fameRead More...

Stony '11.4' 1st July 2009 - Hot, hot, hot

Robert Saunders — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 03:55:31 +0100

This was the hottest evening event so far - it was humid and temperatures reaching towards 30 centigrade made it tough for me (though, it has to be said, not for some other riders). My roar up V10 to reach Stony was a good warmup, and after noticing several new riders (this was a "Come and Try it" event) and explaining how time trialling works, I started in the #17 spot.

Actually, tRead More...

Big Train - Virginia Plain

Robert Saunders — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 16:00:00 +0100

For some reason this sketch popped into my head yesterday evening after seeing a commercial for a Roxy Music compilation CD. It's from an unfortunately quite short-lived comedy sketch show called Big Train, and begins with Chairman Mao on his deathbed:

[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNBOknvbPL8 425x344]

Parliamentary science committee reborn

Robert Saunders — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 03:11:10 +0100

As reported in the BBC this week (Science and tech committee reborn), once again the UK Parliament has a committee to oversee science. In recent ministerial revamps, the Department for Innovation Universities and Skills (DIUS) was merged with BERR to form a new super-ministry - Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) - for Lord Mandelson, who seems to have emerged from the political wilderness to which he was consigned after a scandal too far a few years ago. InterestRead More...

Wish You Were Here

Robert Saunders — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 05:37:14 +0100

Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here was one of the first albums I bought (a late starter, I didn't start buying LPs until I went to University in 1977). It's long since disappeared from my vinyl collection - probably as a result of a burglary a couple of decades ago. Of course pretty soon after I started buying LPs, bands like Pink Floyd were excoriated as rock dinosaurs during punk rock's year zero...

PRead More...

Malicious Software

Robert Saunders — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 04:44:58 +0100

Installing Internet Exploiter 8* on a laptop that dual boots Linix and WinXP...it's checking for malicious software**...will it spot Windows?

*Need this to check development websites.

**Even though I unchecked this option.

Great Australian Firewall function creep

Robert Saunders — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 03:35:19 +0100

I've blogged before on the Great Australian Firewall - this being the plans of the Australian Government to take concepts of child protection to the extent of internet filtering to levels seen in (for example) China. The whole process got rather murky with the release of the details of banned sites via Wikileaks.

Now, The Register reports (Great Australian Firewall to censor online games) that as one might predict the repertoire of websites deemed unsuitable will include those offRead More...

Astwood '10' - 24th June 2009 "What, no panniers?"

Robert Saunders — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:54:56 +0100

Well, this event marked my return to racing after a 4 week layoff (away for cycle touring - see elsewhere in this blog, then last week's event got called off). It did feel a little strange.

The evening was really quite nice, probably a little over 20 degrees, and sunny, though rather windier than the BBC's predicted 14mph easterly, I reckon. SRead More...

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