Brain dump mid flight

It's a strange thing my blogging habits, the more and more I have on (like at the moment) the less and less time I have to blog. I'm actually using the time on my flight to Townsville this morning to blog.

There is one nice aspect of the flying at the moment, I do it so infrequently that it's turned in to a nice time for me to catch up on my huge backlog of iTunes downloads and frivolous stuff like blogging. It's now a bit of a guilty pleasure not only for the catch up time but also because I'm also leaving the littleone and Vanessa to fend for themselves.

First of all on iTunes, I'm loving the whole Genius concept. A while ago a setup a few favourites Smart Playlists so I could easily managed all my music using ratings and genres on the iPod/iPhone/AppleTV. The downside is that I've not got over 500 songs in my "top favourites" and this means that if I'm in the mood something it's always followed by something I'm really not interested in. I threw on a genius playlist the other day and it was pretty much spot on although I've discovered that it seems to "like" some songs more than others. But on the whole it's become the way I listen to the songs on the iPhone. I love the fact that you can save them and even refresh them.

The last few weeks have been pretty crazy, stressful and exciting. I'm sorry if I've been not much of a conversationalist while I've been musing about things and life in general. There were some pretty big decisions to come to in the end which was pretty tough, especially over the weekend. In the end I've taken a bit of a risk but I'm pretty confident that it's the right move and will pay off in the end. I think I might make a few people unhappy in the process but I'm hoping that they understand that's not my intention. Well that's probably enough soul searching for one post.

I've been slowly but surely doing a few upgrades to my arcade table. Nothing major but the CRT that was in it was starting to go in the corners and I was also looking for a way to solve the side by side game problem with the cocktail style cabinet. In the end it was a disaster of viewing angles that generated the solution. I had a couple of 19" LCDs around that I wasn't using any longer (with my nice new shiny 24" in the house) and I put one in to replace the 19" CRT. The issue was it was unusable at the flat angle of the table top. To solve the problem I managed to slot the monitor in the table at the right viewing angle for player 1 but it completely obscured from player 2. Then it dawned on me I could dual mount the monitors one for each player. Result : Instant dual screen cabinet that still looks like and is every bit a cocktail cabinet but Aliens Vs Predator multiplayer is a reality. It's almost complete I've just got to source the VGA splitter to run the dual monitors and it's done. The Littleone already loves the cabinet and this way I'll be able to train him up as a wing man for double dragon.

and here's the descent... Well that's the end of this blog.... until the flight home.

Documentation

Apparently our Scope documents are too detailed for our customers.... I've spent a few hours working out a new template today...



I think it's pretty succinct

Back at the airport... guess not much has changed..

So only about 36 hours after I left BNE airport I'm back... I'm off to Sydney. Fortunately this time I'm flying Virgin and not my other favourite carrier. I must say I am really getting sick of the continual flights, I'm due back in Sydney on Thursday.

Another plus so far is that I'm not suffering too badly from jetlag, although I haven't really had much of chance to let it take hold.

One of the big distractions on Sunday was setting up the new receiver I bought just before I left. The setup process was a breeze and with all the great video scaling I managed to eliminate about 50m of cables from the current setup. I have to say that the auto speaker calibration is just amazing. I'm not sure I could ever own another amp without it!

Well looks like my flight is going to be delayed today so I could be in the lounge a little longer.

Training Training and More training

It's day 3 of the training and it's really starting to take it's toll. The 11+ hours each day is starting to get a bit draining and it's getting harder to stick it out. That combined with the late nights networking are going to make it easy to sleep on the way home.

Not much else to report other than that...

Pleasanton.... anything but...

Well it's not really all that bad, a bit of a come down from the sightseeing from the last 2 days though. Today was the start of the training course and it's pretty full on. We're going from pretty much 8:30am until 7:30pm everyday. The course is pretty good, just very long days... also everyone on the course (except me) is staying at the same hotel so I'm a fair bit away from the action... although tonight I did head back to the "course" hotel for dinner (not helped by the lack of restaurant at my hotel).

So onto my few gripes with America.... What is it with Starbucks? Really? There was one IN my hotel in SF and when I walked out the front door I saw another 3. In the hotel here they have thermoses of Starbucks for breakfast (and at the course as well). I don't really know what they serve but it isn't coffee that's for sure.
Also I know why they have a weight problem over here (not that I can point the finger at the moment); 1. the food is... um... well... Let's just say my breakfast selection today was a) an egg pancake wrapped around a cheese slice covered in cheese spread, b) some sort of cake in caramel sauce, c) bagels, d) muffins e) watermelon. And the stuff they put in their "Coffee" is mind boggling... I'll take my camera tomorrow and try and sneak a few snaps.

I had something else really important to say in this post and it seams to escape me at the moment....

Anyway, the people here are great and being the only Australian who isn't from the Vendor (and only 1 of 4 people total not from the vendor) it could have been a little lonely.

It's almost midnight so probably time I signed off for the night and got some sleep for the long day tomorrow.

Oh wait... I remember... We went out for dinner at this really nice Mexican Restaurant and I had a fantastic Mole Poblano which I had to try after the Ominvores Hundred post.

Blogging 'cause Ness is...

So I really have nothing to blog about... I've been really busy so far this week (12 hour days is cutting into my personal time) so I haven't got a lot of news (not even vicarious news from google reader), but I know Ness is blogging so I can't be left out.

In a very "OMG I'm going to be a Dad" moment I did feel Paris wiggle for the first time on the weekend which was very exciting, no kicking yet but it can't be far away now. (which is really only exciting news for me)

I'm still waiting for my stuff from thinkgeek to arrive, it's been a bit of a struggle with DHL and getting them to deliver but hopefully it will arrive some time this week though and I can be safe and warm in my /dev/blanket when I get home.

There are some good Blu Ray deals and some new titles on Amazon this week so I might be putting in a new order... there are a couple of DVDs that might slip into the mix as well.

Finally... (as this blog is as a result of Ness blogging)

This is not an appropriate use of the arcade table!!!

Monday airport ritual

It's a Monday morning and unsurprisingly I'm at the airport waiting for my flight... At a guess it's going to be delayed (when are they not) the 630 has already been pushed back due to air traffic control so I imagine it will be a similar story for the rest of the flights.

The new stereo setup is working really well and is reducing the amount of TV we're watching. The setup is working really well with music though and I managed to listen to a fair chunk of the music on my iPod while I was working away.

I didn't get up to much this weekend (other than work) so I don't have a lot of other news to report, that and it's time to board.

Working late....

As you can probably tell (from the Dilbert post) not exactly a breeze work wise at the moment... as a result I'm pulling a few long hauls to try and get the project over the line. The blog post fits in while I'm waiting for my dinner to turn up.

I started back with some exercise today, being away so much doesn't always lead to much sport/gym etc. I went for a run around the harbor this morning which was quite brisk. In the world continuing to laugh at me I've managed to hurt my knee in the process and it's REALLY painful. Ironically I felt great after the run and only noticed the knee when I got up to get a coffee this morning. Continuing the injury theme a huge bruise mysteriously appeared on my arm today, presumably a result of the lounge room make over on the weekend. It too is surprisingly painful seeing as I haven't noticed it before today.

Back briefly on the work stress, one good thing to come out of it is a new soothing distraction I've found in baby related gadgets. At the risk of sounding overly gooie, there is something inexplicably exciting looking for cool stuff for your unborn child. And it gives me a great excuse to refit the house is Philippe Starck's ghost chairs.

A bit of a gadget insight as well I was looking at getting some speakers for my Project Turntable... I was considering something small and self powered but in a small technology related revelation today I though the best solution would be teaming it with a Tivoli Model Two. Both are old school audio technologies and would suit each other nicely...

Lastly (but not least), Tom and Suse are going overseas in just over a week... I know it's payback for our holiday last year but I'm sure we'll miss them! Have a great holiday.

My life in Dilbert comics

Can I take your order???

(So I admit I stole this post name from a chat I was having, sorry Roman)Anyway, I'm taking my geek levels to a new low tonight and I've taken my laptop to dinner in the Hotel Restaurant.

I was getting a bit sick of sitting in a restaurant trying to amuse myself while I ate and the hotel is quite used to "high flyers" working during dinner so some guy in jeans with a laptop doesn't phase them too much.

So a bit of an update on the week...

The Project from Hell which I've been on (and in Sydney for eternity for) is coming close to it's deadlines and despite it's continual scope creep there is no extension to the timeframe we're just working longer hours (because what else would I do I'm in Sydney and apparently may as well work) to fit about 3 months worth of work into 3 weeks. As a result there hasn't been much time for blogging (or catching up the sleep I missed out on. Something I've successfully failed at this week).

Tuesday night though I did manage to get out and have some social time. I caught up with Casey who cooked a fantastic barbecued and flame grilled chicken.
This was followed up by some Mario Kart Wii, I was a little worried how I would hold up after my demise to Mandy and Tom. I managed to pull out a few wins here and there though so it wasn't a complete embarrassment. The new game is fantastic... I was really impressed with the graphics and particularly with the online capabilities. The addition of the Channel so you can check if you have friends online even if you don't have the game in the console is a great improvement over their previous online attempts and a much closer experience to the polish of the Xbox Live interface (disregarding the annoying 12 year olds).

It was a great night and proved that Mario Kart, like pool, is often played better after a couple of scotches.

The rest of the week has been pretty much work slavery so not much else to report.... I managed to slip in an episode of BSG Season 3 though for good measure.

On a side note though I have managed to a lot of music this week (in order to avoid random people from "Project from Hell"s company talking to me about irrelevant things for HOURS on end when I'm already cramming months into weeks)

I'm very much looking forward to getting home this week... I've been a bit homesick this week. I think the combination of overtired, lots of overtime, the endless weeks away and Paris are catching up with me... I'm very much looking forward to the end of May when I'm supposedly starting a project a bit closer to home.... (fingers crossed)

Laptop has Landed

Although I'm home today I am back into the swing of work, which is lucky because my new Dell XPS M1330 turned up today... I must say it is very bright and shiny. 4Gb Ram, 320Gb HDD. It's running Vista (because that was the only build option) but so far it's not caused me any pain. I may rebuild it but for the moment I'm just adding all my usual work junk to it.

(my favourite feature... HDMI port, although I haven't hooked it up to the projector yet)

And a year of travel comes to an end.

Yet another year is almost over and I'm in the Sydney Virgin Blue for my last flight of the Year. The last few weeks have been a nightmare of travel and long work hours but it seems to have paid off with a host of happy customers taking me to their Christmas parties this week. Unfortunately I haven't got any holidays left after the Europe trip so I'm working through the Christmas, New Year period but at least with work in Brisbane.

The airport is a bit crazy here today. I've been here since 3:30pm and my flight isn't until 7pm. I tried for an earlier one but there wasn't a seat to be had anywhere. Probably not helped by the fact that quite a few flights have been cancelled. They are starting to run later and later and there are rumours of a closure due to storms but I will get home eventually.

The lack of Internet this week has been a bit of a struggle but it's left something to entertain myself with at the airport (as well as the free alcohol).

In a bit of a change I've done all my Xmas shopping in Sydney. I had planned on a few presents from stores only in Brisbane but it would be cutting it a bit fine to organise once I got back so I found a few things in Sydney. I broke my budget as usually but I supplemented a little with the technology fund so I figure it doesn't really count.

I also had a bit of a trip down retro lane and picked up a copy of NFL Blitz for the Playstation. It was an arcade staple for Tom and I after NBA Hang Time (which Tom still has a N64 to play).

I attempted to look for a DS title after finishing all the new ones I brought with me but decided to replay Mario Kart DS (after I lost all my save data). There are quite a few titles on the Wii and 360 that I'll be looking forward to catching up on once I get a bit more time back in Brisbane.

If I don't get around to blogging again before hand hope you all have a Fantastic Christmas, Santa brings you everything you want and 2008 is even better.

Finished....

It's been a huge night/day but I'm finally finished just shy of 3am, looks like the survey was spot on. The system is in and tested within an inch of it's life.

The project team was very appreciative though... they gave me a nice bottle of wine... :)

Almost makes the 19 hours straight today worth it. Now for some sleep so I have some chance of making my other work for the week.

Can anyone guess what I'm doing tonight

That's right it's a Production roll out... accompanied by some Vs and Sustagen I'm rolling a system update into production... Just as a guide the last time they attempted this they finished about 5am. So I've added a poll so you can vote when you think I'll finish.

Back at the Airport!

Well in a little less than 24 hours I'm back in Brisbane airport.

It was a pretty great weekend though:

Ness picked me up
Out for Dinner with Tom and Susan at a great Indian place just down the road.
QPAC for the Spicks and Spectacular
Sleep...
Shopping for Couches
Bowls Club for Drinks and Christmas Party
Home for Packing
Back at the airport...

Doesn't look like a lot on paper... but it felt like a busy weekend.

I am tired now though, I think i could curl up for a nap without too much persuasion. Of course my flight is delayed so I have a little more time in the airport lounge than I'd planned.

Spicks and Specks was a great show last night, hilarious the whole way through and not just from Adam, Miff and Alan. The audience members who came up on stage were just fantastic.
The Christmas party was a log of fun today although we got quite a sunburn being out on the bowling green in the middle of the day (probably not helping my tiredness)

I'm back in Townsville for the week this week (and probably Sydney again next week as Ness managed to avoid me getting a trip to the UK taking me away for the Christmas break). It's been really hot and humid in Brisbane this week so I'm not looking forward to the heat in the Tropical north.

The Hell Week comes to a close

It's been a long and hellish week but it's finally coming to a close. All the work is signed off and done and I'm in the airport just waiting for my flight (and having some lunch... yes I'm aware it's 5:30pm)

Unfortunately there isn't much of a break I'm flying back to Townsville on Sunday at 6pm (about 24 hours from when I land). I'm just very happy to be seeing Ness for at least some time!

Next week shouldn't be as bad but I will be away for the whole time and Sydney for the week after. Christmas can't come soon enough this year.

I was planning on doing some shopping in Syndey for some Christmas presents but I didn't manage to get out of the office at any stage when shops were open.

All the way to work..... on a Saturday....

All the way to work!

Last night I managed to get the rest of the changes and fixes in by a semi reasonable hour and back to my hotel by 8:30. Fortunately this meant I wasn't too late to catch up with Amaya for a few pints and discussion on work pain, games, gadgets etc. (and some how the differences in the treatment of native inhabitants of Australia and New Zealand during their European invasion and how you store Antimatter).
Of course, as with everytime I catch up, I discover there are now a whole series of gadgets and toys that I simply have to own.

I'm still in Sydney today and am heading back to work for hopefully the final testing phases in acceptance.

And the day just gets nastier

HEAT Business Rules make Cameron Cry....

Even the weather has turned nasty

Summary of a nasty day

It's 12pm (Syd time and I'm going to bed)

19 hours in the same clothes
2 flights
10 hours at work
8 hours until I have to be back at work...
Only 22 hours of weekend to look forward to

I want to be home :(