Posting from my iPhone
I thought I’d have a go at installing the WordPress application on my iPhone, and have a go at posting.
Every year, I make a resolution to try and post more to my blog(s), and every year I tend to fail to do so for one reason or another.
One reason is that I don’t always necessarily have the technology close at hand to post when it is actually convienient to do so.
Using this app, I may be able to do a better job of it in 2009. 
Leica M8 Firmware 2.000
I wasn’t sure which blog to post this on… The jZone is technology oriented, but I want it to retain a more IT focus, so I decided to post this here.
Anyway, on with the subject at hand.
Leica introduced version 2.000 (not sure why it needs 3 zeros…) of the M8 firmware last week, and it can be downloaded from their M8 downloads page. This version of the firmware contains two significant changes.
The first, is Auto ISO. This allows a minimum shutter speed to be set, and a maximum ISO. The M8 will then adjust the ISO based on the available light to take the optimum based on your selected shutter speed & aperture.
After a reassuringly painless update, a new menu can be found under the setup menus, unsurprisingly titled “Auto ISO Setup”. The menus used to set up Auto ISO are quite straight forward, and are show below:
In addition, a new option as been added to the “shooting menu”, that allows Auto ISO to be quickly toggled on/off: 
Shooting with Auto ISO almost makes the M8 shoot like a fully automatic camera, but unlike a fully automatic where the programme may tweek both the aperture and shutter speed, with the M8 the programme will tweek the shutter speed and ISO (assuming ‘A’ is selected).
I think this a a feature I will certainly use, especially when shooting hand held in very low light conditions… mind you, a Noctilux would probably solve that problem. 
The second change, which is probably even more relevant, is improved support for SD cards. The M8 will now support SDHC cards up to a capacity of 32Gb. This is not something I’ve had the opportunity to test yet, at I don’t have anything higher than a 2Gb SD card at the moment, but this is certainly welcome news!
New Blog & Page 3 Criminal
Okay… so as discussed over on The jZone, I’ve decided to run two blogs… this one, for all of my personal rantings and ramblings, and The jZone, which will retain a more technical focus.
I’m in the process of pruning messages off each. Had the first stab over lunch, and will continue this evening once I finish working.
Our local rag The Argus has been following the story of Sadie Collis recently.
So, this strumpet and her low-life husband, not content with the £100,000 squirrelled away in various secret bank accounts, set out to defraud the tax payer through falsely claiming benefit.
This couple had the cheek to argue that it was a change in circumstances which led to the savings accumulating. Apparently they used the benefits they received for every day expenses and to clear their considerable debts…
Funny thing is, they managed to purchase both a Ford RS Cosworth and a Porsche Boxster whilst claiming the benefits, costing them in the region of £48,000. No doubt the £14,000 they claimed in benefits helped considerably with the fuel costs.
These low-lives really do deserve to be locked up. Unfortunately, they are going to cost the tax payer even more money now by appealing their appallingly short 8-week custodial sentences.
People like this really do not deserve to benefit from public services. I wouldn’t be surprised if they managed to get legal aid for their defence too!
The irony of the British ‘love’ for their pets
The British are know across Europe, if not the world, for their love of their pets, be they cats, dogs, rabbits, etc.
What amazes me is the complete lack of respect and consideration we then proceed to show them.
Last night is a good example. Close to our house is a large expanse of open countryside, “Telscombe Tye”, hopefully soon to be made part of the proposed South Downs National Park. This piece of land is used by many dog owners, and a large number of the homes in the surrounding area own dogs and other pets.
So what did Telscombe Town Council decide to do? Hold a firework display.
I can assure you that for many pets, this is not a fun experience. Working gun dogs will probably shrug it off, but for many, its a stressful if not terrifying experience.
What amazes me more, is that we, as tax payers, actually paid for this event! We paid for our local council to torture our pets.
With November 5th approaching, we can only expect things to get worse, with teenagers eager to experience a quick bang buying fireworks from the local supermarket or newsagent.
Personally, although last night’s event would still have proceeded, I believe we should ban the sale of fireworks, and all firework displays should be organised events performed by licensed organisations. This would also reduce the large number of accidents that occur every year in Britain from the misuse of fireworks. The number of people injured from fireworks every year is increasing, with over a thousand people a year requiring hospital treatment in the four weeks running up to November 5th.
Please, sign this Downing Street e-Petition to ban the public sale of fireworks if you care about your pets.
The A259 “Sustainable Corridor”
East Sussex County Council have really excelled with a recent bit of road planning.
They have introduce a new “Sustainable Corridor” between Peacehaven and Brighton in order to:
- Increase bus patronage
- Prioritise bus traffic
- Reduce congestion
- Reduce pollution
Sounds a damned good idea! Quite admirable objectives. However, the implementation of this plan is far from being flawless.
For a start, the majority of the new bus lane between Rottingdean and Peacehaven only goes in one one direction, Westbound, so it does indeed speed up many journeys into Brighton for the buses and taxis. However, the same can not be said for motorists, who now find that their commute times are even longer than they were before!
Furthermore, as a Saltdean resident there are other changes that disadvantage the motorist.
Longridge Avenue is one of the major arteries leading in and out of the heart of Saltdean. The roads to the East of Longridge Avenue only allow traffic to turn to the West when joining the A259, and similarly, traffic on the A259 is only allowed to exit onto these roads when Westbound. As a result of the mini-roundabout at the intersection of the A259 with Longridge Avenue being replaced with traffic lights, traffic can no longer effectively perform a U-turn to travel back to access these roads, and is forced to travel up Longridge Avenue. The queue of cars waiting to turn up Longridge Avenue now impedes traffic from moving along the A259 in a Westbound direction if more than a couple of cars are in the queue. In addition, there is more congestion along Longridge Avenue itself, which is notorious for people double-parking on either side of the road.
As a result of the Longridge Avenue problems and the additional congestion along the A259, you see more traffic using the residential streets between Saltdean and Rottingdean, especially for motorists who are not Brighton bound, and need to use the Falmer Road to gain access to the A27 and A23. There are a limited number of routes to cut through to Rottingdean, and property prices on these roads is sure to fall in light of the additional traffic they will be forced to bear.
In addition to the congestion, the lanes for motorists and buses are all to narrow, and I am sure this is going to lead to an increase in the number of minor accidents that occur along this stretch of the A259. There is a likelihood of more serious accidents during the morning “rush” hour too, with congested and near-stationary Westbound traffic sandwiched by the fast moving bus lane and the unhindered Eastbound traffic.
“Just use the bus!” I hear you cry. Ironically, as reported by The Argus, the managing director, Roger French, of The Brighton & Hove Bus & Coach Company is quoted as saying that some bus journeys have been delayed by up to 45 minutes as a result of the changes, and he has called for the return of the mini-roundabout.
Also, buses do not help people that need to travel beyond Brighton & Hove, who are forced to use the Falmer Road at Rottingdean.
The changes are not likely to be good for local businesses in Peacehaven either, who will now find that traffic that used to be able to park on the A259 is no longer able to, potentially forcing more people to travel.
Sadly, I have also noticed that the number of vehicles using the bridle path across Telscombe Tye from Telscombe Village to the A259 has increased considerably, most likely as a result of people trying to avoid the congestion. It would certainly be a great pity if this unspoiled area was destroyed by these changes. In some cases, I have witnessed vehicles driving directly over the Tye rather than on the rather rutted bridle path!
All in all, the changes introduced have been an unmitigated disaster, and show a complete lack of understanding by East Sussex County Council when it comes to all aspects of traffic management.
The cost of this programme was budgeted at £1.8m, and the “Sustainable Corridor” will eventually run all the way from Brighton to Newhaven.
The true cost will be measured as being much higher, with falling property prices, failing businesses, longer commute times, and increased pollution.
Well done East Sussex County Council.
More Information
“Jack”
Just a quick update on the vagrant cat that we’d been giving board and lodging to for the last two weeks.
The cat is apparently called “Jack”. The owner’s had seen one of the posters we’d left in one of the vets in the area, and had excitedly rang lostcatsbrighton.org.uk, who contacted us.
After a quick couple of phone calls, I drove Jack back round to his owners who live about a mile and a half away.
I’m so glad we have been able to reunite Jack with his owners, the pesky little tyke!
EVE-Online, Iceland, and Whaling
In the past I have been an avid player of EVE-Online, an MMORPG based in the far future, where you participate by piloting a variety of space ships, progressing through trade, mining, or pirating.
However, I don’t feel that I can play the game any more.
This isn’t because I have found something better, or have just grown tired of it.
It is because the game’s author, CCP, is based in Reykjavik, Iceland.
“Why should this make a difference?” I hear you ask. The answer is simple… Whaling.
As reported by the BBC, Iceland is likely to approve further hunting of Minke whales. This isn’t something new, but I just don’t feel that it is acceptable.
Iceland argue that the stocks of Minke are a high, and their hunting sustainable; however, the IUCN still lists the northern species of the Minke as being Lower Risk / Near Threatened.
My contention is that if the overall stocks are low, we should be conserving stocks, and not depleting them. There has been a world wide moratorium on all forms of whale hunting; Iceland and other whaling countries that have resumed their barbaric trade should observe the IWC’s ruling on this.
These magnificent creatures should be protected and nurtured. These whales have become accustomed to whale spotting and fishing boats, and have become easy targets for the whalers, which has made the hunting of these now friendly beasts all the more barbaric.
The slaughter of these creatures is on a par with the annual seal cull… but rather than smashing their skulls in with clubs they use harpoons with explosive grenades attached.
So… I’ve decided to do what I can to stop this, which is to boycott products from Iceland. I would urge anyone who cares about the environment, and whales in particular, to do the same. And don’t even consider a whale spotting holiday in Iceland!
Economic sanctions, even “grass root” ones, can make a difference.
Marmalade
On Sunday we noticed a lovely long haired ginger tabby sunning itself in our garden, so we said hello to her, and didn’t think much else of it.
However, since then, we’ve not been able to get rid of her! On a night, she will circle the house, howling to be let in.
We relented (partly to get a good night’s sleep), unlocking the cat flap to let her come in and out at will.
Since then, she has just moved in, and will come and sleep on our bed at night. By day, she will laze around in our lounge or garden, with no apparent desire to be anywhere else.
We asked a few neighbours if they recognised her, but no-one does.
We have taken her to the vets to see if she is ‘chipped, but alas, she’s not.
She is such a friendly and mild mannered cat, and in good condition too (apart from a few fleas); I can’t believe that she’s just been abandoned.
Anyway, we’ve asked Ron of lostcatsbrighton.org.uk to post her in his “found” section, in the hope that her owners are searching for her.
Twelve Days of Christmas 2.0
Found this on Travolution, who found it on Les Explorers, who found it on Small Business Trends. Thanks. And a very merry Christmas to one and all!
On the first day of Christmas,
my cool colleague sent to me
A tip to expand my business globallyOn the second day of Christmas,
my cool colleague sent to me
Two social networks,
And a tip to expand my business globally!On the third day of Christmas,
my cool colleague sent to me
Three Del.icio.us bookmarks,
Two social networks,
And a tip to expand my business globally!On the fourth day of Christmas,
my cool colleague sent to me
Four YouTube videos,
Three Del.icio.us bookmarks,
Two social networks,
And a tip to expand my business globally!On the fifth day of Christmas,
my cool colleague sent to me
Five Second Lives,
Four YouTube videos,
Three Del.icio.us bookmarks,
Two social networks,
And a tip to expand my business globally!On the sixth day of Christmas,
my cool colleague sent to me
Six Twitter nudges,
Five Second Lives,
Four YouTube videos,
Three Del.icio.us bookmarks,
Two social networks,
And a tip to expand my business globally!On the seventh day of Christmas,
my cool colleague sent to me
Seven Facebook pokes,
Six Twitter nudges,
Five Second Lives,
Four YouTube videos,
Three Del.icio.us bookmarks,
Two social networks,
And a tip to expand my business globally!On the eighth day of Christmas,
my cool colleague sent to me
Eight Wiki entries,
Seven Facebook pokes,
Six Twitter nudges,
Five Second Lives,
Four YouTube videos,
Three Del.icio.us bookmarks,
Two social networks,
And a tip to expand my business globally!On the ninth day of Christmas,
my cool colleague sent to me
Nine ladies blogging,
Eight Wiki entries,
Seven Facebook pokes,
Six Twitter nudges,
Five Second Lives,
Four YouTube videos,
Three Del.icio.us bookmarks,
Two social networks,
And a tip to expand my business globally!On the tenth day of Christmas,
my cool colleague sent to me
Ten lords IM’ng,
Nine ladies blogging,
Eight Wiki entries,
Seven Facebook pokes,
Six Twitter nudges,
Five Second Lives,
Four YouTube videos,
Three Del.icio.us bookmarks,
Two social networks,
And a tip to expand my business globally!On the eleventh day of Christmas,
my cool colleague sent to me
Eleven podcasters podcasting,
Ten lords IM’ng,
Nine ladies blogging,
Eight Wiki entries,
Seven Facebook pokes,
Six Twitter nudges,
Five Second Lives,
Four YouTube videos,
Three Del.icio.us bookmarks,
Two social networks,
And a tip to expand my business globally!On the twelfth day of Christmas,
my cool colleague sent to me
Twelve Stumblers stumbling,
Eleven podcasters podcasting,
Ten lords IM’ng,
Nine ladies blogging,
Eight Wiki entries,
Seven Facebook pokes,
Six Twitter nudges,
Five Second Lives,
Four YouTube videos,
Three Del.icio.us bookmarks,
Two social networks,
And a tip to expand my business globally!
2006 LifeHack Review: Best 50 hacks for your Life
Found on digg:
“I’ve selected the best 50 life hacks of the year, based on their popularity and contents in different categories. Invest your time – read them. Bookmark this page and mark reading them as one of your new year resolutions.”
