It's Christmas time and the end of 2009 is nigh

Well, here we are at the end of another year (nearly) and I'm counting down to Christmas. The crazy thing is that I'm still at school. That's right, we haven't broken up yet! Crazy. Anyway, like I say, I'm looking forward to the holidays. There is much planned, including putting a new roof on the shed and clearing out the study.

It's been a tough couple of months. I won't go into it, suffice to say that Sarah and I have been through the mill and back. For that reason, I'm looking forward to 2010. I always say that 2010 is "the future." It's one of those dates that sounds like the future. And with the age of technology, particularly in the hand held smart phone, we really are into the future. LED TV's, mega fast broadband and ever improving Apple products are really paving the way into the future that we see in movies.

And for that, I'm excited.

I haven't taken the plunge into the smartphone world yet, but am looking at iPhone vs Android. I sway between the two. At the moment, the iPhone is winning. I am an iPod Touch man and love that device. I can only imagine what having your phone and iPod in one is like. The amount of Apps is unreal - free and paid. There are apps on Android, but not as many. Let's just say that I like O2 and I'll probably be sticking with the network and the Apple brand.

So, half a day of work left. There'll be the usual staff do of saying good bye to colleagues as well as the celebration of success. Plus drinks and nibbles, although I don't normally hang around for too long. I like the holiday to start as soon as possible.

Final thought: I probably won't blog until 2010. So, here's to the future!

Going mobile & Synchronisation

So. This is a short blog from a new Blogger app. Very nice. Will use it when the need takes me. Also, my google mail, contacts and calendar automatically sync with the Touch. Very nice. Peace. Out.

Peru, amongst other things...

YES! Peru was amazing. The culture, the history, the people, the clothes, the holiday and the mountains. It's hard to sum it up in a word. The whole experience was that of the once in a lifetime experience. Awesome. Particularly waking up in a tent, looking out the door and seeing snow, or clouds, or indeed, the Andes. I also had to contend with my bag not being put on my flight, sand flies, a swolen foot, a fever, antibiotics and the Peruvian security. What a great time we had - if you like that sort of thing!

It's been back to work this week for planning week. No actual planning done so far. Lot's of other stuff. I'll think about lessons, schemes of work etc soon. Got to think about Year Learning Leader stuff today. Plenty to be getting on with!

Going to Knaresborough at the weekend so see the Olds. Looking forward to it - must remember to take photo's. I'm going to the cinema too - don't know what to watch yet, but I'll post a review at some point. Speaking of which, I need to review Star Trek, Wolverine, Coraline, Monster Vs Aliens and Harry Potter 6. All films I've watched recently. I watched 5 films (but I can't remember the 5th) on the plane out to Peru. It is 12.5 hours to fly there!

A few thoughts about Avatar - James Cameron's 1st film since Titanic. The trailer makes the film look somewhat unfinished. However, I'm looking forward to a 3D film that isn't a crap children's movie. As for "photoreal" we'll have to wait and see. I think the "cinema changning" aspect of this film is the production of it, not necesarily the film itself. Roll on December - it's only taken 4 years to make!

Time to shower and get ready for another day of not planning and doing other just as useful stuff instead.

Over and out,

Timo

More sport...

YES! England beat Australia in the 2nd test @ Lords. Flintoff, the Ashes hero of 2005 returned with 5 wickets in the 2nd innings. Awesome. A dramatically different performance from Cardiff. Everyone played a part!

And Le Tour de France! Very exciting. Lance is currently in 2nd place. Contador looks very strong. And a Brit is 3rd! Also brilliant! Looking forward to the final week starting tomorrow.

Excellent.

Tennis, Rugby, Cycling & Cricket

Hmmm, I really do like sports.

I've followed Wimbledon this year (watching the final as I type), I've kept up to date with the Lions tour of South Africa, I can't wait for the Ashes and Le Tour de France is 2 stages in.

Not only that, a Brit won Stage 2 of Le Tour, a Brit made it to the semis in Wimbledon, the Brits won the 3rd match in S.A. and I'm hoping the Brits will come through and reclaim the little urn.

And, as the tour of S.A. and Wimbledon come to a close, Le Tour has 19 stages left and the Ashes has 5 tests in it. Loads of sport! Wonderful!

Anyway, just wanted to ramble on about something for a few minutes!

:o)

Xubuntu: Linux light....

So, I had an old Sony Vaio FX-101 laptop and wanted to change it's operating system. I had nearly run out of hard disk space and wasn't using the laptop at all.

All I wanted to be able to do was use the word processor and (safely) surf the Internet. Linux was the answer...

First, there were several attempts to try running different version of Linux from the live CD's. It didn't work. The laptop must have been switched on and off quite a lot of times. Then can the forum search. Once we had checked a particular option (I don't remember what), the CD's booted!

Some options looked nice, but seemed slow. I settled for Xubuntu. It's Ubuntu with an Xfce thing instead of Gnome. I don't really understand, it's all rather technical.

Anyway, it has all software that you would need added in: Firefox, Abiword and Gnumeric (Web, Word and Excel). Other apps/functions can be added, but I've got all I need. I have also freed up 6.9Gb of hard disk space.

It boots quickly and programs load relatively well. I can't expected it to run more than 2 apps at a time... Clearly, the RAM is at max capacity most of the time!

Overall, I'm pleased. It should give life to an 8 year old laptop by putting a modern OS into creaky hardware.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

WOW! What a night. Not only did I go and see Transformers 2, I watched Transformers on DVD first! That's right, me and the boys did the Transformers Double.

But what about the film: is it any good? In a word, yes. There are some questionable additions to the robot cast and some dodgy ideas thrown in (various forms of humping being one of them), but, all in all, RotF delivers.

Classic fights between Prime and Megatron, robots doing robot things, explosions, humans, nice easy story line to follow coupled with cheesy dialogue! There was one bit that pulled at the heart strings, but there wasn't too much on the sickly stuff!

Anyway, Transformers is about, well, Transformers and there were plenty. Some did a lot, some didn't seem to do anything! Some were big, others small. Some annoying, some funny and some scary. But there was a lot of transforming and fighting. And that is what it's all about.

I was watching the animated movie in preparation and that is simply non-stop action and that's what I love about Transformers. This new film is on a par with that. It dispenses with the pleasentries and gets straight to the point.

Favourite bit: Super Optimus Prime (that's all I'm saying for fear of spoilers!).

I'm not going to say anything (much) bad about this film. Roll on the DVD release and roll on what ever Threequel they come up with.

Terminator-tastic

So, I've ordered Terminator (with Predator & Commando), Terminator 2 and Terminator 3 on DVD. Awesome. YES!

Testing Testing,... Putting a video on me blog...

This is an HTML test... I don't really know what's going to happen...



Hopefully, my thoughts are correct. This should be after the vid clip...

Terminator Salvation: Any good?

The perfect Summer movie? Well, there was plenty of action including explosions, fighting, shooting and driving. Doesn't that make a perfect Summer movie? Only if the movie has all that, but is still good.



And Terminator Salvation is good. Very good. It's a non-stop thrill ride punctuated with emotion and exposition with a brief foray into what it is to be human. There are twists (although somewhat obvious) and there are surprises. There are also some lovely little references to the previous Terminator films. Listen out to the track that John Connor plays on his stereo - recognise it from T2? And then there's Bale's "I'll be back" - and it falls a little flat.

In the final act, there's Arnie. Although he's not strictly speaking in the film, his visage is there, attached to the T800. A very nice touch.

It would have been nice to have seen more of some of the supporting charactes: Bryce Dallas Who? and more screen time for Anton Yelchin's character would have helped us believe his transition from teenager to resistance fighter.

Plot holes and question marks aside - there are a few, like Marcus Wright: what happened there then? - Terminator Salvation delivers on all fronts. It gives us a real glimpse into what the future looks like post-Judgment Day. Roll on the sequels... let's hope the Studio decides to get on with it, rather than leave us waiting... Like, what happened to the Superman: The Man of Steel???

Go and see it. Sit back and enjoy the ride. If nothing else, Terminator Salvation is the perfect Summer movie.

T x

http://terminatorsalvation.warnerbros.com/

Apple iPhone 3G S pictures, official photos

Apple iPhone 3G S pictures, official photos

iPhone 3GS may just be the iPhone I decide to buy. I won't get an alternative, so I may wait to see what the iPhone 4.0 looks like next year (one a year so far!).

I'm impressed with the RAM and processor upgrades as well as the improved camera (still & video). Addition of a compass makes the maps+GPS combination look even better - especially as a pedestrian around town.

There are a variety of other features that are an improvement on the last, but most of them are OS improvements that come with the iPhone 3.0 software (due on the 17th June which I'll get for my iPod Touch).

So, like I said, I will one day be the owner of an iPhone. Will it be this one, or will I wait until next June to see what happens? I can't upgrade until Feb 2010 anyway...

T x

Trip to Trent University

Great trip to the final year project exhibition at Trent Uni today.

As always, the Year 10 students did 'emselves proud!

It's amazing: the variety of courses on offer! There are so many: Film Set Design, Product Design, Graphics, Architecture, Computer Games.... I WISH I KNEW ABOUT THESE COURSES WHEN I WAS 17!!! I may not have done MechEng and I may have not become a teacher. Well, I am a teacher, but I think I'm going to design stuff and make a portfolio, just in case I meet a designer one day...

Anyway, the advice: SERIOUS RESEARCH! Look at all options and opporunties before you make a choice.

T x

Arnie is in the new Terminator

Well, his digital likeness is. Awesome!

The End of an Era?

So, year 11 are having exams and are in the process of leaving! Crazy really, as I remember some of them when they started in Year 7. It's really poignant meeting with parents at ARD, their last ARD! However, it's all positive and it's all about moving on to the next thing.

And that's what I'm thinking of. Life is full of different eras: School, P16, sports teams, Uni, bands, different jobs, friends - they all come and go. As soon as we understand that life is full of changes, it becomes much easier!

However, make the most of the time you're given with the people you're with - class mates, colleagues, friends. It would be a shame to isolate youreself thinking you're only going to move on...

Anyway, life isn't about one era, it's about seasons. Different things happening at different times. Good seasons, bad seasons. As long as we learn from the different experiences in life and grow stronger from them, it's all good.

Finally, don't forget to celebrate the good stuff. It's easy to remember the bad stuff and whizz through anything good that's happening. The good stuff is the best stuff. Enjoy it and remember it.

Peace.

Out.

A weekend in the Lakes...

After an hour of phone calls, we finally found a camp site in the Lakes that wasn't fully booked! We raced to Pooley Bridge to meet a 19:30 deadline for arrival - which we did, but with only 3 minutes to spare! No laws were broken, I assure you!

The weekend itself was great. Great weather and awesome views! We walked up Sca Fell Pike (England's highest mountain!) from Great Langdale. It was tough in the heat, but glorious nonetheless. The views were spectacular.

I had bought some new camping equipment that I was keen to try out. Particularly my titanium spork. Awesome! Every camper needs one! Other equipment came in handy too - a MultiMat (cheap version of ThermoRest), an insulated mug and some new stools.

Camping is the way forward - it's cheap and fun - but only if it's not raining.

Here's a final phrase, I'll go camping rain, hail or shine, depending on the weather!

Jacket Wedges update

The mild chilli wedges were a great success...

Homemade jacket wedges...

So, last night I thought, I'm going to be creative and make my own jacket wedges! Microwave the potatoes for 4 mins. Cut into wedges and place on a baking tray... cover in oil (preferably olive oil) and add herbs. I also added cayenne pepper. This, friends, is very hot! So, tonight, following a rather spicy experience, I'm using mild chilli powder to add some spice. I know this isn't too hot! Anyway, cook on gas mark 6/7 for 15 minutes, turn the wedges over and cook until they're done (or how you like em!)

I'll let you know how tonight's efforts go...

Timo

School of Rock

So, on the 15th May, 2009, The Djanogly School of Rock performed a few songs. The main "School of Rock" song went very well and there's a video on YouTube (click the title). I was pleased with it and it reflected the efforts of the lads - particularly in the last few weeks. The "Jam" went well also, with some good improvisation. "Half the World Away" was OK. We lost timing somewhere in the middle and I couldn't get my levels right - too far from the mic and then too close. The video is incomplete also as my phone memory ran out.

However, the overall gig was excellent. Sapphire Lane played their socks off!

T'was a great experience!

Making a New Start

Blog, blog, blog... I've been (sort of) keeping a blog on a different site, but this would be THE blog site to work on. So, here I am, sharing my musings and thoughts on whatever comes into ma heed.

Right now, there's nothing much going on... However, holiday time soon - looking forward to that a LOT!

I've been working with some students on School of Rock and have a gig at the end of the week! Hilarious, but I'm looking forward to it!

Anyway, wasn't aiming to achieve anything with this first blog, other than getting it out there!