![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Seeing clearly
Apr. 1st, 2008 09:00 amThe drops from the chemist helped, but my eye was still very sore yesterday afternoon, so I called the doctor and they were able to fit me in at the end of the afternoon. So I headed away a bit early, getting to Drogheda about 5pm. After a bit of a wait, the doctor shone lights into my eye, and put coloured dyes in, and looked at it under UV.
He concluded that that there were no foreign bodies in the eye, and no sign of any scratches or lesions. My eye seems to just be bruised. It will hurt for a couple of days, but should be fine after that. I'm to keep using the drops to make sure there's no infection, and go back if it's still troubling me after that.
I had a couple of late nights over the weekend, but I was shattered last night to a greater extent than that would explain, so I guess the healing process has something to do with it. I lay down for half an hour at seven, and suddenly it was three hours later. Hopefully it helped as I feel a lot better today.
He concluded that that there were no foreign bodies in the eye, and no sign of any scratches or lesions. My eye seems to just be bruised. It will hurt for a couple of days, but should be fine after that. I'm to keep using the drops to make sure there's no infection, and go back if it's still troubling me after that.
I had a couple of late nights over the weekend, but I was shattered last night to a greater extent than that would explain, so I guess the healing process has something to do with it. I lay down for half an hour at seven, and suddenly it was three hours later. Hopefully it helped as I feel a lot better today.
Poked in the eye with a sharp stick
Mar. 31st, 2008 10:31 amI was putting stuff in the bin last night and a branch from a shrub sprung back and hit me in the eye. It was quite sore at the time, and still is this morning, particularly if I look at anything bright. The drive to the station this morning was a bit hairy as it was bright and sunny, with a shine on the road from overnight rain, and much of the drive was heading into the sun. Visibility is poor in such conditions at the best of times, so having to squint really didn't help.
It's a little better since getting to work, but not exactly comfortable. I think I'll pop out to a pharmacy and see if they have anything that might help. Or if symptoms persist, maybe look for an eye doctor.
It's a little better since getting to work, but not exactly comfortable. I think I'll pop out to a pharmacy and see if they have anything that might help. Or if symptoms persist, maybe look for an eye doctor.
Phoenix in the Central
Mar. 30th, 2008 02:44 amI've been at P-Con all day and it's been very good. There were lots of interesting panel items. I'm sure it's not right to go to a convention actually attend panels, but they've been very interesting, and it's been good fun chatting to people in between.
Panel items I've attended include Boondongles (ideas in sci-fi that seemed a good idea at the time, but weren't), World Domination (for management consultants), Astronomy (with Inge Hayer, a very interesting individual who works at an observatory in Hawaii), the guest of honour interview, and the tech savvy criminal. All were enthralling.
I also went to the auction and spent rather too much money. I seem to have acquired a Wii. Why did I do that?
Between Eastercon last weekend, and the Brickish Association AGM next weekend, I'm trying to avoid drinking too much at this one. I think it will be nice to have a weekend off after that!
Panel items I've attended include Boondongles (ideas in sci-fi that seemed a good idea at the time, but weren't), World Domination (for management consultants), Astronomy (with Inge Hayer, a very interesting individual who works at an observatory in Hawaii), the guest of honour interview, and the tech savvy criminal. All were enthralling.
I also went to the auction and spent rather too much money. I seem to have acquired a Wii. Why did I do that?
Between Eastercon last weekend, and the Brickish Association AGM next weekend, I'm trying to avoid drinking too much at this one. I think it will be nice to have a weekend off after that!
Agnostic or Atheist?
Mar. 27th, 2008 12:21 amI had a discussion with someone at Eastercon who argued that atheists are just as bad as believers, and that the only tenable position is agnosticism.
I argued that the key difference between a believer and an atheist is that a true believer doesn't "believe", they know that their god exists, and no evidence to the contrary will change their mind. An atheist, on the other hand, believes there is no god, but in the majority of cases will accept that the non-existence of god is in fact unprovable, and would be will to change their position if the evidence changed.
However, a very good friend then insisted the position I describe is not atheism at all, and is in fact agnosticism.
For the record, I would describe agnosticism as fence sitting and saying "I don't believe or disbelieve as it's impossible to prove either way."
I'd like to hear other people's views on the topic, and would like to know if my understanding is off the mark.
I argued that the key difference between a believer and an atheist is that a true believer doesn't "believe", they know that their god exists, and no evidence to the contrary will change their mind. An atheist, on the other hand, believes there is no god, but in the majority of cases will accept that the non-existence of god is in fact unprovable, and would be will to change their position if the evidence changed.
However, a very good friend then insisted the position I describe is not atheism at all, and is in fact agnosticism.
For the record, I would describe agnosticism as fence sitting and saying "I don't believe or disbelieve as it's impossible to prove either way."
I'd like to hear other people's views on the topic, and would like to know if my understanding is off the mark.
Orbiting Eastercon
Mar. 24th, 2008 10:11 pmWow, that was a great weekend. Where did it go, though, it seems like only hours ago I was stepping off a plane in Heathrow.
I really enjoyed the convention from start to finish. It seemed a little hard to keep track of what was going on at times, as there was so much going on at any given time, and it was spread over such a wide geographic area. I think I took part in more programming than any convention I've been on in a long time, but people kept telling me about great things I was missing in another part of the hotel. I also kept bumping into people and exclaiming, "Oh! Have you been here all weekend?"
Some of the great programme items I can remember were... something about telescopes in Hawaii, which was fascinating as the speaker worked at one, so really made it feel like being there... something about Doctor Who that seemed to make a lot of sense at the time, even the Buffy references... something about webcomics, which mentioned some of my favourites, plus a whole lot more I'd like to check out if I can remember what they were... writing and producing a fanzine in an hour, to which my main contribution was the cover (I managed to get a printout before heading for the plane home, which kept me chuckling manically, and getting some odd looks from my fellow passengers)... something about fannish awards (which I have to admit I found myself agreeing with both sides in to the argument as to whether they serve a purpose)... Neil Gaiman's GoH talk, which I just popped into for a minute, but ended up staying for an hour and a half)...something about H. P. Lovecraft, which I think sort of made sense... a panel where various people had two minutes to rant about various topics with hilarious results... a discussion about Accelerando which I somehow made it to at 10:00am despite having gone to bed at 5:30... a talk about the planets aimed at younger convention-goers and one about the mathematical theories of knots that I flitted between despite them having been at opposite ends of the convention... something about privacy and surveillance that completely failed to surprise me, but still managed to shock me... and a couple of discos I just had to dance at and (of course) room parties.
I won't go into all the things I would have liked to have gone to but didn't quite get around to, or the things that didn't sound particularly appealing, but when people described them afterwards I was really sorry I missed. I can't blame the committee, as the programme seemed very well worked out, and there did seem to be a genuine effort to avoid putting similar items on at the same time. However, I just have a wide disparity of interests, so it was inevitable that I wouldn't be able to get to everything I wanted to. I have no regrets and really enjoyed every item, and also the times I wasn't at programme items but was sitting around chatting with interesting people.
I have my own theories about the geography of the hotel, and why all the heat seemed to being sucked out so furiously, which can hopefully be found in the Monday evening issue of the newsletter. I don't know for sure, as I had to run for a plane before it was finished.
Now I'm really looking forward to P-Con next weekend...
I really enjoyed the convention from start to finish. It seemed a little hard to keep track of what was going on at times, as there was so much going on at any given time, and it was spread over such a wide geographic area. I think I took part in more programming than any convention I've been on in a long time, but people kept telling me about great things I was missing in another part of the hotel. I also kept bumping into people and exclaiming, "Oh! Have you been here all weekend?"
Some of the great programme items I can remember were... something about telescopes in Hawaii, which was fascinating as the speaker worked at one, so really made it feel like being there... something about Doctor Who that seemed to make a lot of sense at the time, even the Buffy references... something about webcomics, which mentioned some of my favourites, plus a whole lot more I'd like to check out if I can remember what they were... writing and producing a fanzine in an hour, to which my main contribution was the cover (I managed to get a printout before heading for the plane home, which kept me chuckling manically, and getting some odd looks from my fellow passengers)... something about fannish awards (which I have to admit I found myself agreeing with both sides in to the argument as to whether they serve a purpose)... Neil Gaiman's GoH talk, which I just popped into for a minute, but ended up staying for an hour and a half)...something about H. P. Lovecraft, which I think sort of made sense... a panel where various people had two minutes to rant about various topics with hilarious results... a discussion about Accelerando which I somehow made it to at 10:00am despite having gone to bed at 5:30... a talk about the planets aimed at younger convention-goers and one about the mathematical theories of knots that I flitted between despite them having been at opposite ends of the convention... something about privacy and surveillance that completely failed to surprise me, but still managed to shock me... and a couple of discos I just had to dance at and (of course) room parties.
I won't go into all the things I would have liked to have gone to but didn't quite get around to, or the things that didn't sound particularly appealing, but when people described them afterwards I was really sorry I missed. I can't blame the committee, as the programme seemed very well worked out, and there did seem to be a genuine effort to avoid putting similar items on at the same time. However, I just have a wide disparity of interests, so it was inevitable that I wouldn't be able to get to everything I wanted to. I have no regrets and really enjoyed every item, and also the times I wasn't at programme items but was sitting around chatting with interesting people.
I have my own theories about the geography of the hotel, and why all the heat seemed to being sucked out so furiously, which can hopefully be found in the Monday evening issue of the newsletter. I don't know for sure, as I had to run for a plane before it was finished.
Now I'm really looking forward to P-Con next weekend...
Blogging has got a lot more dangerou!
Mar. 8th, 2008 09:23 amI don't visit ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-syndicated.gif)
xkcd_rss quite often enough, but I did spot this one, and meant to go back and check how its existence had altered the statistics. Well, it's jumped from 2 to over 21,000 in less than two months. I barely even need to alter them further by including "died in a blogging accident" in my post.
xkcd_rss quite often enough, but I did spot this one, and meant to go back and check how its existence had altered the statistics. Well, it's jumped from 2 to over 21,000 in less than two months. I barely even need to alter them further by including "died in a blogging accident" in my post.Your Mindmap is ready...
Feb. 26th, 2008 05:08 amEr, I vaguely remember requesting a Mindmap a very long time ago, and this is the first I recall hearing back from them...
( Click here to see! )
Of Course, maybe I've been getting them regularly and this is the first I've noticed.
( Click here to see! )
Of Course, maybe I've been getting them regularly and this is the first I've noticed.
The Irish communications minister is going to introduce rules requiring housebuilders to fit new houses with wiring for high-speed internet access, including fibre-optic.
If only this had been done ten years ago, before the peak of the house building boom we've just come down from. We'd now have over half a million houses wired for fibre, and we'd be in a position to be one of the best connected countries in the world.
I know it's easy to say this after the event, but I've been arguing this since 1996 when I bought my first apartment. Other countries have been getting ready for this for far longer.
We've only managed to crawl out of the dark ages, and while this move is welcome, it's really bolting the door after the horse has sent an email saying it's moved to Holland because they've decent broadband there.
If only this had been done ten years ago, before the peak of the house building boom we've just come down from. We'd now have over half a million houses wired for fibre, and we'd be in a position to be one of the best connected countries in the world.
I know it's easy to say this after the event, but I've been arguing this since 1996 when I bought my first apartment. Other countries have been getting ready for this for far longer.
We've only managed to crawl out of the dark ages, and while this move is welcome, it's really bolting the door after the horse has sent an email saying it's moved to Holland because they've decent broadband there.
As I've mentioned a couple of times before, I've been helping my sister, Brenda, to set up an on-line store for her pet shop. The store has been live for a couple of months and is starting to bring in orders at a reasonable rate. Comments from customers have been very positive, with the fact that there's a real, physical shop in existence being a major attraction for many of them.
http://www.brendaspets.ie/
She's now set up a blog:
http://www.brendaspets.ie/blogs/brenda
Would some nice person with a paid account set up a syndication on LJ for me? The feed is:
http://www.brendaspets.ie/blog/2/feed
http://www.brendaspets.ie/
She's now set up a blog:
http://www.brendaspets.ie/blogs/brenda
Would some nice person with a paid account set up a syndication on LJ for me? The feed is:
http://www.brendaspets.ie/blog/2/feed
[LJ2ME] Delays
Feb. 10th, 2008 11:57 pmMy flight home was late because of a lack of air traffic controllers. Apparently they've been refusing to work overtime in protest of a recruitment ban that meant no new controlers have been hired for years, causing delays like this. It meant I just missed the 11.20 bus home, and now have to wait for the 00.20. It's almost worth it, though, because at least we were spared that stupid trumpet fanfare Ryanair play whenever a plane arrives on time.
[LJ2ME] Train trouble
Feb. 8th, 2008 09:31 amThe 8:32 Drogheda-Pearse was a supposed to be 6 car set. There was announcement after we were sitting on it for ten minutes, but the volume was too low to make out. There was a second announcement telling every to disembark to the (invisible) train on platform 2. I asked the driver what the problem was and he said brakes. Apparently there's no spare in Drogheda, so we told a train would arrive from Dublin at 8.55. Then, everyone got back on the original train, apparently responding to some hidden cue, and there was an announcement apologising for the late running. The engine then revved for a few minutes. Another announcement then told us the train is now out of service, and another train would be arriving on platform 2. According to the timetable, there should be a train from Dublin at 9.05, though it's supposed to go on to Dundalk. At 9.10 a train saying Dundalk on the front a pulled in to the service depot. A few minutes later it reversed out, and finally made it's way on to the platform. It finally departed at 9.18, but is only a four cars long, so it's likely to get very packed, especially since it will also be picking up everyone who's early for the 9.30 service. It's also occurred to me that we left about 2 minutes before a non-stop Enterprise normally passes through, so we'll be holding that up too.
[LJ2ME] Insider Trading?
Feb. 6th, 2008 07:40 amOn Monday, Ryanair announced their third quarter profits were down 25%. They also stated that profits for the next two years could be down as much as 50%. Naturally, this prompted a wave of selling, and Ryanair's stock ended the day about 40c down.
But one thing less widely reported is that Ryanair will be embarking on a share buyback peogramme, buying back about 3% of their stock. A buyback is the reverse of a stock issue, and the stock market equivalent of paying back a loan, and effectively means there are less shares in existance, so the ones that are left should be more valueable.
From the company's viewpoint, the lower the share price, the more shares they can buy for the same amount of money, and to some extent, the better deal they can give the remaining shareholders, since their shares will be scarcer and more valuable.
It does seem like they've played up the negative aspects in order to depress the share price to get it as low as possible for the buyback. I don't think they're doing illegal, but if they did it in reverse, there would be allegations of insider trading.
It's easy to forget, but once a company's shares are in the market, the price of those shares does not matter to that company. It may give an indication of the public perception of the company's future profitability, and it may be important to the directors, who probably own shares and options on shares, but it has no effect at all on the company's ability to trade. If the share price doubles, the company does not see a cent of that money.
The only times it makes any difference to a company's bottom line are when they want to raise new capital by issuing new shares, when they wnat the price as high as possible, and when they want to buy back stock, when they want it as low as possible.
If anyone has a bit of cash to spare, now could be a good time to buy into Ryanair for the medium term, as I can't help feeling that their profits may not be as poor as they're suggesting.
But one thing less widely reported is that Ryanair will be embarking on a share buyback peogramme, buying back about 3% of their stock. A buyback is the reverse of a stock issue, and the stock market equivalent of paying back a loan, and effectively means there are less shares in existance, so the ones that are left should be more valueable.
From the company's viewpoint, the lower the share price, the more shares they can buy for the same amount of money, and to some extent, the better deal they can give the remaining shareholders, since their shares will be scarcer and more valuable.
It does seem like they've played up the negative aspects in order to depress the share price to get it as low as possible for the buyback. I don't think they're doing illegal, but if they did it in reverse, there would be allegations of insider trading.
It's easy to forget, but once a company's shares are in the market, the price of those shares does not matter to that company. It may give an indication of the public perception of the company's future profitability, and it may be important to the directors, who probably own shares and options on shares, but it has no effect at all on the company's ability to trade. If the share price doubles, the company does not see a cent of that money.
The only times it makes any difference to a company's bottom line are when they want to raise new capital by issuing new shares, when they wnat the price as high as possible, and when they want to buy back stock, when they want it as low as possible.
If anyone has a bit of cash to spare, now could be a good time to buy into Ryanair for the medium term, as I can't help feeling that their profits may not be as poor as they're suggesting.
[LJ2ME] Oh bugger
Feb. 5th, 2008 02:39 pmI've just noticed that I somehow booked my flight for ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
jamesb's wedding into Stanstead airport instead of Gatwick. No biggie, it just means about an extra hour on the train, but it is possibly my least favourite airport in the universe.
jamesb's wedding into Stanstead airport instead of Gatwick. No biggie, it just means about an extra hour on the train, but it is possibly my least favourite airport in the universe.[LJ2ME] Are they having a laugh?
Feb. 5th, 2008 10:13 amMicrosoft want to buy Yahoo and argue that it will be good for competition because the combined entity will be better able to compete against Google. Google disagree, arguing that Microsoft will use their dominance in the operating system arena to push their search engine and advertising.
I know Google want to protect their own strong position, but I think they have a point. Microsoft have used Windows to promote MSN search, Hotmail and to a lesser extent, advertising on MSN.
I've never been convinced by the argument that having less players on the field can be good for competition. It would more likely polarise the market into just MS/Yahoo and Google, with smaller players either getting bought up or pushed out.
There are still niches for smaller players, particularly in specialist areas like blog searches. However, in a polarised market, I think it would be much harder for these to survive. And that can hardly be a good thing.
Let's hope the competition authorities will see sense and tell Microsoft to back off.
I know Google want to protect their own strong position, but I think they have a point. Microsoft have used Windows to promote MSN search, Hotmail and to a lesser extent, advertising on MSN.
I've never been convinced by the argument that having less players on the field can be good for competition. It would more likely polarise the market into just MS/Yahoo and Google, with smaller players either getting bought up or pushed out.
There are still niches for smaller players, particularly in specialist areas like blog searches. However, in a polarised market, I think it would be much harder for these to survive. And that can hardly be a good thing.
Let's hope the competition authorities will see sense and tell Microsoft to back off.
[LJ2ME] Radio
Jan. 31st, 2008 04:43 pmThat's two radio interviews in the one week. I'm hoping I can get copies of them. Reasonably with how they went, though Tuesday's went a little better than today's, possibly because today my head is full of cotton wool, and thinking is a bit of a struggle.
[LJ2ME] Radio
Jan. 29th, 2008 07:57 amI'm going to be interviewed on Spin 103.8 FM at about 1.30 today. In case you can't guess, it's about Lego.
If anyone has the ability to record it, I'd love to get a copy (in case I can't find in their Pod Casts.
If anyone has the ability to record it, I'd love to get a copy (in case I can't find in their Pod Casts.
[LJ2ME] I feel fine but...
Jan. 28th, 2008 02:45 pmI think I must have a cold, because I.m sniffling and my nose is running, and I keep sneezing. Apart from that I feel perfectly healthy (so far).
Perhaps the cold has realised that people who feel healthy are more effective as spreading the disease, and once I've infected enough other people I'll start to fee wretched. That must be it.
Maybe I should shun human contact on the basis that if I can't spread the disease it will still need me healthy and I won't start feeling unwell and unable to pass on its genes.
Or maybe I should give in and get to the next phase as quickly as possible. Perhaps I should make a list of people I don't like to infect so I don't pass it to anyone I do like.
Is this how a sentint disease would behave?
Perhaps the cold has realised that people who feel healthy are more effective as spreading the disease, and once I've infected enough other people I'll start to fee wretched. That must be it.
Maybe I should shun human contact on the basis that if I can't spread the disease it will still need me healthy and I won't start feeling unwell and unable to pass on its genes.
Or maybe I should give in and get to the next phase as quickly as possible. Perhaps I should make a list of people I don't like to infect so I don't pass it to anyone I do like.
Is this how a sentint disease would behave?
