Last weekend, Aquafit, Work stuff, a Birthday, some new CDs & a DVD, and a warning about EMI...
I haven't posted in over two weeks. Not that my life has been completely uneventful in that time - I just haven't been bothered putting some words together, that's all. Some cuts for your convenience...
Last weekend I went on a harbour cruise with some friends. It was for a 21st of a girl I've met a few times, but hardly know. She didn't care though, coz she needed to make up numbers for the cruise, so it was all good. However, she was an hour late to her own 21st birthday cruise!!! So instead of being out on Sydney Harbour for 4 hours between 8pm and midnight, we were only there for 3 hours between 9pm and midnight. Actually we were back on land by about 11:45pm, but that was cool, coz we were getting uber bored!
I had my fitness assessment at Aquafit last Friday. My exercise program consists of 45 minutes on the walker using the "9 Holes" setting (which is just a variation of decline/incline over 15 minutes, and ya have to alter the speed yourself), and a heap of weights. Oh yeah, and there's the stepper, but that's a seriously complicated piece of machinery, and I didn't have the time nor the patience to mess around with its settings the last few times I've been. I did my first full circuit of weights yesterday and yes, ladies and gentlemen, my arms are quite sore! Even washing my hands is causing certain muscles to hurt - muscles I wasn't quite aware I even had!
I applied for a few IT jobs at seek.com.au the other day. I haven't heard back from any of them, which is totally unsurprising. I have my own business, but the truth is, I really don't want to evolve that into my primary source of income. For now, I'm keen to work for a company, where I have a boss and I don't have to make all of the decisions. However, with nothing on paper to say I can do this and that, my chances of finding employment with any such company, doing what I'm good at and being paid good money for it, are basically slim to none. I know SO much stuff when it comes to computers, mostly based on personal experience, but no one seems to care. They'd prefer to employ some prat straight out of Uni who's learnt a heap of out dated crap they've been teaching for the past decade. But ooh, they have a piece of fucking paper that says, "I am a computer expert, and I have the piece of paper to prove it!" Bah to that crap. They're all a bunch of useless young twats who wouldn't know how to trouble-shoot a computer problem if their lives depended on it. Yes, I have issues with Uni graduates. And I wanna be one :P
It's my niece's 3rd birthday today (technically, it's her 4th birthday, but we won't be getting technical right now, OK?) Tahlia turns 3 today. She was born just one day before those fuckwit arabs crashed two planes into the Twin Towers, another plane into the Pentagon and that other plane into some field coz they missed their target or something. One day of (relative) peace is all she had. Anyway, back to the point... HAPPY BIRTHDAY TAHLIA!!!. She can shit me so bad with her tantrums, silence and all things Virgo-like, but she's my niece and I love her dearly :D
I bought two new CDs and a DVD the other day. The CDs were "Harem" by Sarah Brightman and "Classified" by Bond. The DVD was "Harem: A Desert Fantasy" by Sarah Brightman. I got Bond's first album, "Born" back in 2000, and I liked it. I hardly listen to it, but I do recall enjoying it somewhat. So when I heard the Channel 7 Theme Song for this year's Olympic Games was a Bond track from their new album, I had to get it. I am pleased to say I love their new album - it totally rocks :o) The Sarah Brightman CD is also awesome. I had never heard of Sarah, but I happened to see her DVD cover in a music store a few weeks ago, and not only did she look really sexy on the cover, the simple, yet appealing background caught my attention. I sampled some of her songs with thanx to Shareaza, and decided I liked them, so I bought the CD AND the DVD. I've yet to watch the DVD - I now have a 5.1 channel surround sound set up in my room, and with kids here most days, it's hard to find time when no one's asleep in this house, and I need to have my music nice and loud. I'm sure I'm gonna love it :o)
The above mentioned Sarah Brightman CD, "Harem", was Copy Controlled. What this means is, you're not supposed to be able to digitally copy them. Well of course people have still found a way, so EMI have totally wasted their time and effort by implementing this anti-piracy measure. Quite simply, a copy controlled CD isn't really a CD. It's deliberately corrupted. Despite this corruption, most normal CD players will still play them, although more modern players such as DVD/VCD/MP3/CD players won't even recognise the discs. The CDs are so far from the standards set for a Compact Disc, they aren't even allowed to carry the "Compact Disc" logo (you all know the one!) Instead they carry some stupid "copy controlled" logo, which looks like a circle with two greater-than signs inside it. After reading around on the Internet (which is where just about all this information is coming from), all EMI have managed to do with this copy controlled crap is lose customers! People who are completely honest and go out to buy these CDs are turning towards the 'net to download them because they can't take legit digital copies for their private MP3 collection, iPod or car MP3 player. It's insane. So the general warning to you all is, don't buy any CDs on the EMI label, as they're all supposed to have this copy controlled disability from now on. You're better off downloading them off the 'net. There, I said it. Go download them. Fuck EMI and their tiny intellect. DON'T use Kazaa, whatever you do! Use Shareaza along with Protowall. If you're computer stupid, forget about Protowall and just go with Shareaza. Protowall blocks incoming and outgoing packets from/to known IP addresses of music labels and the like. It basically protects you from the chances of some record label lawyer knocking on your door, although the chances of that happening to a low-end user are pretty much slim to none :o)
In conclusion, EMI are a bunch of dick heads. Don't buy music on the EMI label, coz you won't be buying a CD - you'll be buying some abomination of a CD, which resembles a CD, but is really just a bodgy plastic disc. You've been informed :o)
OK, that's my catch up. I've missed bits and pieces I think, but that's bound to happen when one leaves updates for over two weeks! Maybe I'll post more frequently about more stuff, but no promises!
Last weekend I went on a harbour cruise with some friends. It was for a 21st of a girl I've met a few times, but hardly know. She didn't care though, coz she needed to make up numbers for the cruise, so it was all good. However, she was an hour late to her own 21st birthday cruise!!! So instead of being out on Sydney Harbour for 4 hours between 8pm and midnight, we were only there for 3 hours between 9pm and midnight. Actually we were back on land by about 11:45pm, but that was cool, coz we were getting uber bored!
I had my fitness assessment at Aquafit last Friday. My exercise program consists of 45 minutes on the walker using the "9 Holes" setting (which is just a variation of decline/incline over 15 minutes, and ya have to alter the speed yourself), and a heap of weights. Oh yeah, and there's the stepper, but that's a seriously complicated piece of machinery, and I didn't have the time nor the patience to mess around with its settings the last few times I've been. I did my first full circuit of weights yesterday and yes, ladies and gentlemen, my arms are quite sore! Even washing my hands is causing certain muscles to hurt - muscles I wasn't quite aware I even had!
I applied for a few IT jobs at seek.com.au the other day. I haven't heard back from any of them, which is totally unsurprising. I have my own business, but the truth is, I really don't want to evolve that into my primary source of income. For now, I'm keen to work for a company, where I have a boss and I don't have to make all of the decisions. However, with nothing on paper to say I can do this and that, my chances of finding employment with any such company, doing what I'm good at and being paid good money for it, are basically slim to none. I know SO much stuff when it comes to computers, mostly based on personal experience, but no one seems to care. They'd prefer to employ some prat straight out of Uni who's learnt a heap of out dated crap they've been teaching for the past decade. But ooh, they have a piece of fucking paper that says, "I am a computer expert, and I have the piece of paper to prove it!" Bah to that crap. They're all a bunch of useless young twats who wouldn't know how to trouble-shoot a computer problem if their lives depended on it. Yes, I have issues with Uni graduates. And I wanna be one :P
It's my niece's 3rd birthday today (technically, it's her 4th birthday, but we won't be getting technical right now, OK?) Tahlia turns 3 today. She was born just one day before those fuckwit arabs crashed two planes into the Twin Towers, another plane into the Pentagon and that other plane into some field coz they missed their target or something. One day of (relative) peace is all she had. Anyway, back to the point... HAPPY BIRTHDAY TAHLIA!!!. She can shit me so bad with her tantrums, silence and all things Virgo-like, but she's my niece and I love her dearly :D
I bought two new CDs and a DVD the other day. The CDs were "Harem" by Sarah Brightman and "Classified" by Bond. The DVD was "Harem: A Desert Fantasy" by Sarah Brightman. I got Bond's first album, "Born" back in 2000, and I liked it. I hardly listen to it, but I do recall enjoying it somewhat. So when I heard the Channel 7 Theme Song for this year's Olympic Games was a Bond track from their new album, I had to get it. I am pleased to say I love their new album - it totally rocks :o) The Sarah Brightman CD is also awesome. I had never heard of Sarah, but I happened to see her DVD cover in a music store a few weeks ago, and not only did she look really sexy on the cover, the simple, yet appealing background caught my attention. I sampled some of her songs with thanx to Shareaza, and decided I liked them, so I bought the CD AND the DVD. I've yet to watch the DVD - I now have a 5.1 channel surround sound set up in my room, and with kids here most days, it's hard to find time when no one's asleep in this house, and I need to have my music nice and loud. I'm sure I'm gonna love it :o)
The above mentioned Sarah Brightman CD, "Harem", was Copy Controlled. What this means is, you're not supposed to be able to digitally copy them. Well of course people have still found a way, so EMI have totally wasted their time and effort by implementing this anti-piracy measure. Quite simply, a copy controlled CD isn't really a CD. It's deliberately corrupted. Despite this corruption, most normal CD players will still play them, although more modern players such as DVD/VCD/MP3/CD players won't even recognise the discs. The CDs are so far from the standards set for a Compact Disc, they aren't even allowed to carry the "Compact Disc" logo (you all know the one!) Instead they carry some stupid "copy controlled" logo, which looks like a circle with two greater-than signs inside it. After reading around on the Internet (which is where just about all this information is coming from), all EMI have managed to do with this copy controlled crap is lose customers! People who are completely honest and go out to buy these CDs are turning towards the 'net to download them because they can't take legit digital copies for their private MP3 collection, iPod or car MP3 player. It's insane. So the general warning to you all is, don't buy any CDs on the EMI label, as they're all supposed to have this copy controlled disability from now on. You're better off downloading them off the 'net. There, I said it. Go download them. Fuck EMI and their tiny intellect. DON'T use Kazaa, whatever you do! Use Shareaza along with Protowall. If you're computer stupid, forget about Protowall and just go with Shareaza. Protowall blocks incoming and outgoing packets from/to known IP addresses of music labels and the like. It basically protects you from the chances of some record label lawyer knocking on your door, although the chances of that happening to a low-end user are pretty much slim to none :o)
In conclusion, EMI are a bunch of dick heads. Don't buy music on the EMI label, coz you won't be buying a CD - you'll be buying some abomination of a CD, which resembles a CD, but is really just a bodgy plastic disc. You've been informed :o)
OK, that's my catch up. I've missed bits and pieces I think, but that's bound to happen when one leaves updates for over two weeks! Maybe I'll post more frequently about more stuff, but no promises!