Well, I bought some sweets from the local shops and waited for the trick-or-treaters. Despite the abundance of small children running around the neighbourhood in fright masks and cloaks (and an alarmingly high number of mothers with push-chairs wearing big pointy witch hats), nobody knocked. I am not sure if I am annoyed or relieved. We had a guest tonight, so I didn’t really want to be disturbed, but not one knock. Perhaps I frighten the locals!
Monthly Archives: October 2003
The gay team
I am not sure how I missed this list of high-profile gays or, as The Observer put it, a list of “20 of the most influential UK-based gays and lesbians working in a range of professions”, but I am glad it’s online. I am not sure that I agree with this list as the most influential gay or lesbians in the UK, but nonetheless, it’s an interesting article.
It’s a very worthy list, and I am sure that everybody on it deserves a place, but I can’t help feeling that Graham Norton or Brian Dowling – who might be too overtly camp for many gay people – should be on that list. They have provided a very public face for gay men over the past couple of years. The effect of a daily talk show hosted by a gay man can not be overlooked.
On this day…
2004: The ProducersSide Bar Dermot
Sadly, it’s time to remove the Dermot Watch link from the navigation bar of this site. I left it there after Big Brother had ended, but now I guess it is time to think of something else to put there. Of course, if you really want to read more about Dermot O’Leary, then you should check out the Man of the Moment section.
Oh, and did you know that Dermot O’Leary was born in Colchester on 24 May 1973? After gaining a BA in Media and Television with a minor in Politics at Middlesex University, he worked as a TV runner before going on to do the warm-up for Channel 4’s Light Lunch [Source: BBC]
On this day…
2005: Gay Life Is More Fun: Official2004: A Funny Thing Happened On the Way To The Forum
2003: Queer Eye?
2002: The World May Not Revolve Around Me
Queer Eye?
OK, so I now know that the US version of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy starts in the UK on Living TV on 6th November, there has certainly been a lot of talk about it in the US, so I await its start with great anticipation.
On this day…
2005: Gay Life Is More Fun: Official2004: A Funny Thing Happened On the Way To The Forum
2003: Side Bar Dermot
2002: The World May Not Revolve Around Me
Effect Xmas
Recently, I may have professed that I knew the difference between affect and effect, and it was confirmed for me today online at Common Errors in English. I did not think that Xmas was a way of removing Christ from Christmas, but rather a lazy person’s way of avoiding writing letters. Turns out, I was wrong, and the X is an abbreviation of the Greek word for Christ [Source]. Just goes to show that I know nothing.
On this day…
2005: I Am In Oslo2005: Audience Up
2004: links for 2004-10-27
Phones and PDAs
I have spent the last few days trying to decide whether to update my phone with Orange, and today I decided against it. I have been considering upgrading to one of those phones that is both a PDA and a phone. I am hoping this would stop me from carrying multiple devices around with me and also ensure that I am in sync across all the things I use to try to organise my life. Sadly, I have decided there isn’t a device for me.
The Orange SPV seems to get me a lot of the way, but the phone hasn’t had the greatest reviews and, to be honest, if I were going to pay that much money, I think I would like either Bluetooth or a built-in camera (apparently, the next version will have both of these things). It also features an MP3 player that will, of course, play WMA format. I won’t get started on music formats – I am sure there is a whole post there.
Now the Treo 600 also interests me. It is a combined PDA and phone and will be able to utilise most of the Palm-related software that I have already installed and used on my trusty Palm Vx. The Real One Mobile that you could use on the Treo doesn’t play WMA files, which means that I would have to re-encode most of my music and, as I am not that much of an audiophile, I’d rather have the disc space.
Now, neither of these devices does all I need or want, and I am not going to spend that much money yet. My Nokia 7650 tries to sync contacts and a diary but doesn’t do it very well. I looked at the Sony Ericsson T610, but it doesn’t seem to be much of a leap from the Nokia I have.
So, what’s my wish list? A Palm-powered device which is also a phone and a decent MP3 player. If I had the money, it would also be Bluetooth- and Wi-Fi-enabled. One day, somebody will make it, I’ll have the money, and we’ll meet in a shop on Oxford Street.
Oh, and if you have tips for getting the Nokia 7650 to sync well (not just sync, but sync well) with the Outlook I use at the office, please let me know.
On this day…
2004: links for 2004-10-262002: Go Out
The Quiet American
Thanks to the joy of dvdsontap, I have just watched Michael Caine in The Quiet American, the adaptation of Graham Greene’s novel about an American spy, Alden Pyle (Brendan Fraser).
Pyle is a US agent backing an anti-communist force in Vietnam who befriends British journalist Thomas Fowler (Caine) before becoming part of a love triangle with a local Vietnamese girl, Phuong (Do Thi Hai Yen).
Caine was superb as the Siagon-based reporter – an understated performance that steals the show. The movie is well produced and the atmosphere of the Far-East brilliantly portrayed. I would never have gone to the movies to see this but I am so glad that I added it to the DVD list.
On this day…
2002: Let’s (Not) Go OutCD or not to CD?
I’ve just been out and bought Erasure’s Hits collection. Now, I own all the original albums, so I am not entirely sure why I went and bought it. Still, I now own the CD, so it can sit on the shelf alongside all the others, and I will take pride in the fact that my Erasure album collection is complete.
Phil Gyford posted an interesting question about CDs and what would happen if they were all stolen. I have ripped a good number of my CDs, but I would miss the originals if I didn’t have them. There appears to be more value in holding an original CD case with the lyrics, photographs and the notes. I would have to try to replace a good number of them because I would miss them. A little like software, it’s good to have all the originals just in case something happens.
On this day…
2004: Billy Connolly2002: Community of UK Webloggers
Celebrities And The Media
According to an item over at Rainbow Network, The Sun newspaper is reporting that Stephen Gately and his partner Andrew Cowles have been involved in a fight outside the London restaurant, The Ivy.
All couples have arguments, and it’s sad that such a moment is deemed newsworthy. Stephen (who was Man of the Moment in September) posted an item on his message board with his version of the events: “Andy and I are absolutely fine, and there is nothing at all to be concerned about” [Source].
Celebrities fight back! The power of the web to put their side of the story is fantastic and exactly what they should be using the web for. Unfortunately, the people who run Stephen’s message board slightly spoiled it with, “This subject is now closed on this board. Whilst there will no doubt be more articles over the coming days relating to this, we will not be posting any more about it unless Stephen decides to do any further interviews” [Source]. Sadly, that won’t make the story go away.
On this day…
2004: Down With Love2004: Links for 2004-10-23
2004: Lucky Man: A Memoir
2002: New Look
2002: Inspirational Eden
Writer’s Block?
I really wanted to write something about motivation, but I can’t motivate myself to think about what’s buzzing around in my head. To be honest, I am starting to think my ability to compose sentences and string words together is leaving me. It’s not that I have any difficulty thinking about the things I would like to write here, but I have difficulty actually writing it. My head is full of random thoughts, but I can’t get them into anything coherent. Failing in this way is actually proving to be quite depressing, to be honest.
I wanted to write about a post on Strange Little Boy about using a wireless connection in a public place, but I can’t get to that point.
I also wanted to write about the development of online technologies and my frustration at seeing many of the technologies I am interested in being developed outside the UK. Again, I am suffering from some kind of block.
So, I am off to meet a friend for pizza this evening. This will allow me to clear my mind with friend-pizza-eating-trivia and also to avoid the television, which, after last night’s Dawson’s marathon, will be no bad thing for my brain. Perhaps I shall welcome tomorrow with a clearer mind.
On this day…
2003: Today On The Creek2002: Hope I Haven't Missed Your Birthday