That was a particularly bad idea.
Software
Sony Ericsson k800i updates- a whole pile of fun
Dec 23rd
The k800i is, all-in-all a very nice phone. One of it’s main fairly innovate features is that it can run firmware updates from the menu and download them over the air. This would be fairly useful as a first diagnostic against a software problem with the phone as the occasional 20mb download wouldn’t really hurt the networks here, however it has been unsanctimoniously disabled.
This is an even worse shame when you get to discover that the official PC based updater is a complete bastard to get working. Let alone it needing a PC to run it on. To get this tool (gratefully necessitated by the good folks at three) you should firstly download a reasonably recent version then you should install flash player with this exact link, because installing it in Firefox is fine for most functional uses of flash, but this requires an ActiveX installation of Flash- which unsurprisingly almost no-one will tell you.
Pity it didn’t fix the problems with my phone though.
Bugger.
Mac Heist and Guitar
Jul 11th
Mac Heist has been at it again with another heist which is listed as a skunk works heist in partnership with Mac Update, and as usual they are generously offering free stuffs in the way of the excellent IRC client Linkinus and have bolstered the programs in the bundle by including private beta access to Flow and Pixelmator, (albeit I haven’t received their email yet though).
In almost equally exciting news (for you perhaps, but personally I find this much more exciting) my electric guitar has recently arrived. And it is awesome. Unfortunately it did arrive a few days later than originally hoped- but otherwise Thomann have been exceptionally good value and lots of help when I ordered.
New Version (coming soon) and other miscellaneous updates!
Jun 16th
Here’s a preview of what’s soon going to be the new look of themak.org:
All critisism welcome for the new design.
The new theme is also going to mark a whole new version of themak.org, the move from the brilliant PALGN free hosting to an ASO shared hosting plan where I will also move this blog from WordPress to a hand made django weblog platform.
I now only have 4 exams left until I’ve finished with my GCSEs, and I feel fairly confident about how I’ve done (which is good) and I’m now only a few short days away from purchasing my guitar and hosting package.
32 Rebuffed Mac Myths (Reply to: PC PRO’s 32 reasons why PC’s are better than Macs)
Apr 19th
[1|2|3]
Part 2 of: 32 Rebuffed Mac Myths
Statist for OSX
Mar 17th
Of immeasurable value.
In other news: Statistics coursework looking less like a 50 tonne weight descending on me. Normal updates resume other end of the tunnel.
Congrats to Matt Gemmell
Dec 21st
Congratulations and good luck for Matt Gemmell who’s going independant in 2007. From the open source code that he’s released, it’s clear that we’ll be seing some rather exciting new program.
MacHeist
Nov 4th
Yesterday I received an invitation to the new brainchild from the makers of mydreamapp (I voted portal); MacHeist. Personally I don’t know what it is yet, but I do know that I will get hevilly discounted or free shareware. And in my books, that’s a good thing.
Google’s new playing field
Oct 4th
Google have a new laboratry, a place where they are experimenting on their core. SearchMash is where google plays; here there is not a market-place nor business- merely a place for the internet to examine and comment upon ideas that google wish to neither inflict upon nor deny the internet. Perhaps a beta testing ground for new features, a place where there is neiher the stigma of beta, nor the expectations of google. This is not google saying “You can tell us what you think.” But instead: “What do you think of this?” A place where google is not google. SearchMash is google, but they are trying new things that make it appear far fresher and more modern.
Maybe this is the Goliath creating his David, pondering this question: “Will google start to inherit from searchmash, or is searchmash going to become google.
Me? I quite like this new look google it has more flair, where I finally get my desired #1 for themak, instead of a placeholder site with a dot com after it.
Sound notification- so very very useful
Sep 28th
Sound notification is useful, it tells me when I have new mail or an im. This is more useful with growl- but I digress. Now where this starts to become less useful is when many programs use the same nondescript sounds, and when there’s more than one set of speakers which are linked to something demanding my attention. I first look for a growl notification- then to a bouncing dock icon- then I check exposé for a window with a major change then to the desktop behind to look for the inevitable dialouge window. A window which in fairness is perfectly suited to exposé but regretfully left out.
Also, my mac just went “swoosh”. It’s not Adium- that’s a chord. It’s not Mail- wrong “swoosh”. It’s not one of a million things, and I have no idea what program is reporting success or failure. None whatsoever.
Miscelania
Sep 18th
Well, now I have become a member of teenage blogging network randomshapes- I’m going to start a series of possibly useful insights on OSX soonish. In other news: I have just this Saturday finished the walk for my Duke of Edinburgh award Bronze and have signed up for the Silver. 
Photos coming soon I guess.
Also in the news is Apples iTunes 7 and an 80gb video iPod. iTunes 7 even darker interface shows a solid departure from the traditional OSX aqua and metal style interface and shows perhaps some insight into Leopards UI- but perhaps not, as this might just be a little outing to the island of UI inconsistancy. Talking about new user interfaces it would appear that the next Office for mac will not have one, oh dear.
In unrelated news Nintendo told Europe just how much they should expect to be ripped off and when. The most significant thing about the £180 price point is that it is very close indeed to an XBOX360 core unit and it’s disparity with the price the US and Japan are getting.
Oh and I almost forgot; I’m sixteen next Sunday.
