National Sea Life Centre [from iPhone]

In Birmingham. Now sat watching otters get fed trout and horse meat while I read the paper. Personally, I think octopus rule (or propably will do one day). This not so little guy, and his lobster mate, are chilin' in the big tank downstairs...

SL on 3G

I keep getting asked if this is true, and yes it apparently is (and not just the Comverse thing from last year), so I'm posting some info on it while I got some time. Get ready to loose your 1st life totally.

Vollee announced on the 18th that it's bringing SL to the 3G mobile (which the soddin' iPhone isn't, don't make me rez my soap box). Basicly, the PC game streaming co. will be mapping keys on your phone to execute commands in SL. So I guess this means you could sit in a coffee shop, chat with an 30ft steampunk automaton and dance at the Caledon 2nd Anniversary Ball all at the same time. Actually useful for business for me. Help me Jesus.

From the Vollee press release: "What we have developed is a service which, for the first time, allows you to access a rich persistent virtual 3D world the way it is supposed to be experienced on your phone," said Martin Dunsby, CEO, Vollee. "This is a true ‘before and after moment' in which mobile is living up to its potential in serving as an always on, connected platform."

Beta trials begin in May 2008, but you can pre-register at Vollee's website.

Thank god I don't have 3G, the wife would divorce me.

Daily Telegraph Today

Huh. Tribute Island [SLURL] (that labour of love I call 'work') is in today's Daily Telegraph (which isn't even one of our papers I gotta add) and in the 'news' section too. Nice. In the online version they included a link to Oolons video too, though they did wildly misquote me...

...we do get servicemen/women in the sim, a fair few actually, there's even a couple here now while the 'Tribute to the Troops' part is on (1-4SLT, if ya quick) but "wandering through the graves looking for fallen comrades" is a bit hammy even for yours truly.

Still, anything that raises awareness is good. Gift horses in the gob and all that :-)

Check it here if you didn't follow the links above, and Digg-it-up if ya so inclined. Also got an article on gamepolitics.com today, which seems to be churning some interesting debate and pumping up the YouTube visits.

Older Than Dirt [from iPhone]

As my home PC has just crashed, cos it's full of rabbit fur again, I'm having a little pause and a hoover-out.

Speaking of 'little paws', Worthington ain't too hot today. Still perky, but his back legs just don't cut the mustard these days and he's pretty damn wobbly. He's 7 now. Good going. No teeth, arthritis, smells like old fluff, but still stoic and brimming with character. Here he is, head on his hot water bottle.

It's probably time for his weekly bath later, always entertaining, so if we do I'll grab a pic and post it :-)

It's a Grand Life [from iPhone]

Gonna start posting stuff like this through Twitxr, and here. The iPhone is picky with embedded media and txt so I'll still keep the Twitters up separately :-)

150 Quid Awesome Sounding Headset

Check this on the BBC site:

"The Epoc technology can be used to give authentic facial expressions to avatars of gamers in virtual worlds. For example, if the player smiles, winks, grimaces the headset can detect the expression and translate it to the avatar in game.

It can also read emotions of players and translate those to the virtual world. "The headset could be used to improve the realism of emotional responses of AI characters in games," said Ms Le.

"If you laughed or felt happy after killing a character in a game then your virtual buddy could admonish you for being callous," she explained."

Shit yeah.

Time off for Good Behaviour

As part of our latest campaign on the BGS green living site (the RL version of our SL project and freebie emporium [SLURL]) we're encouraging people to think of the forthcoming leap day on 29th February as not "just another day" but as an extra day in your life and to pledge to put an hour or two aside on the day to do something green which will help to reduce carbon emissions.

To support the initiative on the site and give all AND Derby staff the opportunity to get involved with the campaign, our bosses have said anyone in the office who wishes to take part can finish work two hours early on Friday 29th February to do so. Now that's putting ya money where ya mouth is, especcially as we're so busy right now.

The early finish on the day comes on the condition (and fair doos) that you use the time to do a suitable and approved green activity AND capture ourselves doing it in a photograph (for laughs).

Personally, I'd like to encourage you blog reading folks to do this too (I do like my green stuff) and, as initial ideas, you might choose to use those two hours to:

• Install low-energy light bulbs in your home
  (saves a bomb, trust me)
• Plant a tree
  (for hugging at a later date)
• Draught-proof any breezy windows, doors or your letterbox
  (cosey)
• Cancel your junk mail via the Mail Preference Service
  (that'll show em')
• Switch your bank account or utility bills to online/paperless statements
  (less crap on the mat)
• Foil-back your radiators
  (with fresh, not recycled it makes the lounge smell like bacon)
• Start a compost heap in your garden
  (harvest the black gold, get exciteb by worms)
• Spread your existing compost out in your garden
  (tempting to do this one myself)
• Switch your energy supply to a green energy option
  (BGS has a cheap thingy for it)
• Look into getting cavity wall stuff installed
  (bit nerdy sounding I admit)
• Inquire about getting loft insulation
  (as above, geeky but worth it)
• Defrost your freezer
  (actually, I could do with doing that)
• Get recycling bins organized in your home to help you sort your waste more easily
  (one for this, one for than, one upstairs for the other)
  
• Give your car a service and check your tyre pressure
• Install a water-hippo or other water displacement device
  (stick a brick in the bog)
• Digging out and fixing up your bicycle ready for use
  (present and correct, sah!)
• Plant up your own veg in your garden
  (or seeds in trays this time of year)
• Have a spring-clean at home using natural cleaning products
  (vinegar, baking soda, lemon juice, elbow grease)
  
• Have a clear-out and take unwanted items to the charity shop
  (or stick em on eBay or Freecycle)
  

I'm not sure what I'll do yet, but I'll dutifully Twitxr pics as I do so :-) For more ideas and inspiration of others things you might wanna do on the day, try the Big Green Switch website!

Can't help but think I'm lucky with what I do sometimes, some folks have well shit jobs. Not me.

Torley on David Lynch on Second Life on iPhone

Funny one the Torley. Kinda like Marmite, ya either like him or he makes you want to puke. Me, I like my Torley on toast...

Dealing with Microsoft - Shpigler the Shark

"Tell him: 'You have other options, go and buy a country ... let's see you monetise Liberia'"

Funny, but there's actually some solid gems of wisdom in there too. Gotta be honest, I'm tempted to some of those of Yahoo shares while they're going cheap.

Richard Dawkins Discusses Second Life

An oldie I just rediscovered. I got a lot of time for Dawkins :-)

Hello DET [from iPhone]

It's enormous this new place and I can't login to SL yet. The walk in from the bus is nice though. I just paid 30p for a coffee cos the hot water is shafted. Unpacking desk toys and reconfiguring firewall now.

Sigh...

Might go check out the canteen when Daz gets in.

Chopping Ivy [from iPhone]

Just having a coffee break. Making the most of the good weather by getting the roof cleared and the ivy cut back for another year.

Dex. Rock God. [from iPhone]

Our host has skills.

Guitar Hero [from iPhone]

It's awesome the way dinner party games have changed.

Daz on the axe :-)

Hosts [from iPhone]

Finally sat down, after running around on our behalf :-)

Derbydaz & V [from iPhone]

Daz is doing very well, learning to breath our atmosphere. He does look like he has a fish-bowl on his head, doesn't he? It's hard to tell on this screen...

Chop & Janine [from iPhone]

Hmmm. Stripey.

Goodbye Cardinal Sq. [from iPhone]

The last 10 mins of the no.1 Dev desk. Just waiting for Duncan to stop fiddling with servers, then off to see Cloverfield with him and Andy. Last day in these office. Doesn't it look tidy...

Wonderful World

I'd like to say this was a doddle to throw together, but in all honesty, it was a lagfest of doggedly running around the grid trying to find stuff to tag to lyrics. Big thanks to 'my shape changing assistant' and the 'purple people eater' for saving my bacon. Still, all in a worthy cause.

A Rare Pleasure

Great edit! A real joy to watch that brought a happy tear to a jaded Who-geeks eye ;-)

Haircut [from iPhone]

Time for a trim, so I'm in 'Class Act' nr. the Playhouse in The Eagle Center on my lunch hour. Loads of semi-famous visiting British rep actors have their locks shorn in here. I've been coming here for years now. They do a decent job, they all know me, but I actually keep coming back cos the owner is a 60yr old movie trivia geek and the walls are heaving with really cool old film posters. Funny, what buys dedication to a product or service...

Heading Home [from iPhone]

Just setting off back from Nottingham. Sober Jem driving Pigs Mini. Helen and I crammed in the back. Can hardly breath...

Dave? [from iPhone]

Food warrior party art.

Birthday Girl [from iPhone]

Smokers Corner [from iPhone]

Denises birthday party. Loads of folks here I've not seen for ages. Odd mix of LRPers and bellydancers, which is no bad thing. Sitting outside with Pig and Captain Depper. Catching up on news.

Got Wood [from iPhone]

Pig is over our way, prior to heading over to Denises Birthday do, so we're spending the afternoon with chainsaws and axes putting a dent in the woodpile. Satisfying manual labour with a fire and beer at the end. Sweet. Teresa, Jema and Helen are watching from the window...

Late Start [from iPhone]

Pixie isn't well, so not getting out of bed cos your stoking the cat is a perfectly valid excuse. Especially when one can just blog from under the duvet :-)

Packing Up The Office [from iPhone]

End of next week, we move. We're off to one of the big posh newspaper offices (well, okay, the DET, but at least they have a canteen) where they'll think we're mad and give us strange looks all the time. Packing has begun. A sticky label for everything or it's off to recycling. This plant has been with the company longer than I have, and that's sayin' something. I'm quite looking forward to it :-)