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After reading 20+ Blog Pingers I have decided to give a different ping service a try. I have been using pingomatic for a long time, but its done a bad job with technorati, so I am trying autopinger to see if it fares any better.

I've been on Holiday and I've started my new job. Went to Devon for a Week, got a lot of photos to sort through. Weather was pretty good. Only wet one day, 2 scorchers and the rest pleasantly warm. Ate out lots.

I can now announce that I am one of the developers of www.healthspace.nhs.uk. This is a big project, consumes various services, runs off a remote database, very security concious (as members of public in participating areas can view their medical records online.

Riding into work (Leeds) everyday, got free parking at the train Station. Averaging about 80 mpg, spending about £8 on fuel a week, would cost me £70 a month on a Train/Bus pass.

From http://www.pm.gov.uk/output/Page13090.asp

" The Government set up the BBC Trust to represent the interests of licence fee payers... "

" The BBC Trust made it a condition of approval for the BBC's on-demand services that the iPlayer is available to users of a range of operating systems, and has given a commitment that it will ensure that the BBC meets this demand as soon as possible. "

That makes for good news.

I was over on www.advrider.com forum and spotted a link on how to make a Pespi can stove - I backtracked to find updated instructions are available.

" The Pepsi-G Stove and Scott's Mini Stove are composed of parts made from aluminum cans. The larger of the two stoves, the Pepsi-G Stove, is made from a PepsiCo can and a Guinness can. It is best suited for 1-4 hikers cooking meals made with 4 cups of water or less. "

http://www.pcthiker.com/pages/gear/overviewpepsiGstove.shtml

Firstly, I have been offered the job but still waiting for references and health check to go through before its official.

I have been casually keeping an eye out for a better job, especially knowing a baby is on the way and money would be tight supporting a family by myself.

Anyhow a few weeks ago I had a interview with the same organisation I am with now, a grade higher than I am now, with more responsibility working on a national website (rather than local/regional). So really chuffed that they offer it to me last week.

I have waited until today to post this, because I have had to sit down with my manager and work out when a suitable leaving day would be (based on the amount of notice and holiday that I had not taken). But I have an unofficial date now (near end of August) and cant wait as the project is exciting and the £6k payrise is also great.

I recently recieved this email

" It's a total disgrace that the BBC has decided to release its programs in a DRM-infested Windows-only format.

I strongly urge every WYLUG member to sign up to the No. 10 petition at http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/iplayer/ to have this changed. "

This is a Petition to prevent the BBC from making its iPlayer on-demand television service available to Windows users only.

Not only is it Windows only, but it likely to be internet explorer and windows media player only.

I agree and have signed.

Here is a pic our of little baby, taken a couple of weeks ago.

Hot on the heels of YACS 7.1 Bernard has just released YACS 7.2 - with a huge list of improvements. I am very impressed with the progress and it puts to shame my efforts of making some sites based on YACS. Hopefully this new version will be motivation to get alteast one of the three sites I have planned to develop with YACS.

Linux (the Kernel) is free, therefore you are free to do what you want with it. Create the OS you want, (be it pick a favourite distro or roll your own or branch of an existing distro/project)... or embed it into your snack vending machine .. or simply learn how it works and write your own entire OS or kernel from the ground up.

Linux isn't an OS (its just a Kernel), the Linux OS isn't defined, its just the Kernel and essential tools. Not much of a mission really, but how can you have freedom and have a clear defined mission, if as soon as you specific anything about how Linux should be implemented/used as an OS you are adding restriction(s) which go against freedom. Open source is a definition, a set of rules what "free" is and the rules are there to maintain freedom.

You can choose to develop a Linux based OS (a distro) with a defined mission statement (eg exactly run your OS project as Microsoft or Apple), make your own rules, make concerted effort (setup a business), you are free to make this choice (as long as you maintain it open source) and in theory it is possible to develop the Linux equivalent of Windows Vista or OS X.

But the nature of this freedom of Linux is that if someone doesn't EXACTLY want a Windows Vista clone for Linux, they can simple branch the code, write their own from scratch, they do not have to make any compromise, which means its very hard to reach an exact as possible Linux equivalent of Windows because there is no need for one generic, compromised OS, we can branch and make a distro more suitable.

Of course if you are in a compromised situation, realising the freedom can be a big hurdle, you might be a mere frustrated office worker who has to live with it and never have the opportunity, you might not have the technical ability (which leads onto another subject should you have to learn ?) and there is also a chance that there is nothing out there for you already for you. There is a chance that this freedom gives you a more compromising situation, which in turn can make Linux a less attractive option.