Book Review – Nothing Needs to be the Way it’s Always Been
Check out my review of ‘Nothing Needs to be the Way it’s Always Been’ over on my other blog.
Have a Listen!
A song from and EP I got some time ago now has a video and best of all it is on YouTube. Enjoy!
Bringing Impersonation to SQL Server 2005 (via Nick Grattan’s SharePoint Blog)
Found this handy blog post from a few years ago!
Weaving Again
Yes I have put the loom back in my hands, found a few balls of wool and going at it with warp speed 🙂
The loom is about A4 in size and light to hold. We cannot remember where we bought them. Somewhere online listed as a ‘toy’ but it is solidly made. Marta has made some nice purses with her loom about a year ago. My previous efforts have been blankets and sleeping bags for the boys’ toys 🙂 For this one I chose just four bright colours – not sure what it will become. Scarf part one?
Free Paranormal Podcasts
There’s nothing like a spooky story to listen to on a dark night – for me usually when walking the spaniel. Podcasts are a great source of listening material and a couple of free paranormal podcasts are regular additions to may playlist.
The first is Mysterious Universe which is a mix of news stories and interviews. They have a free show and you can support the show and get extra episodes. As well as an entertaining mix of stories from aliens, yeti, channeling and ghosts, there is some great music. The audio mix is superb and has some of the highest production values I have heard on a podcast. All stories are presented as entertainment only but not mocking. As a parent, I would not recommend for children though 🙂
The second is the Paracast which has recently moved to broadcast on the GCN American radio network. This is a talk based show usually a long discussion format with an author and you get nearly 3 hours in this weekly show. The presenters and contributors are into all aspects of the paranormal and take it seriously though the host throws in a cynics point of view now and again. Again not a show for children. Perhaps a gap in the market for a spooky childrens podcast?
If you only try one, try Mysterious Universe – definitely a lighter and glossier show. Paracast can be rather long on a single topic.
Now I should address why I listen to these being Christian. Partly it is entertainment with some great stories and partly to see how other people reason their beliefs and what they are. I have met numerous ‘normal’ people who ascribe our origins to aliens or something else yet never even watch a sci-fi show or read a book on the topic! I also enjoy the discussion of alternative views of history and ancient civilizations which were more advanced than the conservative academic accepted view. A good chunk of my other podcasts are Christian and others are technology based. To some, my beliefs would be as wacky as UFO’s building the Great Pyramid but of course I have put them up to rather high scrutiny (as do some of the saucer people to be fair). Here’s one of my favourite link for proof of God and a little test to see whether you need God.
Happy listening – would appreciate any podcasts recommendations you have!
HTML5 – Generate Landscapes with Canvas
I have been hacking away at the HTML5 canvas again and have moved away from the building block look of previous efforts. I did venture to Java and back to Javascript which means I need a less intensive way to generate the landscape. Thankfully I turned up some good ideas and even pseudocode on a few games forums. I have not decided yet on a platform for this program and each prototype iteration has been a move. Python/Pygame would be nice, .Net has potential (Xbox?), Java (web, Android) – right now the portability of HTML5 is very tempting though getting worker threads running has issues and a few other vital features are a little immature. Most platforms have enough drawing primitives to support it (though alpha channels on Java in Linux are really slow). Hmm bit of ramble there but any suggestions appreciated 🙂
Anyway, here’s a screenshot of the current HTML5 output which renders near instantly at page load. The clouds are a recent addition and are slightly alpha blended.
When sufficiently mature I’ll add some buttons and pop it up here again. Not likely to be this side of Christimas though maybe before 2011.
Honey Is Made From Dead Bees 