a n d r e w - i r v i n e . c o . u k

Hi again everyone!

You may have noticed that I haven't updated my blog for ages! I'm so sorry about this! I've been busy with all sorts of stuff, like living a life! Haha!

Anyway I'm going back through the last couple of months right up to when I received my N97 for key events which are worth putting on here, because that was when I last updated this blog in the first place!

Keep an eye out for posts slightly older than this one! :P

Beatles: Rock Band

I decided to share it...

...cos I'm not a fat bastard! I brought the Jaffa into work and it was very well received!

I fancy having a Jaffa Cake...

...so I made one!

It's so big it filled a dinner plate. It is... the... PERFECT size! Now to find a cup of tea big enough for it :P

One step closer to a proper cinema system

Remember this?

Yup, it's the box that used to be the server at my old place. It was lacking a hard drive before but now I've fitted a modest... 20Gb drive.

"20Gb!?!? Why, man!?!?" you may be asking. Well, it doesn't need a big drive. All of my music and videos are stored on the Terrabyte network drive, and my media box will be connected to the network wirelessly over a 108Mbyte connection. I've installed Windows XP and XBMC onto the box, and now it's ready to go.

Result? It's brilliant! The television is connected to my hi-fi, the media box gets the videos from the next room, and I can control it all with my wireless keyboard (which also works in my Wii, I might add). I think at some point I'll switch it over to some form of Linux distribution, but I haven't decided what yet. For now, it does the job, and pretty damn well!

Chester Zoo

Carly and I decided to take a day out and go to Chester Zoo. I think we chose the best day for it. It was hot and sunny, and there were loads of animals out as well! Plenty of opportunities to take great photos, like this one:

I've uploaded my pictures to the Photographs section so go on, have a look then!

A little bit of TLC

Just a quick note, really. My parents stopped by this weekend and brought some RAM for me that they weren't using... and couldn't use, as it's incompatible with their computers. As a result, I've now got 3.5Gb of RAM, only 512Mb short of the 4Gb maximum that the motherboard can take.

The computer is, again, noticeably faster than before! Especially after I've just also deleted 100Gb of crap from the hard drives and defragmented them.

I should be fine with this set up for quite some time then...

Damn power cut!!!

Power cuts aren't fun. No siree! Let me tell you about the one from last night.

I wake up at about 4am and can hear a distinct beeping coming from somewhere. For a short while I try to ignore it, but it was even starting to disturb Carly, so I went out to investigate. It was the flat's alarm control box, and it was beeping loudly because it was running on emergency battery backup. Now surely the beeping would drain the battery even more, but the real reason to stop it was that it was keeping us awake. After reading up in the manual and five minutes of fiddling, I got the beeping to stop. Wondering why it wasn't using the proper power, I went to the cupboard downstairs in the block of flats to see what was going on. I poked my head out of the front door, and I could hear everyone else's alarms beeping as well as I walked down the stairs. I peered into the cupboard. All the metres were blank. It was a power cut.

"Ah well", I thought, so I went back to bed. All wrapped up under the sheets again, I started to settle down to a, now peaceful, night's sleep.

*CLUNK* *CLUNK* *Whirrrrrr*

It was clear to me that the power had come back on. I opened my eyes to a room full of light. My computer had come to life. The internal lights from the fans and the UV bulb were shining out of the window on the side of the case and lighting up the room. It was accompanied by the gentle whirring of my three hard drives. I sighed. I think Carly sighed too. I got up to turn the computer off. However, as I walked over to the PC, the national grid decided to do it for me. Pitch blackness again.

I sighed again, and went back to bed, and then the PC sprung back to life once more. I thought to myself "I can't be arsed!" so I just left it running. This was a mistake, as it then became clear to us that this was an intermittent power outage. The PC was firing up, then shutting off, firing up, shutting off, and was doing so for the next few minutes. Getting fed up with it, I went to the PC and turned off everything at the plug.

Now for some sleep. Of course, the power cuts had caused my alarm clock to reset itself. Since we didn't know how long this was gonna go on for, I set the alarm on my phone instead. We drifted off to sleep again...

Upon waking up three hours later, it was clear that the power still hadn't come back on. This meant no hot water, no coffee, and no television. It also meant we couldn't wash, even with the cold water, because there's absolutely no natural light in the bathroom. We couldn't have cereal because I had no milk. Things were grim. I suggested we go to the local caf� before heading off to work, but sadly there wasn't time. Carly had to go to work.

I ended up driving to work all crummy and tired, and having to stop by the shops in Whaley Bridge to get a coffee and a breakfast bap.

Thankfully when I got back from work earlier today, the power was back on. Phew!! :)

Wii Sports Resort

I picked up a new game today, and it's jolly good fun! Why? Well, watch the video...

I don't really need to say much more. The game is an extension of the original Wii Sports with an add on for the controller that picks up more of your movements. An excellent title overall! There is one thing I just want to point out... The way this game works and how the Motion Plus add-on works? This is franky what I expected of the Wii when I first got it. The release of this add on has shown that this simply wasn't the case.. well, not anymore :)

Nokia N97 gets its first firmware update

I've had the phone for less than a month, and it's first firmware comes out! V11 has actually been out for a few days in the rest of the world, but has only just come out in the UK.

There are many different fixes in this and I've noticed that the phone is running a bit better thanks to this firmware. Lots of people have complained how buggy the N97 is so I recommend you install this update as soon as possible! You don't even need to back up your data cos the phone preserves them.

Ostrich, anyone?

While I was on holiday, Clare and I popped over to Boston to get some steak, mince, and eggs. This doesn't sound all that interesting by itself, but I've missed out one important detail. Everything... was Ostrich!

That's right! Ostrich steaks, Ostrich mince, and Ostrich egg! We had the egg the next morning, along side boar sausages and... well, regular bacon. And it was pretty much no different. So, I took some home and made a meal from it.... and here it is!

I'm told that Ostrich tastes like Beef, so I made a Black Bean Stirfry with it. Conclusion: It was quite nice, but I couldn't shake off the fact that I was eating an entirely new animal. It does taste like Beef, but there's a bit of an aftertaste that I simply can't describe. I think, if I didn't know it was Ostrich, I'd clear the plate and be satisfied with the meal.

I've got a couple of steaks and some mince left, so I'm gonna try a Spaghetti Bolognese next. I think the tomatoey sauce will rid the Ostrich of it's aftertaste. I'll report back here when I make it.

I'm back, baybeh!

Yup! Back from my holiday! Glad to be here again! I've missed a proper internet connection for over a week because mobile signals were terrible where we were staying. I've put up my photos in the Photographs section for you all to have a gander! This was a unique opportunity for me to take photos with my new phone, and the quality of some of the photos are fantastic! Like this one!...

The videos, however, weren't as good as I'd hoped. The focus is too far away and the quality when zoomed in is appalling. Still, these are things that can be improved with software updates, so I eagerly await for Nokia to implement them.

Holiday Time!

Yup, time for a holiday! I'll be spending a week in North Scarle with the rest of the family. It's a fishing holiday though, and I'm not one for fishing, so I'll be out visiting different areas nearby, thanks to having my own car now! I'll post some photos on here when I get back!

I'm so excited!

Absolutely knackered as well, but still excited! I don't think I could be any more excited! Sure, I FINALLY got my new phone on Friday, and I'm very happy about that, but something else has happened...

...I've met someone! 8o 8o 8o

I was out last night with Tim and we came across his ex girlfriend Amanda, who was there with her friend Amy, and her step-sister... Carly. Being the shy guy that I am, and seemingly the shy girl Carly is, Tim and Amanda played cupid. I liked her and it turned out (for some reason) she liked me too, so that got us talking. Turns out she's very sweet and considerate, has brains, and is very VERY easy on the eyes! She's so pretty! :)

I won't bore you all with the details but, suffice to say, I'll be seeing her again!

It's finally arrived!

I had a team meeting today at work and I just couldn't concentrate properly. I had one eye out the window looking out for a UPS van dropping off my new phone. I wasn't sure if it was going to arrive today, as it could have easily have been Monday instead. My boss wasn't too happy with my lack of interest in the meeting...

But halfway through the meeting... I saw the big brown van pull up outside! Woohoo! It's here!!!

Now maybe I'll get some sleep!

...or do they?

On Wednesday, five hundred quid disappeared from my bank account. Today at 14:23 I received confirmation that my Nokia N97 had...

LEFT THE WAREHOUSE AND IS ON IT'S WAY HERE!!!

That means one of two things... it'll arrive tomorrow... or it'll arrive on Monday!

Please god let UPS provide us with an excellent service and get the phone to me tomorrow!

Nokia lies

Nokia have been promising for weeks that, if you pre-order the N97 directly with them, you will be amongst the first to receive it, at the latest on the day that it's released in the shops. However, after hearing about the pre-order troubles that the US had, where pre-order'ers were having to wait until after this date (and in some cases, weeks later) I decided to try and get a straight answer out of Nokia, to see if the same problem is going to happen in the UK.

I sent them the query on Saturday and got a response today. This is what it read:

Dear Mr Irvine

Thank you for your recent email to us regarding your N97 pre-order

The estimated date of release for this product is indeed 19th June They will be made available on Nokia Online shop before any other store.

As soon as your order is available it will be shipped Therefore, your item should be shipped on 19th or June or just after, depending where you are in the pre-order queue

I apologise for any inconvenience caused

Kind regards
Deborah
Nokia Online Shop support
Nokia Care UK/IRELAND

You know what this means, don't you? I won't be getting my phone by the end of this week, as promised! Instead I'm gonna have to wait until, at the earliest, the end of NEXT week! I'm sure plenty of people pre-ordered before I did, even though I ordered mine a month ago!

I was really hoping I'd have this phone before I go away on holiday, but sadly Nokia have screwed up once again! I don't even know now whether I want it anymore...

[UPDATE]

I have just sent a rather stern reply to Nokia's email to me today, as I have managed to find where it was that Nokia promised we would receive our phones the day it launches in our country. This is what I wrote:

Thank you for your reply to my query (Email Reference: [THREAD ID:1-2SLK0ZX]) where you confirmed that my pre-ordered N97 "should be shipped on the 19th of June or just after, depending where you are in the pre-order queue". However, let me draw your attention to your very own Nseries blog, in particular, this entry:

http://blogs.nokia.com/nseries/index.ph ... bers-club/

It says in this blog post, and I quote, "Pre-ordering will guarantee you are one of the first to receive the new N97. It will be shipped direct to your door from the production line so you�ll have it the same day it hits the stores in your country".

One of the countries on the list is the United Kingdom, where I live, where I ordered the phone, and where it will be delivered. I can understand that if I didn't pay for the faster delivery I wouldn't receive the phone on time... but I did pay for the faster delivery, and in Nokia's own words I am guaranteed to receive it the day it launches in my country, which means that at the latest you should be shipping the device(s) on Wednesday 17th June.

In light of this evidence, I whole-heartedly believe that Nokia have broken their promise and should provide some sort of compensation, either by sticking to their original promise of delivering on time, or by offering something extra for free. One example could be the spare battery I also ordered, or a bluetooth headset that people in the states, who also pre-ordered, have received.

I am interested in hearing what Nokia has to say regarding this.

Indeed I am, but I bet you anything I will be disappoined..

Diet Update

Well.. it's been a long and difficult journey, which started some time in September 2008 when I looked in the mirror and said to myself "You've gotta lose some weight, you fat bastard!". At 13st 8lbs, the finishing line seemed so far away.

Today, I weighed myself, after 6 days of being under 22 BMI, and I came in at....

21.78 BMI

That's it! I've done it! I've reached my final weight target! Oh, it's been a while... 9 months to be exact... but I've lost all the weight I've wanted to lose! I'm probably a little under, but I can happily say, even after having pigged myself at a restaurant...

I am 11 stone and I'm at my perfectly ideal weight!

(cue the fireworks)

� Reach 22 BMI or below
� Get a weekly average of 22 BMI or below
� Get 7 consecutive days of 22 BMI or below

So what's next for the AIIP (Andy Irvine Improvement Programme)? Soon, I'm going to try to get hold of some dumb bells so I can start to tone up my arms a bit. I'm also going to continue with some muscle building exercises on the Wii Fit to strengthen up my abs and pecs. I'm not going to go full out, just get a little toned and strengthen up a bit.

I haven't got the foggiest how long this will take, maybe even another 9 months?? That means I'd be ready by March 2010! I hope it's at least a little faster than that. I've gotten rid of most of my body fat, so that might make muscle toning a little easier (or at least more noticable).

"But Andy, why're you doing all this?" I hear you ask. Well, I'll tell you. It boils down to two main reasons:

1. I want to be respected - I've always either been a weakling or a fatty. I believe this is the reason why my self esteem isn't that great, and with self esteem... comes respect. I've always been considered "cute" by others. You don't respect something that's cute. You want to protect it and to cuddle it (although I do like my cuddles :P). Sure, I can lose 37 lbs and feel better about myself, but it's only one step closer to what I want. I want to be respected, and before you can demand respect from others, you've got to earn it from yourself first.

2. Women here are shallow! - Today, we live in a world where "hunky" men are slapped on the front covers of our magazines, which gives women of our generation a different idea of what kinds of men should be considered as "attractive". They have perfect hair, perfect teeth, perfect complexions, and perfectly toned bodies, which doesn't give us genuine guys a chance. I could be the nicest guy out there, but women will still choose a toned arsehole with brain cells that wouldn't even challenge a glass of water. As far as I'm concerned, any woman around here in my age range who says they'd rather choose brains over brawn is a stinking liar, and the proof can be seen all around. There's the odd large guy, and the odd weakling, but about 95% of the guys round here are toned. Why? Supply and demand, my friend... Supply and demand...

New Project - Big Brother 10 Mobile Site

It's that time of the year again. Big brother has hit our screens for the 10th year in a row! It's only been a week and a bit but it seems pretty good this year, although the housemates (understandably) haven't fully come out of their shells yet.

Channel 4 have shown us many different ways to enjoy BB over the last 10 years but sadly this year (From what I can tell) they have neglected two things: a 24/7 live feed via the red button on Sky and Freeview like they did a couple of years ago, and a BB mobile site. I suppose the latter isn't strictly true because, after a quick look at this year's Big Brother website source code, it seems they're preparing for a mobile site.

Instead of waiting for what C4 have in store, I've decided to make my own instead. To see it, go to

http://tinyurl.com/bb10mobile

on your mobile phone.

You can read more on my Projects page.