Happy Birthday to me!
Happy Birthday to meeeee!
Happy Birthday to mee!
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Yup, it's that time again for another DIET UPDATE and I'm especially proud of what I've achieved today!
Wii Fit informed me this morning that I am now within my IDEAL WEIGHT range! Only just, mind, at:
24.97 BMI
but it's not overweight anymore! Excellent! That's 12 stone 6 pounds!Here's hoping the next milestone comes along in good time...
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So who in the UK watches video podcasts about gadgets?
I like possibly* many other fellow UK-eans like watching video podcasts on gadgets and upcoming technology. The problem I'm facing is that there's very few out there that are decent. I stick to one at the moment - Sky News Technofile. It's informative, varied, and ENGLISH! However it's only weekly, and I want a podcast that's updated more frequently.
So in my search for a suitable podcast, I found two others that fit the bill: Channel 10 and GeekBrief.TV. However, I have pet peeves with both of these...
Channel 10 goes all over the place. If there's an event, such as E3 or CeBIT, they're there! Getting news from the current shows is always a good thing. They don't only cover gadgets but also video games, and sometimes dedicate individual episodes to specific topics which is a nice thing from time to time. An episode pretty much every day is made available to the public, so there's no shortage of clips... but they're SO biased towards bloody Microsoft!!!
Maybe they're tightly associated with them, or they're sponsoring them or something, but that really knarks me off! They cover all the beta software that Microsoft are doing as if each one was the best thing since sliced bread, the Zune is better for your health than Omega3 (which I'm not chuffed about either, but that can wait until later), and I'm sure they would rag the X-box until it got a red ring of death if it was humanly/technologically possible! Ya know guys, there are other companies out there other than Microsoft. Ever heard of Sony, Nokia, Nintendo, or Samsung?
GeekBrief.TV don't go out as often, but they do cover more geeky stuff such as weird gadgets, cameras, and so on, which is what I'm really looking for. The podcast is updated roughly four times a week, which is plenty, and the presenter is certainly easy on the eye. They don't cover games but that's not a problem as there's no shortage of gaming podcasts. They're sponsored by a couple of various means, which means they plug either a domain name website or some sort of storage solution at the end of each clip, but it's non-intrusive and it's a nice way of telling me "The show's over. Move along.". Also, they're not biased towards Microsoft. Great...
...except, instead, they're biased towards bloody Apple! If there's anything Apple do, they cover it! If the iPhone get's a new firmware, they make a point of talking about it! When any new iPod comes out, they dedicate a whole episode to unboxing the damn thing! Two words... Big Whoop!! If they're gonna cover phone firmwares, why not the Nokia E90's big jump to v300? Why not unbox a new Creative Zen when it comes out? Come on guys!
Here's the thing... each of these have their problems but there's one underpinning feature of both of these that I truly hate... they cater for AMERICA! Everything's in dollars! Release dates are wrong! They don't pronounce words properly and they talk ten to the sodding dozen! All these problems are why I find myself going back to Sky News' Technofile... it's British, it's unbiased, and the presenter(s) aren't stuck in fast forward!
Don't get me wrong, they both do a good job, but they're both annoying enough that I won't watch them that much. Maybe I'm not looking in the right places, but I want a british gadget podcast! Is that too much to ask? Maybe I should start one myself. I've got my ear to the ground. We'll see...
Oh, and my problem with Omega3... it seems to be the the token nutritian of the year. Someone says its good for you, and then suddenly it's in everything! I'm sorry, but I'm not gonna buy a loaf of bread or a block of butter JUST because it has Omega3 in it! If I was really that concerned about it, I'd have more fish, eggs, and certain beef and lamb. Well when you're reaching for that Omega3-infested product again, just remember: it can decrease your immune system, it's not good for those with congestive heart failure, and it's even worse for diabetics. Still want that new milk that's come out?
*Not based on any kind of research whatsoever
UPDATE
I decided that I would ask the creators of both these podcasts to see why they're so biased. When I checked for contact details on the Channel 10 website, I noticed it read:
"This site is hosted for Microsoft by ORCSWEB Copyright 2007-2008 Microsoft"
on the bottom. Well, that's one answer received.
I've sent an email to the makers of GeekBrief.TV to see what they have to say.
UPDATE #2
I sent an email to the makers of GeekBrief.TV and got a response from Cali Lewis herself. Nice of her really, considering she was on the road to some technology event at the time, really nice. In so many words she basically said that she personally likes the iPhone as she feels it's intuitive in it's use.
Now that... is fair enough. She likes the product so she promotes it. I suppose if I was doing a podcast, I would promote Symbian-powered products. At least she's not doing it because she was coerced into it by Apple, and that really was my main concern.
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I've been pretty bored recently, so I thought I'd sort out the gallery on the site again and then add some photos of my friend coming to visit.
;)
Just use a link on the right to see them all.
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[NOTE] This was added because I hadn't updated the site with any posts. I have since travelled back in time and added them. [/NOTE]
I've been neglecting again! Here I am getting bored now and then, when I could be making a post on my blog! Oh well... Here's a quick update of what I've been up to:
I'm doing something about my weight (again!), but this time I have Wii Fit to help. I bought it a few months ago and, to be honest, I barely touched it. Now I've got a routine worked out. I weigh myself on a morning before breakfast, then go to work, then exercise when I get back before having my tea. In conjunction to a calorie controlled diet (Thanks to Weight Watchers), I'm seeing my weight drop every day. Over the last 2 1/2 weeks I've lost 8lbs and it's still dropping. I want to get down to about 11 stone, but I'm going to check how I am at 11 1/2 stone. If I'm not happy with it, I'll continue. Once I am, however, I can get back to my normal eating habits and Wii Fit can tell me if I've put on weight or not.
I still want to make a post on here ranting on about Podcasts, but I want that to be a seperate entry so I'll do that later.
Work is great! Having my own place is great! I'm still loving it! I'm past the point where it feels like a holiday now, and I can feel my sanity being maintained. I'm challenged with new... err... challenges every day at work
They're certainly achievable; it's just getting my head around the logic of 'em. Recently I made an absolute breakthrough, and I'm on the verge of another one. It's very satisfying.I've dyed my hair again... and it's RED! Just think of Mike Shinoda in the early days of Linkin Park and you'll get the jist.
I've dropped zxoncam off the site. I wasn't actually having any webcam feeds at all, and no one wants to read about the cameras that I used to use... so what's the point? Also, I've dropped my gallery... partly because I couldn't be arsed to fix it AGAIN! Instead, I've moved to flickr because, where needs must, I can upload photos from my phone directly to the site.
I've had a lot of problems with my email since I moved my sites to a new server. Recetly I've changed my settings to keep it working and as a bonus I can get them all on my phone. So... anyone using my mobile email address: you needn't bother. Just email me as normal
I got a new monitor for my computer... a lovely 22" widescreen, to go alongside my old monitor. I also got a 1Tb network hard drive, so I can watch video or play music with either of my computers. Finally, I also got a long-range wireless keyboard that I can use on my PCs and Wii. What's the need of it all? Well, it's quite nice being able to watch Father Ted while in bed using all of this
That's pretty much all of it.
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I haven't been on the diet for absolutely ages... and sadly it shows! When I first bought Wii Fit a few months ago (just before I moved) I was at 25 BMI at the lowest, now I've weighed myself in at 26.16 BMI... that's just over 13 stone!
So it's about time I did something about it once and for all. Yes, I've probably said this before, but now I'm in a happier place and have full control over the food that comes into the household, so it should be easier! I'm back on the diet but, instead of weighing myself once a week... I'm going to weigh myself and do exercises every day with Wii Fit! I mean, that's the reason why I got it in the first place isn't it? It should make it easier to stick to my diet and lose those vital pounds!
I'm also going to work towards targets, which I didn't before. My first target is to get below 25 BMI... so, basically, to not be overweight anymore! Next is to lose 10% of my body weight, which should take me under 12 stone. Next is to get to 11.5 stone, where I'm going to stop and take a good long look at myself and ask "Do I look good?". If the answer is anything other than "Yes" then I'm going further and aiming for 11st. I'm not going any lower than that. I was 10.5 stone at one point in the past and I was really scrawny, so I think 11 stone should be fine without looking too thin.
Wish me luck!
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Yay! Rachel won! Sure she sat on the fence a few times but I honestly thought she was one of the most genuine housemates this year! Plus she's so sweet! And pretty! Congrats to her!
When BB9 started, I thought Mikey would win and I was so sure I was going to place a bet on it! Thankfully I didn't, as he came in 2nd! I can't imagine how gutted I'd have felt if I had placed the bet!
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With Misty now amongst her kind in gerbil heaven, I needed something to cheer me up a little. Thank goodness I'd come home with a brand new widescreen monitor!
It's 22" and works on a resolution of 1680x1050. Niiice! It's great to have two monitors again. When I borrowed dad's for a week, I was impressed, but now I've got another monitor with a resolution high enough to make your eyes bleed!
Maybe sometime in the future I'll get another monitor to replace the 19" inch 4:3 one.
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It's with regret that I have to report that Misty has passed on. She was taken away from us while I was away for the weekend.
When I moved to the Midlands, Misty moved with me and soon settled into her new home, sooner than I did to be honest. She was my prodajay, my friend. She made me feel not quite so alone. Not having a garden to bury her in, I went to the edge of the field behind the flat and buried her by a tree.
She will be sorely missed
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