1. A zebra is white with black stripes.
2. All the planets in our solar system rotate anticlockwise, except Venus. It is the only planet that rotates clockwise.
3. Hummingbirds are the only animal that can also fly backwards.
4. Insects do not make noises with their voices. The noise of bees, mosquitoes and other buzzing insects is caused by rapidly moving their wings.
5. The cockroach is the fastest animal on 6 legs covering a meter a second.
6. The word "listen" contains the same letters as the word "silent".
7. The only 2 animals that can see behind itself without turning it's head are the rabbit and the parrot.
8. A 'jiffy' is an actual unit of time for 1/100th of a second.
9. India invented the Number System. Zero was invented by Aryabhatta.
10. The whip makes a cracking sound because its tip moves faster than the speed of sound.
11. A hippopotamus can run faster than a man.
12. India never invaded any country in her last 10000 years of history.
13. 'Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia' is the fear of long words.
14. Didaskaleinophobia is the fear of going to school.
15. A snail can sleep for 3 years.
16. The names of the continents all end with the same letter with which they start.
17. In 1883 the explosion of the volcano Krakatau put so much dust into the earth's atmosphere that sunsets appeared green and the moon appeared blue around the world for almost two years.
18. "Almost" is the longest word in the English language with all the letters in alphabetical order.
19. Twenty-Four-Karat Gold is not pure gold since there is a small amount of copper in it. Absolutely pure gold is so soft that it can be molded with the hands.
20. Electricity doesn't move through a wire but through a field around the wire
Tuesday, 11 September 2007
Commuting
I couldn't do the drive I did yesterday everyday. I'd go insane. I had to go to Gloucester and back yesterday, I was helping out a couple of fellow developers who will be working on a Java project with me over the coming weeks. The journey went OK, but I dont know how people can commute for that long every day. Two hours there, an hour and a half on the way back.
Im so used to just travelling for like ten or fifteen minutes each way anything else seems excessive.
This from the man who used to travel by public transport to the Docklands a few years ago, when it used to take up to two hours each way.
Plans this week - nothing tonight, the other half is away tomorrow night so I'll be babysitting and watching the England game, football on Thursday night and nothing on Friday. (I was supposed to be playing golf tonight and Friday night, but my playing partner twisted his ankle at the weekend so can't play). Oh and working from home on Thursday.
Packing on Saturday then Sunday morning, 08.00AM, on a plane to Chicago...
I should be able to keep the blog up to date from there, so I'll let you know how it goes.
Have a nice Tuesday all - Soundtrack of the day: "Appetite For Destruction" by G 'n' R...
Im so used to just travelling for like ten or fifteen minutes each way anything else seems excessive.
This from the man who used to travel by public transport to the Docklands a few years ago, when it used to take up to two hours each way.
Plans this week - nothing tonight, the other half is away tomorrow night so I'll be babysitting and watching the England game, football on Thursday night and nothing on Friday. (I was supposed to be playing golf tonight and Friday night, but my playing partner twisted his ankle at the weekend so can't play). Oh and working from home on Thursday.
Packing on Saturday then Sunday morning, 08.00AM, on a plane to Chicago...
I should be able to keep the blog up to date from there, so I'll let you know how it goes.
Have a nice Tuesday all - Soundtrack of the day: "Appetite For Destruction" by G 'n' R...
Thursday, 6 September 2007
Life could be about to get more interesting...
...but thats not necessarily a good thing.
http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30200-1283041,00.html
http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30200-1283041,00.html
Bored...
...bored bored bored bored. My job sucks at the moment. I have f*ck all to do. Some of you might say "well go and find some work" but unfortunately its not that easy. Projects have to be signed off, approved etc. so I can't just spot a problem and create something to fix it. Its very frustrating. The only thing I have to do at the moment is go through our catalogue of databases and see which are still being used! I mean come on, its the sort of thing I'd give to a brain dead temp. not something a developer should be doing. Today I envisage sitting at my desk (re)reading "The Time Waster Diaries" (quite amusing) and watching the clock tick by. I've had one email from someone in Belgium asking me to write some code on a button to send out in an email, but that will only take me about an hour so Im saving it up for later.
Some good news in the post yesterday, Jake got back into Watford for this season - really pleased for him. (The journey blows, but of course you do anything for your offspring).
Played golf yesterday, and on the 11th I really lost my temper. Im not normally like that.. (ok, well, Im not normally as bad as I was yesterday) but for some reason, I hit a bad drive and completely lost it. I have no idea why. Effin' and jeffin' all over the place. It was almost like an out of body experience, watching myself blow up the way I did. The drive wasn't even that bad... very strange. Can't explain it. I mean, I went nuclear.
Anyway, playing football tonight, golf again on Friday (worried about getting finished in time. We're playing with a bloke who ain't that good, and Im worried that we wont get round before it gets too dark to see!) and then its back to the routine of football training for Jake each weekend. Im also playing a match on Sunday afternoon (11-a-side) so Im looking forward to that. Have a good Thursday listeners.
Update: Nicked this link from Phil's blog... its quite a cool site! ViewDo
Some good news in the post yesterday, Jake got back into Watford for this season - really pleased for him. (The journey blows, but of course you do anything for your offspring).
Played golf yesterday, and on the 11th I really lost my temper. Im not normally like that.. (ok, well, Im not normally as bad as I was yesterday) but for some reason, I hit a bad drive and completely lost it. I have no idea why. Effin' and jeffin' all over the place. It was almost like an out of body experience, watching myself blow up the way I did. The drive wasn't even that bad... very strange. Can't explain it. I mean, I went nuclear.
Anyway, playing football tonight, golf again on Friday (worried about getting finished in time. We're playing with a bloke who ain't that good, and Im worried that we wont get round before it gets too dark to see!) and then its back to the routine of football training for Jake each weekend. Im also playing a match on Sunday afternoon (11-a-side) so Im looking forward to that. Have a good Thursday listeners.
Update: Nicked this link from Phil's blog... its quite a cool site! ViewDo
Tuesday, 4 September 2007
What a great story....
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2007410099,00.html
I dont normally read The Sun, but this story made me laugh. And the name of the person in charge of the disciplinary hearing... could it be more appropriate?!
I guess the names that policemen get called by a lot of people ring true, especially in regard to this particular officer.
I could make all sorts of jokes about truncheons and 'abusive' policemen, but I don't want to give too much away - read the story it'll all become clear.
Soundtrack of the day: "Under The Blacklight" by Rilo Kiley
Update: I bought the latest 'Q' magazine today, and they list the top 10 most perfect songs ever written, as polled by a load of renowned singer / song writers. I have listened them here for your consideration:
1. "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen (the Jeff Buckley version)
2. "Strawberry Fields Forever" by The Beatles
3. "Life On Mars?" by David Bowie
4. "Sympathy For The Devil" by The Rolling Stones
5. "Strange Fruit" by Billie Holiday
6. "Bitter Sweet Symphony" by The Verve
7. "Born To Run" by Bruce Springsteen
8. "God Only Knows" by The Beach Boys
9. "Blowin' In The Wind" by Bob Dylan
10. "Perfect Day" by Lou Reed
I dont normally read The Sun, but this story made me laugh. And the name of the person in charge of the disciplinary hearing... could it be more appropriate?!
I guess the names that policemen get called by a lot of people ring true, especially in regard to this particular officer.
I could make all sorts of jokes about truncheons and 'abusive' policemen, but I don't want to give too much away - read the story it'll all become clear.
Soundtrack of the day: "Under The Blacklight" by Rilo Kiley
Update: I bought the latest 'Q' magazine today, and they list the top 10 most perfect songs ever written, as polled by a load of renowned singer / song writers. I have listened them here for your consideration:
1. "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen (the Jeff Buckley version)
2. "Strawberry Fields Forever" by The Beatles
3. "Life On Mars?" by David Bowie
4. "Sympathy For The Devil" by The Rolling Stones
5. "Strange Fruit" by Billie Holiday
6. "Bitter Sweet Symphony" by The Verve
7. "Born To Run" by Bruce Springsteen
8. "God Only Knows" by The Beach Boys
9. "Blowin' In The Wind" by Bob Dylan
10. "Perfect Day" by Lou Reed
Monday, 3 September 2007
Insanity In The Workplace
You have to try at least ONE of these things this week - the more the better:
HOW TO KEEP A HEALTHY LEVEL OF INSANITY IN THE WORKPLACE
1. Page yourself over the intercom. (Don't disguise your voice).
2. Find out where your boss shops and buy exactly the same outfits.Always wear them one day after your boss does. (This is especially effective if your boss is a different gender than you are.)
4. Make up nicknames for all your co-workers and refer to them only by these names. "That's a good point, Sparky." "No I'm sorry I'm going to have to disagree with you there, Chi-Chi."
5. Send email to the rest of the company telling them what you're doing. For example "If anyone needs me, I'll be in the bathroom."
6. "Hi-light" your shoes. Tell people that you haven't lost your shoes since you did this.
7. While sitting at your desk, soak your fingers in "Palmolive".
8. Put up mosquito netting around your cubicle.
9. Arrive at a meeting late, say you're sorry, but you didn't have time for lunch, and you're going to be nibbling during the meeting. During the meeting eat 5 entire raw potatoes.
10. Insist that your e-mail address be: zena_goddess_of_fire@companyname.com
11. Every time someone asks you to do something, ask him if he wants want fries with that.
12. Send email to yourself engaging yourself in an intelligent debate about the direction of one of your company's products. Forward the mail to a co-worker and ask her to settle the disagreement.
13. Suggest that beer be put in the water/soda machine.
14. Encourage your colleagues to join you in a little synchronised chair dancing.
15. Put your garbage can on your desk. Label it "IN."
16. Determine how many cups of coffee are "too many."
17. Develop an unnatural fear of staplers.
18. For a relaxing break, get away from it all with a mask and snorkel in the fish tank. If no one notices, take out your snorkel and see how many you can catch in your mouth.
19. Send e-mail messages saying free pizza, free donuts etc. in the lunchroom, when people complain that there was none... Just lean back, pat your stomach, and say, "Oh you've got to be faster than that."
21. Put decaf in the coffee-maker for 3 weeks. Once everyone has got over their caffeine addictions, switch to espresso.
22. Leave the copy machine set to reduce 200%, extra dark 17-inch paper, 99 copies.
23. In the memo field of all your checks, write "for sexual favours".
24. If you have a glass eye, tap on it occasionally with your pen while talking to others.
25. When driving colleagues around insist on keeping your car windshield wipers running in all weather conditions "to keep 'em tuned up."
26. Reply to everything someone says with "that's what YOU think."
27. Practice making fax and modem noises.
28. Highlight irrelevant information in scientific papers and "cc" them to your boss.
29. Make beeping noises when a large person backs up.
30. Finish all your sentences with the words "in accordance with prophecy."
31. Signal that a conversation is over by clamping your hands over your ears and grimacing.
32. Disassemble your pen and "accidentally" flip the ink cartridge across the room.
33. Shout random numbers while someone is counting.
34. Adjust the tint on your monitor so that the brightness level lights up the entire working area, and insist to others that you "like it that way."
35. Staple papers in the middle of the page.
36. Publicly investigate just how slowly you can make a croaking noise.
37. TYPE ONLY IN UPPERCASE.
38. type only in lowercase.
39. Don't use any punctuation either
40. Buy a large quantity of orange traffic cones and re-route the whole M4 through the NEC car park.
41. Repeat the following conversation a dozen times: Do you hear that?" "What?" "Never mind, it's gone now."
42. As much as possible skip rather than walk.
43. Wear bright shirt and tie combo's and hang around colleagues desks.
44. Try playing the William Tell Overture by tapping on the bottom of your chin. When nearly done, announce "no, wait, I messed it up," and repeat.
45. Show your testicles at office social occasions.
46. Ask people what gender they are.
47. While making presentations, occasionally bob your head like a parakeet.
48. Sit in your the car park at lunch time pointing a hair dryer at passing cars to see if they slow down.
49. Ask your co-workers mysterious questions and then scribble their in a notebook. Mutter something about "psychological profiles"
50. Stand on the inside of a toilet cubical. Knock on the inside until someone asks if you are alright. At this point say in an irrate manner, "yes I'm fine, can I come in now".
HOW TO KEEP A HEALTHY LEVEL OF INSANITY IN THE WORKPLACE
1. Page yourself over the intercom. (Don't disguise your voice).
2. Find out where your boss shops and buy exactly the same outfits.Always wear them one day after your boss does. (This is especially effective if your boss is a different gender than you are.)
4. Make up nicknames for all your co-workers and refer to them only by these names. "That's a good point, Sparky." "No I'm sorry I'm going to have to disagree with you there, Chi-Chi."
5. Send email to the rest of the company telling them what you're doing. For example "If anyone needs me, I'll be in the bathroom."
6. "Hi-light" your shoes. Tell people that you haven't lost your shoes since you did this.
7. While sitting at your desk, soak your fingers in "Palmolive".
8. Put up mosquito netting around your cubicle.
9. Arrive at a meeting late, say you're sorry, but you didn't have time for lunch, and you're going to be nibbling during the meeting. During the meeting eat 5 entire raw potatoes.
10. Insist that your e-mail address be: zena_goddess_of_fire@companyname.com
11. Every time someone asks you to do something, ask him if he wants want fries with that.
12. Send email to yourself engaging yourself in an intelligent debate about the direction of one of your company's products. Forward the mail to a co-worker and ask her to settle the disagreement.
13. Suggest that beer be put in the water/soda machine.
14. Encourage your colleagues to join you in a little synchronised chair dancing.
15. Put your garbage can on your desk. Label it "IN."
16. Determine how many cups of coffee are "too many."
17. Develop an unnatural fear of staplers.
18. For a relaxing break, get away from it all with a mask and snorkel in the fish tank. If no one notices, take out your snorkel and see how many you can catch in your mouth.
19. Send e-mail messages saying free pizza, free donuts etc. in the lunchroom, when people complain that there was none... Just lean back, pat your stomach, and say, "Oh you've got to be faster than that."
21. Put decaf in the coffee-maker for 3 weeks. Once everyone has got over their caffeine addictions, switch to espresso.
22. Leave the copy machine set to reduce 200%, extra dark 17-inch paper, 99 copies.
23. In the memo field of all your checks, write "for sexual favours".
24. If you have a glass eye, tap on it occasionally with your pen while talking to others.
25. When driving colleagues around insist on keeping your car windshield wipers running in all weather conditions "to keep 'em tuned up."
26. Reply to everything someone says with "that's what YOU think."
27. Practice making fax and modem noises.
28. Highlight irrelevant information in scientific papers and "cc" them to your boss.
29. Make beeping noises when a large person backs up.
30. Finish all your sentences with the words "in accordance with prophecy."
31. Signal that a conversation is over by clamping your hands over your ears and grimacing.
32. Disassemble your pen and "accidentally" flip the ink cartridge across the room.
33. Shout random numbers while someone is counting.
34. Adjust the tint on your monitor so that the brightness level lights up the entire working area, and insist to others that you "like it that way."
35. Staple papers in the middle of the page.
36. Publicly investigate just how slowly you can make a croaking noise.
37. TYPE ONLY IN UPPERCASE.
38. type only in lowercase.
39. Don't use any punctuation either
40. Buy a large quantity of orange traffic cones and re-route the whole M4 through the NEC car park.
41. Repeat the following conversation a dozen times: Do you hear that?" "What?" "Never mind, it's gone now."
42. As much as possible skip rather than walk.
43. Wear bright shirt and tie combo's and hang around colleagues desks.
44. Try playing the William Tell Overture by tapping on the bottom of your chin. When nearly done, announce "no, wait, I messed it up," and repeat.
45. Show your testicles at office social occasions.
46. Ask people what gender they are.
47. While making presentations, occasionally bob your head like a parakeet.
48. Sit in your the car park at lunch time pointing a hair dryer at passing cars to see if they slow down.
49. Ask your co-workers mysterious questions and then scribble their in a notebook. Mutter something about "psychological profiles"
50. Stand on the inside of a toilet cubical. Knock on the inside until someone asks if you are alright. At this point say in an irrate manner, "yes I'm fine, can I come in now".
September already??
Where's the year gone! Can you believe its September already? Kids are going back to school, and once Halloween is out of the way, you just know Christmas decorations are gonna start going up.
Not a bad weekend this weekend - not much happened on Saturday...Oh, apart from beating Scott at online golf! Rule Britannia! Unfortunantely, he only had time for one game, so its now 3 -2 in the series.
Sunday Jake had his first training session of the new season. He did OK. I think all the boys are gonna find it harder this year, coz you know that there will be some freakish kids out there that are gonna turn 9 but are already 5'8" tall and 10 stone!
This week, the only plans I have are Golf on Wednesday, football on Thursday, and possibly golf on Friday. Breakfast of the day: Sultana & Apple Oatibix. Yum.
Unfortunately, on the work front, its very quiet again. I could quite easily sit here at my desk all day and not do anything, as I dont really have stuff to do. How bad is that?
Anyway, have a good Monday listeners...
Oh and GP - if you're reading this - where's your blog??? Come on, you know you want to.
Not a bad weekend this weekend - not much happened on Saturday...Oh, apart from beating Scott at online golf! Rule Britannia! Unfortunantely, he only had time for one game, so its now 3 -2 in the series.
Sunday Jake had his first training session of the new season. He did OK. I think all the boys are gonna find it harder this year, coz you know that there will be some freakish kids out there that are gonna turn 9 but are already 5'8" tall and 10 stone!
This week, the only plans I have are Golf on Wednesday, football on Thursday, and possibly golf on Friday. Breakfast of the day: Sultana & Apple Oatibix. Yum.
Unfortunately, on the work front, its very quiet again. I could quite easily sit here at my desk all day and not do anything, as I dont really have stuff to do. How bad is that?
Anyway, have a good Monday listeners...
Oh and GP - if you're reading this - where's your blog??? Come on, you know you want to.
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