Home of DJ and technophile Jonathan Puddle (aka J Puddy)
Archive for January, 2008
Dangerous toys for dangerous boys
Jan 29th
The US army has recently received a fully functional rail gun. RAIL GUN!
Instead of relying on chemical propellants — such as gunpowder — a rail gun uses magnetic “rails” to launch a solid, nonexplosive projectile at incredible speed. Theoretically, rail guns would be able to precisely strike targets at extreme ranges, and would negate the risks associated with carrying around tons of explosive ammo.
For those who find the Maglight doesn’t provide enough bad for your ass, you could try the flashlight that burns things.
The Torch is the world’s brightest and most powerful flashlight. It is capable of melting plastic, lighting More >
Laptop dead, Ubuntu rescues
Jan 28th
Half way through our holiday in NZ my laptop started puking out blue screens of death. It’s never done this before… but it started in earnest until the machine became pretty much unusable (over a period of 48 hours). So I spent some time in thought, regarding the fate of my 6 month old laptop that I love. After some diagnosis, and gentle coaxing, I was able to ascertain that my hard drive has bad sectors and they’re spreading like the plague. I don’t quite understand how that physical happens, but it’s related to a likely disk impact and scratching More >
While you were sleeping
Jan 27th
One of the parts of holidays that I’m most torn about is losing touch with news. Part of me enjoys being unplugged, and not worrying about anything. But part of me feels like things are happening and I’m not involved. So the first few “normal” days after holidays, especially one this long, involve a lot of news catchup. And since my holidays involve so much reading, it’s time for some writing as well.
MacBook Air Review – Typically well researched and written piece from Engadget. Bottom line for me: battery life and connectivity suck unwashed dishes. I’m not opposed to ordering one More >
Good to be home, almost
Jan 26th
Flying into Helsinki I had a real sense of arriving home. Odd, considering where we’ve come from, and the fact that we don’t even live in Helsinki. Anyway, it’s nice to be back in Finland. There’s snow on the ground, it’s around 2 degrees, and we’re catching the last few hours of sunlight for the afternoon :)
We’ve just had a shower and change of clothes (at our friend’s house) and feel much better for it. We’ll be on the train in 2 hours. Looking forward so our nice big bed.
Half way home
Jan 25th
We’re back in Hong Kong. Not here long enough for a visit outside this time. The flight from Auckland was fine, Cathay Pacific staff are very friendly and attentive, and the Airbus A340 is quite roomy and comfortable. We’ll see how British Airways stacks up for the next flight.
We’ve both loved our holiday in NZ. It’s been incredible really; it was a gift to begin with and it’s just been so much fun the whole time. We totally don’t deserve the generosity everyone has showered on us. Six weeks has been an incredible time to recharge, hang out, catch up More >
48 hours to go
Jan 23rd
Our time in the lovely beaches of Gisborne is drawing a close. Tomorrow morning will see us driving back to Hamilton, for one final evening before our flight out on Friday. 30 hours or so later we’ll be back in Finland, after an excellent 6 week holiday in New Zealand.
The South Island is the best island
Jan 10th
We’re having an absolutely gorgeous time down here. Everything is excellent. Photos will come on Sunday, perhaps… maybe later. Keep an eye on Facebook and flickr.
We’re in Queenstown at the present, will go back to Wanaka tonight. Probably Mt. Cook tomorrow, back in Christchurch on Saturday, back in Auckland/Hamilton on Sunday, then out to Gisborne after that for a week and half of doing absolutely nothing :)
Pray for Jack Read, he’s having a hell of a time keeping TACF working in my absence. Poor lad… :)