Earth Hour
Posted: March 30, 2008 Filed under: Government, Internet Leave a commentOn 29th March 2007, between 8 and 9 pm, the world switched off,
Well that was the plan anyway, the reason for this was to show the world how we can all do a bit to save energy, I thought this was an amazing idea, not only to save some energy but to clear the sky of light pollution so we can actually see the stars, when I look down on the city from my house, all I see is a plume of yellow light far above the town.
The reality was of course, No one in the UK or the World really bothered, I mean all the usual suspects where there, Sydney (well Australia are the bigger polluters per capita, but im sure China will soon steal that title) and many US cities and well as Canada, I think the only UK town to take part was Norwich, Disgraceful Governments in the UK and Ireland did not even bother to tell people about it, they should have just shut down the power stations!! But I guess they would have lost to much precious tax on the one hour of down time!
Actually the only people I saw taking an Interest in the UK and Ireland where Google.co.uk and google.ie, and I feel what they did was not so much to show they care about the world we live in, but to stick the knife into a smaller rivel Blackle http://www.blackle.com/
Blackle is a Black version of Google, similar to black-google.blogspot.com, The plan here is that a black screen costs less to run that a white screen, thus switching from Google as your homepage to Blackle, you will be saving the world, one search at a time, The reality is that modern screens use the same energy to run know matter what the content is, and Google where happy to tell people that on their homepage, when they turned it black for 24 hours!
Anyway back to the point, Earth Hour, although highly unsuccessful is a fantastic idea, I think Governments should get on board fast!
Cheap Motoring : The Land Rover Defender Project
Posted: March 28, 2008 Filed under: Motoring Leave a commentI was talking to a friend of mine about the cost of Fuel, What is is doing is fantastic, He has an old Land Rover Defender, which he is converting to run on used chip pan oil, he can buy 1000 litres for a mere £300-00, 1000 litres of Diesel on todays prices would cost £1200, saving him £900 per 1000 litres
That should more than cover the cost of the conversion, the storage tank and the higher rate of road tax for 4x4s
Rock on!
Scout Camp Parody – To the tune of A Duffy – Mercy, By Michael McClelland
Posted: March 27, 2008 Filed under: Parodies 1 CommentMercy- A Duffy Parody
Please, please, please
Please, please, please
Please, please, please
Please, please, please
I lead you
But you gotta do what I say
This camp’s got me on my knees
I’m begging please
Stop throwing things
I don’t know what this is
But it’s not a tent
Just for that you have to gather wood
I don’t know what you’ve done
But you can’t sleep in there
And burning I can smell
You got me begging you for mercy
Why won’t you hear me
You got me begging you for mercy
Why won’t you hear me
I said you better hear me
Now you think that I
Will pitch tents for you
But you got to understand
That you won’t get a badge
If I take you by the hand, no you won’t
I don’t know what this is
But you’ve done it wrong
Just like I knew you would
I don’t know what you did
But don’t eat this
The eggs are full of shell
You got me begging you for mercy
Why won’t you hear me
You got me begging you for mercy
Why won’t you hear me
I said you better hear
Cheap Motoring : There has to be a way
Posted: March 25, 2008 Filed under: Motoring Leave a commentUpon breaking down the cost of running my car last year, I was amazed by just how much of my hard earned cash (which i pay income tax on) goes back to the government in Road and Fuel Tax
After this years budget, our good friend Alaster Darling, has put fuel and road tax up again, So I got to thinking , there has to be a cheaper way of running a car, Im going to look at a few different ways of keeping my money in my pocket, not the pocket of the labour government,
Ill let you know, but in the mean time you might be supprised to know that for every litre of Fuel you purchase at the pump, The true cost is only around 40p, and the other 68p goes to London.
Crazy!
I want to live at Scout Camp, a parody of Nickleback : Rockstar
Posted: March 21, 2008 Filed under: Parodies Leave a commentIm through with paying for
Mortgages that never end
This house hasnt turned out
Quite the way I wanted it to be
(Tell me what you want)
I want a big old fire
For to cook my ribs
and a bathroom I can take a shower in
and a football pitch that big enough
for ten tents plus mine
(Yeah, so what you need)
I’ll need a … a camping permit thats got no limit
And a big green islantic with a bedroom in it
Gonna join the Queen scout crew
at Crawfordsburn Scout centreee
(Been there, done that)
I want a new scout bus full of old scarfs
My own tent pitch on the green
Somewhere between the girl scouts and
the CBSI is fine for me
(So how you gonna do it?)
I’m gonna trade this house for a tent and fire
I’d even grow my hair like Gee and change my name
[CHORUS]
‘Cause we all just wanna live at scout camp
And live in hilltop tents, lighting big old fire
The girl guides come easy and the rent comes cheap
We’ll wont be skinny ’cause all we will do is eat
And we’ll hang out in the pathfinder
In the county commissioners at the ADCs
Every good scout leader
Gonna wind up there
Every great girl guide
With her bleach blonde hair
And well…
Hey, hey, I wanna live at scoutcamp
Hey, hey, I wanna live at scoutcamp
I wanna be great like Frank without the accent
Hire eight Explorer scouts to cook all my food
Keep the fire going strong
So I can eat my meals for free
(I’ll have the quesadilla, *laughs*)
I’m gonna dress my ass
With the scouting fashion
Get a front door key to the outside washroom
Gonna date a girl guide that
love to wash my clothes for me!
(So how you gonna do it?)
I’m gonna trade this house for a tent and fire
I’d even grow my hair like Gee and change my name
‘Cause we all just wanna live at scout camp
And live in hilltop tents, lighting big old fire
The girl guides come easy and the rent comes cheap
We’ll wont be skinny ’cause all we will do is eat
And we’ll hang out in the pathfinder
In the county commissioners at the ADCs
Every good scout leader
Gonna wind up there
Every great girl guide
With her bleach blonde hair
And we’ll hide out in the leaders rooms
With the latest scouting for boys and
Today’s scouting ulster
They’ll get you anything
with a dib dib dib
Everybody’s got a
home contact on speed dial, well
Hey, hey, I wanna live at scoutcamp
I’m gonna sing those songs
from the Irish songbook
Gonna keep my food
3 feet above ground
Get washed-up girl guides to clean my clothes
Lip synch ‘the scout promise every night so I don’t get ‘itwrong
Cause we all just wanna live at scout camp
And live in hilltop tents, lighting big old fire
The girl guides come easy and the rent comes cheap
We’ll wont be skinny ’cause all we will do is eat
And we’ll hang out in the pathfinder
In the county commissioners at the ADCs
Every good scout leader
Gonna wind up there
Every great girl guide
With her bleach blonde hair
And we’ll hide out in the leaders rooms
With the latest scouting for boys and
Today’s scouting ulster
They’ll get you anything
with a dib dib dib
Everybody’s got a
home contact on speed dial, well
Hey, hey, I wanna live at scoutcamp
Hey, hey, I wanna live at scoutcamp
Hey, hey, I wanna live at scoutcamp
AOL goes Bebo
Posted: March 13, 2008 Filed under: Internet Leave a commentMedia giant AOL time warner are the next big corp to add a social networking site to their portfolio.
And what a bargain to, $850 million!, well it is a bargain compared to the $15 Billion recent valuation of myspace, bought last year by Rubert Murdock for $580million! and the $240 million microsoft paid last year for just a 1.5% stake in Facebook.
But the truth is that whilst bebo may be the most popular networking site in Ireland and New Zealand, it lags behind MySpace and Facebook in the US and further behind in the UK.
bebo is the perfect complement to AOL’s personal communications network and puts it in a leading position in social media
bebo’s current president Joanna Shields will continue to run Bebo after the deal is completed but will be reporting to Ron Grant, AOL’s president.
The worlds most popular networking sites are as follows
twitter.com
Posted: March 9, 2008 Filed under: Internet Leave a commentIve been playing about with twitter.com recently so I thought i’d share my findings
Someone has taken the “Russell is … typing a blog” bit from facebook, and made a site completely devoted to it, genius (or is it?)
The slight difference is that, it save all your old “Russell is……..” entries, so you can look back and say, what was I thinking!!!, You can also see what your friends have typed and what your friends, friends have typed.
Will it work, hmmm seems to be popular in oz and usa, Facebook have it wraped up tho I think
Irelands first Apple store to be in Belfast
Posted: March 7, 2008 Filed under: Apple Leave a commentIt is understood that Apple are currently recruiting staff for a new store in Victoria Square, Belfast!
Apple currently only have a European retail presence in the UK Mainland and in Italy, but new plans see them to extent across Germany and Switzerland.
The store is thought to follow the same theme as the others with free wi-fi, open to use macs, free workshops and a service bar
The opening date is yet to be confirmed
Apple Iphone and Microsoft take on Blackberry
Posted: March 7, 2008 Filed under: Apple 1 CommentLong term enemies Apple and Microsoft yesterday signed a deal to allow the iPhone to work seemlessly with the Microsoft Exchange server
Projecting the iPhone into the business email category dominated by Blackberry
Apple has licensed Exchange ActiveSync from Microsoft and is building this right into the iPhone so that the iPhone will connect out-of-the-box to Microsoft Exchange Servers 2003 and 2007 for secure over-the-air push email, contacts, calendars and global address lists. It will also support Microsoft Activesync
“We’re excited about creating a vibrant third-party developer community with potentially thousands of native applications for iPhone and iPod touch,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO.
“iPhone’s enterprise features combined with its revolutionary multi-touch user interface and advanced software architecture provide the best user experience and the most advanced software platform ever for a mobile device.”
It has been said for months that rivals microsoft and apple where planning a project together but was considered just to be chat, VP of MS Exchange, cannot understand why people would find it strange for the two giants to work hand in hand
Apple and Microsoft have always domonated opposite sides of the marketplace but neither have really been able to dent the email on demand of the powerful RIM Blackberry, perhaps this is all about to change
Perhaps the iphone is true to bill and it is the best thing to happen to mobile phones, only time will tell
Bill Gates – The worlds richest man retires
Posted: March 7, 2008 Filed under: Microsoft 1 CommentThe man that ‘invented’ windows that is used on over 1 billion PCs is retiring, he is worth something stupid like $64 billion and people are asking, what will he do now? and can Microsoft survive without him
What is he going to do now, give the man a break, he has spent his life marketing the worst product ever, It is a difficult thing to make a system that most of the world uses, he has worked tirelessly to make sure, it keeps crashing and that you keep having to upgrade!
The truth of the matter is that he is not as rich as he could be, over 500 million copies of windows in use are illegal unpaid for versions, I know my heart bleeds for the man to
Who really cares what he does now, can he not just do nothing like most people do when they retire
In fairness to the man, and I hate what his company stands for and the tactics they use, He has pledged almost 90% of his worth to his charity and in recent year has done more for the AIDs fight in Africa than the US government
But will Microsoft survive without him, its hard to say, more people are revolting to Apple and using more and more Google products everyday
Openoffice is a free platform which does the same thing if not more than MS Office, I can honestly say te only Microsoft product on my mac is msn messenger, and I am forced to use it because of my friends, otherwise id stick with ICQ which is a much better platform
Anyway Bill, here’s to your retirement, Im sure you will not be bored!
Russell McQuillan 