Archive for January, 2008

Why is Low higher than High?

Sunday, January 27th, 2008

Not sure why I’ve never noticed this before. When assigning a priority to a Task within Microsoft Outlook 2003 you can click on the priority box and select from a fly-out context-menu one of three options: Low, Normal or High.
But why didn’t the developers adopt a kind of natural mapping approach to the location […]

Initial impressions: Cube Scorpius ST10

Saturday, January 26th, 2008

Last night I had a proper chance to check out my new PC, a modified Cube247 Scorpius ST10. Here’s a quick review.
If you can’t be bothered to read it all just scroll down to the conclusion.
Packaging (4/5)
The system came neatly packaged in five boxes:

PC case, Windows and drivers CDs and component manuals
Monitor
Monitor
Creative 5.1 speakers
Keyboard, […]

Joke

Friday, January 25th, 2008

Black Douglas tartan — the same tartan as my kilt
An English doctor is being shown around a Scottish hospital. At the end of his visit, he is shown into a ward with a number of patients who show no obvious signs of injury. He goes to examine the first patient he sees, and the man […]

My new PC arrived, however …

Thursday, January 24th, 2008

This afternoon my new PC arrived. The company had said that it would be here before 4:00 pm, and sure enough at 3:56 pm the delivery van pulled up outside and delivered five boxes of shiny new technology.
This evening I unpacked the boxes only to discover that I can’t connect both monitors. Here are […]

I’m so dizzy

Monday, January 21st, 2008

In the words of Vic Reeves and The Wonder Stuff:
Dizzy,
I’m so Dizzy, my head is spinning
Like a whirlpool, it never ends
And it’s you [viral labyrinthitis], making it spin
you’re making me dizzy
I appear not to have completely shaken the viral cold nonsense that I’ve been fighting for over two weeks now. On Saturday morning I […]

I’ve just ordered a new PC

Saturday, January 19th, 2008

I still can’t quite believe it: I’ve just ordered myself a new PC from Cube247.
My current PC has been slowly dying over the last few months. Even after a complete reinstall it falls over during the most mundane of tasks: watching video online, ripping CDs to MP3, erm … checking the time.
It did it […]

The gas hits the fan

Thursday, January 17th, 2008

This post is related to this post: Mum’s hassles with British Gas.
I spent this evening writing a carefully worded letter to four people:

Mr Sam Laidlaw, Chief Executive of Centrica plc
Mr Phil Bentley, Managing Director of British Gas
Mr Alastair Buchanan, Chief Executive of Ofgem Scotland
Mrs Rosalie J Saunders

A word of explanation:

#1 is the chief executive of […]