04.02.2026 07:18
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Dear [whatever gods may be available] as I enter the working week please don't let anyone ask me about M******k.
Amongst The Faithful it never went away. Especially the really deep dish ones with a zillion layers served piping hot. You cannot beat a brick of lasagne.
As a former Presby I go for Caramel Squares. The rigid layering and precise allotment of happiness speaks to me. As does how the bitter chocolate and chalky biscuit remind us of the pain of life. An explicit rejection of the chaotic hedonism of Fifteens.
Best not to ask where you stand on the Caramel Squares vs Fifteens debate then. Wars have begun over less...
Stollen is vastly overrated. There, it's been said.
«Of the three homicides in Minneapolis this year, two were committed by federal agents.»
If I wanted to make a culturally relevant series about a scifi military academy I would shamelessly rip off The Lords Of Discipline. It would make Andor look tame. The book remains an invaluable resource for understanding the US. Just saying...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lor...
There are a lot like that, and one publisher in particular I will never buy again. But then there are the classics I keep coming back to. Some, like Illustrating C, are works of educational art:
books.google.co.uk/books/about/...
A bookcase filled with software engineering books.
Stuck in the house ill, so pruning my IT bookcase. Java is all but gone, and I'm almost ready to say goodbye to my Scala books. On the other hand I actually read (and wrote!) some Modern C++ this year. Not what I would have predicted a decade ago - history makes fools of us all.
This is it folks! Only two days remain to submit to @nidc.bsky.social
After that our distinguished, impartial, and expert panel of reviewers will rate the talks, and an agenda will be constructed. You have to be in it to win it!
Gary Oldman's character from the movie Leon, saying "I like these calm little moments before the storm"
TFW The kids have been dropped to school, all the overnight messages have been answered, and you have 5 mins to yourself before the first meeting of the day...
The published record of talks from XSLTUK. The first and last XSLT conference held in 2001 in Oxford.
I was there Gandalf, I was there...
The Blu-ray cover of the movie Knightriders (Spanish edition)
Am on leave and going through a classic cinema phase. Have bought my first Blu-ray player because most of what I'm after isn't available online, and the DVD release is discontinued 😟. Today's viewing is this forgotten gem starring Ed Harris.
At Belfast Mela to support my boys and the Ojika Dojo. Always a great event! Music, food, culture, and swords. What's not to like? 😉🙂 If you've ever wanted to give Kendo a go come down and visit:
ojikani.com
In with my Physio. He has a BLK BOX functional trainer with the ultimate chin-up bar. Any width any angle!!!! I had no idea such a thing existed...
Success! Last night's debate on GenAI went exceptionally well. Six excellent speeches leading to in-depth, impassioned, and enlightening discussion.
The £665 in door fees all went directly to charity work at Farset Labs, thanks to the sponsorship of Liberty IT. Congratulations to everyone!!
Unboxing the shirt I've saved 3 months for just the right occasion. Come along tomorrow night for a public debate on "GenAI will revolutionise our lives for the good in the next 5 Years". 📣
When: Thursday 7th Aug
📍Where: Black Box in Belfast
🎟️ Get your ticket: lu.ma/d94zscul
This is on Thursday! Sign up via the link below for £10, all proceeds to charity. Tickets also available at the door (cash only).
lu.ma/d94zscul
Come along to hear passinate and informed debate, and to ask your own questions. Non-technologists especially welcome.
This has happened to me (and I believe @antonarhipov.bsky.social ) many times in hotel gyms. Fortunately ceiling tiles don't hurt that much 🙂.
There seems to be some rule that "the rack with the weird bar goes under the lowest ceiling - clearly it's just for decoration".
youtu.be/6BC1DS_38WU?...
This episode hit a nerve with me. 3 points:
* You don't voluntarily abandon faith. You incrementally realise it's unsustainable
* You have to choose between your beliefs and your community
* There is a very real fear that you are loved only for believing the right things
youtu.be/eDQoan2pm6U?...
If you need a train ticket to Dublin in Belfast's brand new £340 Million Grand Central Station you can't use the ticket machines. Instead you go to Customer Support at the other end of the cavernous hall, to queue behind folks paying for coach trips with loose change. Apparently, this is progress.
Not to burst anyone's bubble, but we had Specification Driven Development in the 1990s. We just called it Waterfall 😉.
The Larne line timetables have vanished from the NI Railways website this morning. A bit disconcerting to see your neighbourhood erased from the public record...
New event! I'm helping Farset Labs organise a public debate, based on the proposition "GenAI will revolutionise our lives for the good in the next 5 Years". We have an amazing panel and a great venue. Fun, informative and a chance to participate in debate as it was meant to be.
lu.ma/d94zscul
Paul Darrow will never be beaten as Avon. A master of snark...
youtu.be/-uW7HJv3guw?...
Hmmmm.... Interesting....
A Star Wars quote from Obi-Wan to Luke "That's good. You've taken the first step into a larger world"
But how do you know it's more reliable than the random tutorials you would otherwise have Googled? 😉
Click to the story for Northern Ireland in a single infographic. Where else in the world do you build a bonfire between two major hospitals, adjacent to their power supply and near a pile of asbestos?
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Excited about tomorrow, which will be the highlight of my summer here in beautiful, bright, Belfast. Can't wait for the series finale of Murderbot. Everything else not so much.
