September 2006

Out Of Town

Claire and I are out of town for about 31 hours, off to Norfolk but back on Sunday evening to make plans for Fresher’s Fair. My apologies to everybody I’ve been trying to get things done for this last week: it’s been somewhat insane over here.

For those of you travelling this way this weekend (Lawrence, Kit, etc.): JTA is here and can let you into the The Cottage, and there’s a “welcome” leaflet on the living room door. Unless there’s some kind of disaster we’ll be back in town before Kit is, but you never can tell. That’s the thing about disasters.

I’ve got a lot of things I mean to write about: my latest (very successful) homebrew, happenings in Aber, progress with camping for the upcoming Real Ale Ramble, and more. Just… don’t ask until like Monday, and that way I won’t have to kill you.

The Abnib Real Ale Ramble 2006

Following the success of last year’s Abnib Real Ale Ramble, we’re going to do it all again! All the walking! All the freezing temperatures! All the fried breakfasts! All the broken feet! And all the tasty tasty ale. And all on the weekend of 25th/26th November 2006.
I’m sure you want to come along, and you’re probably more than welcome. I’m currently working on sorting out self-catering accomodation, which should be at least partially arranged by the end of the week, but what I’m sure you’re all actually wondering is… where is the wiki?

Well, rest assured, there is one. And a mailing list too, no less. I’ve already added to the mailing list the names of pretty much everybody who’s ever expressed an interest in the Real Ale Ramble, so it’s pretty heavy right now, but I’m sure some folks will wimp out and unsubscribe soon. If you’re on the list, you’ve probably already received an e-mail from me. Good for you.

Either way, go read the wiki now: http://ramble.abnib.co.uk/

Context-Insensitive Advertising, The eBay Way

You’ll remember that some time ago I explored some of the creative possibilities of eBay‘s context-sensitive ads and their quirks. Well, I think I’ve been bested by an observation by The Register:

The Register search for Steve Irwin on eBay

The End of The Job Interview

Seth Godin thinks that job interviews are pointless, and he makes a convincing argument. Give his blog a read.

Most of you who read this spend far more of your time on the receiving end of job interviews, and so his thoughts perhaps aren’t so much use to you, unless you feel bold enough to tell a potential employer what they’re doing wrong at the interview (“you know, this isn’t a very good way to hire people…”) – that said, I might just try that next time I’m in any kind of interview situation – but if you find yourself on the other side of the desk come recruitment time, give it a read.

You Can Get Anything On The Internet

I frequently find myself impressed with some of the more unusual things it’s possible to obtain on the internet. I was browsing the binaries newsgroups when I came across this gem of a self-help film:

Meeting Women Online PAR Files

A few interesting things about this film:

It’s called Meeting Women Online. I suppose that’s a valid topic for a self-help film, although I find myself wondering if there’s enough material in this topic to warrant an entire film, rather than – say – How To Meet Women or Making Friends… And More… Online.
It’s posted in the alt.binaries.seduction newsgroup.
And here’s the killer: this film comes on four DVDs. That’s right – count ’em – four. A little research online suggests that the main program (not the special features) is in itself over five hours long!

Just plain scary.

A little more research and I found the web site of David DeAngelo, who made the film: there’s a page to sign up for his online course in meeting women online… the page starts by promising the usual crap that you can get from any spam-ridden inbox: “how you can manipulate your online profile to inspire interest,” “how to be confident when it comes to talking on the phone,” and so on, but the thing that got my attention was the following line. It’s as much bullshit as these programmes always are, but it makes a promise I’ve not yet seen in my 12 years of net-surfing:

Inside you’ll learn… a “secret” email subject line that drives a woman crazy
with curiosity and gets her to open YOUR email first.

What do you know: women’s heads are hard-wired so that a few key words in a subject line will get them to open it, no matter who it’s from or what the context in which they receive it. Dating be damned: if this were true then I would subscribe to the program. Why?

If I were a spammer, I would want to know the secret keywords I could use to have 50% of the population open my e-mails without even thinking twice.
And if I were not, I would want to know how to configure spam filters to protect those poor vulnerable women from the big bad spammers with the secret codewords that tripped the “common sense” switches in their brains.

The Troma Night Food Pyramid

A balanced diet, like that depicted in the pyramid, will help you stay healthy at Troma Night: