Author: Dan Q
Dan Q is a software engineer, a director of a voluntary organisation, a trainee counsellor, a keen geocacher, and an amateur magician. He lives with his partner and her husband in a polyamorous triad, and occasionally finds time to blog.
-
Fresher’s Week - Part Two
I've registered for modules this year which better than last year reflect my individual interests within my field - an emphasis on telecommunications and the internet and on software engineering practice, and away from artificial intelligence and from hardware-layer stuff. Some of my new modules - many of which were not available as courses last …
-
Fresher’s Week - Part One
And I wasn't all the things;
I tried to make believe I was.
And I wouldn't be the one to kneel,
Before the dreams I wanted.
And all the talk and all the lies;
Were all the empty things disguised as me.
- "Sympathy", The Goo Goo Dolls
The first half of Fresher's Week I spent with Kit, Claire and the gang, … -
Growing Up
I've done so much this last week, but I'll get around to that later.
This is a special message for all of you who are using Windows Messenger (a.k.a. Microsoft Messenger (a.k.a. MSN Messenger)). It's just a summary of all the reasons you shouldn't be, and why you should be using ICQ instead. If you're an … -
Growing Up
The older I get, the more I become like those people my parents used to warn me about when I was younger.
-
It’s Over
Tomorrow's the first day of the Fresher's Fayre, and Dan can't sleep.
-
Disneyporn
This repost was published in hindsight, on 11 March 2019.
Sian wrote:
Just got back from me favourite sleepy seaside town, missing it already. Dumped my brother in Penbryn, caught up with Strokey in the Blue Creek Cafe (which now has my fave Aber hot chocolate), learnt the wonders of googlewhacking and disneyporn with Dan and … -
At Long Last
Yet again I was correct. The BBC just released this article on Verisign.
-
VeriSign Gets Sued
VeriSign's controversial abuse of the domain name system on Monday led to the first lawsuit against them, today, as reported by SlashDot. In addition, today's UserFriendly cartoon, too, takes the piss out of them.
In other geeky news, did you know that it's now possible to get broadband internet on a Commodore 64. It takes all … -
Dsixeyla For Bneingers
Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at an Elingsh uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is that frist and lsat ltteer is at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do …
-
Cottage Pie
This morning, while picking up my microwavable Cottage Pie from Somerfield (the best microwave meal I've ever had - it's really quite good considering that it's re-heated mincemeat and dehydrated mashed potato), I noticed a new product - a similar item but in a slightly smaller container, as part of their "So Good" range. Upon …
-
Stealing From A Police Officer… In A Police Station
What kind of idiot steals a police officer's sandwich, in a police station, while taking part in an identity parade? BBC News reports.
-
Sheep
Outside my office window is a large field, which several months ago was divided into three smaller fields, each of which was planted with a different mixture of grass and some other leafy plant. Yesterday, half a dozen sheep with large numbers sprayed onto their flanks were moved into each of these partitions. This morning, …
-
VeriSign Kicking Up Yet More Of A Fuss
Still no word from BBC News on the bastards that VeriSign are being, but The Register are on to their second news report on the subject, and SlashDot have information about the technological "fight back". What does a person have to do to keep their state news agency up to date these days?
Have you seen … -
Darwin Was Wrong
The more and more humans I encounter, the more I come to the realisation that Darwin was wrong. The internet provides endless examples of humans so biosociologically defective that whatever it is that makes them tick should have died out eons ago. Us and our damned supportive society harbouring counterproductive genes will be the death …
-
First Aid
Yesterday was a long day. After nine hours at work, had two and a half hours of First Aid refresher training at Aberystwyth ambulance station.
On the upside, I'd forgotten how subtly dark paramedics' sense of humour can be... when one particularly overmoral woman expressed concern at a particular element of the training: "But they could …