Birthdays in memory

I've just had a birthday. I got some awesome gifts, one I still have to change but it's lovely just the wrong size. My main gift from "the group" was a lovely Paul Smith belt, which is amusing because that's two groups of friends who now buy me belts as gifts - I think they think I 'm fat!

Why do I raise this, well I noticed Tracy Chapman has released her eighth studio album this week -
http://www.about-tracy-chapman.net/2008-our-bright-future/

and when flicking through it on iTunes I noticed on the good ole genius notification a song from one of her previous albums,
http://www.about-tracy-chapman.net/2002-let-it-rain/

and what struck me was this was purchased for me back in 2002 by a very close friend for a birthday. I've not seen that friend for an awfully long time but I just want all my friends to know how much I appreciate them all - especially those it's been too long since I've seen.

Also a bit of a hello to my friends who I don't speak to as much anymore - not having broadband is a killer to the old communications front, I wouldn't like to risk Skype on a mere 3G connection with a cap limit. Congratulations to a good friend of mine who has just received notification he's getting a guide dog called Risgbie now he just has to go on a course in December for it and it's all his!

I'll finish with a quick round up of the music on my to buy list at the moment:
Tracy Chapman: Our Bright Future
Ferry Corsten: Twice in a blue moon
Snow Patrol: : A Hundred Million Suns
MoS: 2009 Annual
Katherine Jenkins: Sacred Arias

Quite the mixture!

Lastly what's on repeat at the moment:
Sash: Raindrops (who I'm seeing in Loughborough on Friday)
Mark Knight: The Man with the Red Face (JFK remix, which I think is tremendous)
Katherine Jenkins: Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen)
Jochen Miller: Lost Connection

I'm back - honest.

OK So I haven't posted for a looong time. That is unacceptable. So I'm restarting my blog again. What's rubbish is that I've been so busy with cool stuff that I could have been telling everyone about.

I've moved house, now living in the City centre
I've been heavily involved in Marketing recently
I've been writing and delivering, what I think are, some really cool presentations recently

I nearly applied for a new job - but honestly didn't have time - which some commentators are saying is an indicator that I didn't really want it.

Some of my systems have reached new levels of maturity and basically run themselves now - but there is always room for improvement.

I've written some new systems that I do think are pretty cool and have genuinely helped people. There were some teething problems, I had 900+ individual users signing up in less that 16 minutes. OK So it's no digg effect but it scared me.

I thought there could be some really interesting material I could have been talking about regarding my new living arrangements and whilst a lot of the firsts have now passed me by I think I'll try and post some info retrospectively - moving out of home for the first time is completely different to moving to Uni, as you kinda know you'll be back.

Well it's good to be back - hopefully my readers haven't completely abandoned me.

Mobile me meet Yoyo

Yes mobileme at me.com has been up and down like a tarts knickers!

Eight hours to go

Well I have just come back in from social engagements - but on my return leg I dropped into my local shopping mall - that by my count has no less than five locations to buy an iPhone in eight hours time.

Now one of those is an Apple store which I won't be able to use for my upgrade. However there is then another outlet nearby that I can use.

After skulking about the place I approached a friendly looking security lady. She was extremely helpful and contacted their control - who confirmed that stores were opening at 0802. No one was queueing yet and nobody was going to be able to queue quite yet and not remaining on the malls overnight.

She let me know I can probably get in from 0600 tomorrow - slightly earlier than usual to accommodate the stores that are opening early.

What was interesting is that the other evening I commented that you could see minions cleaning the Apple store through the shutters - well tonight, they've hung thick black curtains behind shutter - blocking even that.

A courageous decision indeed. Early iPhone 2.0

Some very industrious people here found the update file early.

Then some very courageous people (here) decided to try it...


Then it did this...


And now I wait...
[Update]
Then it did this...

[Update]

and


And now it's back on - time to play. Yes this is a legitimate part of my job!

iPhone Paranoia

So I just rang O2 again to confirm I can upgrade in stores on Friday. I got an exceedingly helpful person - who really put my mind at rest. As it happened he used to live and work near the area I was discussing so knew all the four outlets I'll be able to go to.

The person said it was going to be available in Apple stores but expressed genuine unknowing about upgrade paths etc. in Apple stores.

Current O2 iPhone customers will be able to upgrade in CPW and O2 stores on Friday. The person couldn't comment on stock levels etc - didn't expect they could if they wanted to since I imagine it is on a different system.

The person iterated again that I should watch the O2 website tomorrow for more information.

Cheers O2 - Good luck.

And update from yesterday when I rang a local Apple store and they claimed they didn't know if it would even be available in their stores because they'd need to sign up customers to O2 and they don't know how to do that. Now obviously they could all have had secret training on this. I do know when I walked past on Sunday night, after closing, there was a lot of late night activity in the Apple store - could have just been cleaning, could have been making room for an O2 terminal ?

upgrades.o2.co.uk

Is running like a dog with no legs.

I eventually got redirected to
https://upgrades.o2.co.uk/failover/index.html

I can't decide what to do - since this isn't guaranteed for Friday launch - where as I could go to an O2 store on Friday. Then it's the decision as to which one to go for.

O2 texting customers

I have just received a text from O2 regarding my eligibility to upgrade to the iPhone3G.

Message reads:
iPhone 3G is here*
The iPhone you've been
waiting to early upgrade to.
Order from 8am today.

As an iPhone fan, we are
offering you a special, early
upgrade to iPhone 3G

This offer is only available
online at 02.co.uk/iPhone until
11th October, 2008. Terms
apply.

You can't upgrade from your
iPhone, so you'll need to go
onto your MAC or PC and log
onto 02.co.uk/iPhone from
8am today. You will also need
to have your account number
to hand that you can find on
top of your online bill.

Demand is expected to be
very high, so to be fair to all
customers, orders will be
processed on a first come,
first served basis.

Initial successful orders will be
delievered on 11th July by
courier and will require a
signature as proof of receipt.

*Subject to availability.
Connection subject to status,
new 18 month minimum term
contract, credit check and direct debit.

Terms apply, See o2.co.uk

Psalm 91 and George Carlin on ageing

Each week at briefing we gather as a staff body for notices etc and we
include a moment of collective prayer. Quite uncharacteristically I thought
I'd share what was read out at this weeks prayer with you all.
=======
Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is
when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about
aging that you think in fractions.

"How old are you?" "I'm four and a half!" You're never thirty-six and a
half. You're four and a half, going on five! That's the key

You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next
number, or even a few ahead.

"How old are you?" "I'm going be 16!" You could be 13, but you're going be
16! And then the greatest day of your life . . You become 21. Even the words
sound like a ceremony . YOU BECOME 21.

But then you turn 30. What happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He
TURNED; we had to throw him out. There's no fun now, you're just a
sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed?

You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40. Put on the brakes, it's
all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50 and your dreams are
gone.

But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would!

So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60.

You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it's a day-by-day
thing; you HIT Wednesday!

You get into your 80's and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you
TURN 4:30 ; you REACH bedtime. And it doesn't end there. Into the 90s, you
start going backwards; "I Was JUST 92."

Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little
kid again. "I'm 100 and a half!"
May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!

HOW TO STAY YOUNG
1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let
the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay "them."

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening,
whatever. Never let the brain idle. "An idle mind is the devil's workshop."

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is
with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets,
keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable,
improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county;
to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER :
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments
that take our breath away.

Psalm 91

Lord, you have been our refuge from age to age. Before the mountains were
born, before the earth or the world came to birth, you were God from all
eternity and for ever. To you, a thousand years are a single day, a
yesterday now over, an hour of the night. Teach us to count how few days we
have and so gain wisdom of heart. Let us wake in the morning filled with
your love and sing and be happy all our days. May the sweetness of the Lord
be upon us! May all we do succeed.