Windows 7

Yes! I’m one of the lucky thousands with Windows 7. So what’s new?

• A slightly different UI to Vista, moving away from the familiar windows-y look and feel
• Shiner graphics (well, if I wasn’t running it in a Virtual Machine)
• Paint now looks like it’s part of Office 07
• Internet Explorer 8

I haven’t spent much time playing yet, but it does look promising. Vista has been a bit of a waste of time/money for me in many ways. It looks a bit better but it doesn’t exactly make things easier, particularly when I start to faff on with LAME and Virtual Dub.

If you do like playing with tech, get it now though. It’s free. It seems to work and certainly isn’t any worse than what you could pay for. Infact, IE 8 looks pretty promising. Add a spellcheck and I might even think about using it from time to time!

And so to 2009

Another post arrives some 20-odd days late. 2008 was a bit of a washout for me in many ways. OK, there were a quite a few good things but a few things I probably wouldn’t want to do. Moving house twice  within 3 months, across the Thames both times was probably the most traumatic experience I really don’t want to do again…

More positive, 2009 is going to be a good year – this year I have to find myself a permanent role at work. So there’s going to be a fair bit of work to do. The YPG stuff is all coming along nicely now (see YPG blog to the right) and I’m generally much more organised.

Yes, 2009 promises to be a really great year 🙂

And the first posted lyrics of 2009? I’m finally getting into reading on the tube, let’s start with a bit of Scottish alt-folk that tells a story…

Sons & Daughters – Rama Lama

On a blue antique night
In early October
His wavy brown hair
Stuck wet to his shoulder
And its click, click, click
Go the heels of his feet
Listen
How long has it been since the boyfriend has visited
The milk’s in a pile by the door
Her series is playing on terrestrial T.V. the neighbours they don’t even know
And its click, click, click
Go the heels of his feet
Listen
Did you hang her out to dry?
The meal that she was going to eat for her dinner
Is left on a plate by the stove
While there’s unopened bills and letters and junk mail
All strewn on the mat by the door
And its click, click click
Go the heels of his feet
Listen
Did you hang her out to dry?
Rama lama lama
Shake, shake, shake, shake
How long has it been since the boyfriend has visited
The papers are filling the close
While she’s face down on porcelain
An inchful of bathwater
The neighbours they don’t even know or care
And its drip, drip, drip
Goes the tap on her ankles
Listen
Did you hang her out to dry?
Rama lama lama
Shake, shake, shake, shake

The North isn’t always grim…

Berwick upon Tweed

And so a new dawn begins. Though, the above is actually a sunset (but I’m pedantic enough to be bothered to be awake for a sunrise).

For a while I’ve thought about a blog – I’ve been writing drivel within Facebook for long enough now – I think the rest of the internet should be involved!