Sometimes you see the most when you can't see what you're looking for.

At nights, like most forecasters, I’m alone in the office so I have to do the observations for cloud, visibility and anything else significant that the computer can’t pick up.
Once an hour I go outside and look for clouds. This is one of the few times that I like it when I can’t find what I’m looking for.

That's about it, had a mare of a night shift on Sunday when the communications died, and another (extra) on Monday night when I had to go to Kinloss to produce everything then drive it back to put it on our network, and have to wait an extra couple of days before I can get any fish for my bowl. Oh yeah, and got an expensive bill for getting the last bit of exhaust fixed on my car. Okay, admittedly when I say the last bit, I mean that the last bit fell off and it'll cost me much to get fixed but meh, do it up and sell it I think; supermini city car not quite what I need these days.

Aplogies to all my rabid readers

I've been told that I don't update my blog enough, by a lady that scares me somewhat, but in a good way.*edit to add* I mean of course a wise lady who kindly takes the time to remind that that people remain interested in the blather I put on here, and many thanks to her (and you all) for that. *Better? ;> *
I'd say that's mainly because nowt much has been happening recently but that would be a bit of a lie....
For a start there's Andi and Sarah's wedding down south, which was brilliant. The bride looked amazing and the groom looked like a 14 year old dressed up for the day, but then that's Andi for you. Photos on Facebook, and will be on Flickr when I can get the new Macbook to log in properly.
Was unbelievably good to see all of my old friends again, shame that I'll miss Ria and Richie's wedding this weekend but best of British to them and every good thing. Also managed to get through a whole night of kilt wearing action without being groped too much, and most of that was by blokes. Which reminds me, the weekend before I'd been down to Edinburgh with some friends to see the Scotland South Africa game and Chris wore the Swansea tartan, I was in a Utilikilt and got a little bit abuse from a drunken Scotish girl for it not being a "proper" kilt, despite my comments to the same effect.
While I was down south I managed to get to see Pippa again, which is always good, but is something that I don't get to do anyway near enough, do love that lass. Also made it to Swansea, initially with the intention of having some more time with Pippa, maybe meeting up with some more of the old gang but I took the operatunity to pop in to visit my gran in Penlan. I'm really glad I did, I don't get to see her much since I moved up north, and since grandad died I worry about her more. By the time I left gran it was too late to see Pip before I had to head back to the hotel in enough time to get some sleep before the early start the next day. Which was a real shame, I'm going to see if I can her and the rest of the guys up here over winter, either people could crash here or I can see about hiring the civil service lodge near Cairngorm (if anyone's up for this let me know). But I digress slightly.

I got back on a Tuesday and was on a night shift that night. Since then, just under two weeks ago, I haven't been away from work for a complete day. Was hoping to break that tomorrow but there are some aircraft movements that require me in, or at least a foreacster and I'm the only one available. Damnit!
Also was talking to Tasha last weekend after the abismal performance by the England rugby team about general stuff and we agreed that I would loose 5 kg in four weeks and she would gain 5 kg. May not sound like much to some of you but it's alot for both of us, bit weird that she's trying to gain it and I'm the opposite but then she is about 40% of my weight, which makes it even stranger that we used to climb together, she got very good at belaying me while suspended in mid-air.
One week into this deal and I'm down buy........all of half a kilo. Shite.
Been to the gym for a couple of good sessions this week but I guess it'll take longer for anything to show up. Planning to get in for a swim tomorrow before work then maybe catch a film afterwards. Got to make sure that I don't weaken and have a supersize ultra sugar hit at the cinema as well..
Aside from that though, and work, nowt much. Trying to get some time off to go over to America and see some good friends, and also to get a certain bit of time off to see more friends down south again, party is good! I'll try and write while at work some time, should be easy enough... providing no sodding pilots get in the way.

Blogger security

The BBC is reporting that a group is cracking Blogger and posting malicious blog entries that cause the reader to download spam or malware. Links in the entries put trojans on your system and some of the entries purport to be looking for testers for software and digital greetings cards.
The subject line will generally give it away, apparently most of the entries have things like "HAHAHAHA, man your insane!" (sic) or other such TXT SPK drivel (not that I ever use such things, oh no...). Unfortunately the system can use news stories to update some of the headers so unless you're sure the message is from me, don't use the links - or, hover over them and have a look at the target for the link without clicking on it, much as one would do with phishing emails.
Which does raise an interesting point. If the virus writers were switched on, they'd use an entry warning of the virus and containing the link to the virus itself, disguised like this entry. Ohh, existential!

New Webcomic

Been sent to another webcomic, xkcd, which isn't always clean, and sometimes most people won't get the jokes (knowing about computer languages, physics and maths helps) but there are some wonderful bits about getting your heart broken that I think almost everyone will understand.
My favourites so far are pages 137, 154, 128, 123, 112, 92, 90(!), 10, 13, 21 (google Kepler laws of planetary orbit), 36, 40, 45, 52, 54, 55, 59, 67 (nerd girls rock!), 68, 75, 77, 78, 83, 84, 88, 164 (politics), 169, 171, 179 (geek alert, I laughed out loud.), 184, 197, 207 (makes me think of Pippa in the last panel), 209, 229, 231, 236, 241 (if you don’t get it, read Ender’s Game, brilliant book), 242, 249, 250, 253, 256, 258 (oh so true), 273 (some sick stuff there), 275, 277 (another one for the engineers), 281 (been there, had a package marked as "left Aberdeen" and arrived six hours later. It’s 60 miles people! Arggh.), 282, 283, 288, 289, 291, 295 (DNE – do not erase), 296 (look for the hover over text), 300, 302, 304 and 305.
Don't forget to hover the mouse over the image for the hidden text, often an extra joke.

XKCD

Another web comic has come to my attention, from a number of sources,
www.xkcd.com

It's not always safe for work and many of the jokes aren't funny unless you know quite a bit about physics/computers/other specialised subjects. Quite a bit of "bad" language, but always justified. My favourites so far are:

pages 137, 154, 128, 123, 112, 92, 90(!), 10, 13, 21 (google Kepler laws of planetary orbit), 36, 40, 45, 52, 54, 55, 59, 67 (nerd girls rock!), 68, 75, 77, 78, 83, 84, 88, 164 (politics), 169, 171, 179 (geek alert, I laughed out loud.), 184, 197, 207 (makes me think of Pippa in the last panel), 209, 229, 231, 236, 241 (if you don’t get it, read Ender’s Game, brilliant book), 242, 249, 250, 253, 256, 258 (oh so true), 273 (some sick stuff there), 275, 277 (another one for the engineers), 281 (been there, had a package marked as "left Aberdeen" and arrived six hours later. It’s 60 miles people! Arggh.), 282, 283, 288, 289, 291, 295 (DNE – do not erase), 296 (look for the hover over text), 300, 302, 304, 305.

Don't forget to hover the mouse over the picture to get extra text!

Great dreams, crumbling away

In work on a Sunday morning, great.
Does mean I can catch up with the internet, there isn't much to do on these sort of shifts.
Looking at the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, they link to an old article in Esquire. The article could also have been featured on Phil Platt's Bad Astronomy blog, probably was to be honest. It's about the creationist museum in Kentucky, but in a broader sense it's about how American (and British to an extent) culture is being subverted by the lowest common denominator. It's a good article, if slightly biased (not much, but enough to be noticeable and I share pretty much the same bias).
Thing is, I like the idea of the USA, it's just the current implementation I have a problem with. Well, and the tendency for much of the US to ignore the rest of the world, the trend to think WWII started in 1941, that the founding of America was purely about freedom and not at all about tax and the right to occupy the land to the west - killing or moving the native occupants as necessary, all those things. Britain isn't much better, and it's getting worse. Most of the Americans I've met have been great, but while I was over there I saw plenty that filled all the stereotypes (especially the good ol' boys in the back of the rusty pickup tilting their stetsons at us while going "how ya'all doin'?"). Still going to try and go back, I do like the place but it's like having a friend that you know could do so much but they can't be arsed so spend their entire life sat watching Corrie and complaining that the world doesn't do enough for them, all the potential wasted. Maybe things will change, maybe the average American will realise that intellect is a good thing, that education is vital and that truth isn't always pleasant or what you want it to be, but may still be truth.
Well, that's me depressed, I'm going to go and watch a violent film when I finish here, just for the sheer hell of it.