I’ve been needing a new keyboard for a while now, since I poured beer on it and the keys became very stiff! Got peeved off at it yesterday so set upon the mission of getting a new keyboard and mouse set. Now I must admit I’m quite picky.

Requirements:

• Does not have 10 million buttons to do everything under the sun. All I want is volume buttons and pause/play type buttons. I’ve already got my email client etc open so wtf do I need a button for them to clutter the keys I do want to use up!
• Wireless mouse at least. Don’t care about the keyboard but a wire on the mouse just pisses me off.
• Left hand compatible mouse - I’m right handed but just can’t use a mouse right handed as I quickly end up in a lot of pain - under investigation as to why still. It’s not just RSI.
• Needs to PS2 so I can use it with my KVM (lets me switch between the multiple machines I have here and use them on the same mouse/keyboard/monitor)

Now, on the last point. To switch between the machines attached to the KVM, you press scroll lock twice and the number of the PC you want to change to.

Today I bought the first keyboard I have ever seen with out a scroll lock key. D’oh! What the hell were they thinking?! For obvious reasons I didn’t think to check this before I bought it and only discovered once home with it all plugged in and went to change to my Linux box.

Apart from that the Logitech EX 110 is a lovely keyboard and mouse!

See: http://www.campaignmonitor.com/blog/archives/2007/01/microsoft_takes_email_design_b.html

I’ll explain as I think a lot of readers here are not Outlook users!

Outlook has previously used Internet Explorer as its HTML viewer and had the option of using Word as it’s HTML editor, which unfortently a lot of people have on as it helps in making pretty signatures (argh!).

In Outlook 2007, they’ve done more than just upset me about the user interface (only hits you once you try writing an email in Outlook unlike the rest of Office). Word is now the HTML viewer and editor. With NO CHOICE of turning it off.

Word is EVIL with Outlook. Word does not know the meaning of following HTML and CSS standards. The number of times at work that I get calls saying Outlook has hung, I connect into their PC, end word.exe running in the background, and it all comes back. This is followed by me disabling Word as their editor.

No more!

Bloody fine example of Microsoft’s “We have the market share, we’ll break the standards if we want to, tough!” attitude.

Do I need to explain why I like Linux? Didn’t think I’d have to..

It snowed, it was actually like it was winter or something this morning!

Photos taken as I was going through Epping Forest near work (2 odd hours after leaving home! (30 mins one day, 2 hours plus the next..)). There was a better covering near home though.

Just realised Wordpress has been set an hour ahead since summer. Doh!

This was a result of me sat here going “WTF?” when it came up with my last post as being posted on the 25th (my mum’s birthday :D) when I was sure it wasn’t midnight yet!

Oh well. All the ones before since the clock change for the Winter are an hour a head of them selves.

Meanwhile on IRC…
[23:28:42] * Shell stares at karl for saying “well we always knew you were ahead of yourself”
[23:29:07] RixAtTheEndOfTheUniverse: More like he’s a bit backward 

Made me chuckle, thanks Rix

This week has seen the arrival Karl’s Microsoft Action Pack update with Vista and Office 2007 in it. So on it goes to my system! My motive was at the end of the day I have to learn these for work as I support them, so I might as well get on with it.
Vista

I had installed and played with betas previously, and was far from impressed. I am, how ever, very impressed with the final release.

Some things that have impressed me or made go “ooo cool” while sat here clicking away:

• Firstly, as it installed, I barely had to click on anything. Nice to see telling it UK English in one place automatically changes other language and location settings. Apart from that I think it was a computer name, user name, and what type of enviroment my PC is located in. It happily sat there installing away with me paying no attention to it, rarely being annoyed by it to enter information. Painless.
• Once booted up, after a few moments it let me know there was a problem with my sound drivers. By the time I had clicked on this bubble and read that going to Windows Update would fix it as there was a later driver known to fix this…. It had already done it for me. I can see this being a little concerninig for people, I’m impressed for now. We’ll see though.
• There were drivers installed for all devices upon first boot (ok except the dodgy sound one). Even XP doesn’t do this and I have great fun with the USB stick getting the network drivers across!
• Resource Monitor - Wowa. Cool. The other things I have mentioned have either been lazy things or good for your typical home user. Resource monitor is for the techies amoung us though. Detailed information on what processes are doing with memory, hard disk drive, and network.
• Suttle little nice things. Like lots more power saving options - my faviourite being adaptive display. If you keep having to bring your monitor out of standby, after it goes to sleep for being idle for x mins, by moving the mouse/tapping the keyboard (ie, something huge installing and you keep checking on it), it will realise and leave the monitor on longer!

Office 2007

• Oh. My. God. What a mess.
• Outlook 2007 - Yes, nice. I like it. Cleaned up where it needs to be - for example the accounts setup area makes a lot more sense for users I think. The to-do bar on the left is nice and useful I find too.
• Everything else - Word/Excel for example. What the hell have they done with the layout and menus? It’s giving me a head ache, let alone a normal user. I think yes it would be easier for a complete new user to Office - most people are not though and it is just plain confusing!

Others

I’ve not had too much of a chance to play with much else now. Visio looks much the same (but I haven’t too much experience with it yet anyway). I’ve mentioned it has some new features to people to be told they were in 2003, turns out they were a bit hidden though! Expression looks interesting - it’s a web page maker thingy - but they’ve lost the Front Page feel and gained more of a Visual Studio feel, and generally has more professional features. It won’t be for me at the end of day though, as I’m hardcore notepad user There all sorts of other things on this 2nd disc too that I shall get round to playing with I hope.
Don’t worry… I’m still a Linux lover. I have just changed my mind on how I did think Microsoft messed up with Vista.

Blame work. Windows based systems all over the shop. I was going to say all but we’ve had the odd Linux system starting to pop up since I’ve joined
Nearly bought a Mac Mini the other day. I am still going to but not until we’ve moved as I need money for that instead. A rare sensible comment from Karl that was! Blame work for that too. Well.. I’ve wanted a Mac for a while, but trying to support one with out no visual guidence, lack of experience, and just my memory at work pushed me over the edge the other day.

Just brilliant, thanks Hyphen.

Metro.co.uk photo gallery link - photos from out recent “storm” from the free paper that clutters up British public transport every working day.

All fun! Well, number 2 is.

Car.. Okay, we all spent last weekend in Nottingham to sort out the car with my dad’s help. We didn’t even get round to replacing the head gasket. We just chased the bloody tapping noise coming from my under my bonnet! Turns out it was a sticking injector, only place we could find to get one was a used one though. Which turned out to be another sticky injector. Which is still in my car So we’ll be back in Notts soon to sort the head gasket out and I need to get the injectors sorted out round here before hand. O fun.

Work. Might be some super news here soon. We’ll see though.

Work and car also go together. Over 4 hours driving to get to work and back today! High winds.QE2 bridge over the Thames closed (between junction 31 and 1 of he M25). Ques from hell any way when that happens, then 3 lorries thought it would be fun to have a lie down the next junction along as well. M25 closed.

Which moves nicely on to the 3rd point. Moving - In a month. 10 minute walk from work hopefully, if we like the place when when we have a proper look at it on Monday. Woo.

Also see http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6216535.stm

So is this a good thing? I think it’s bloody brilliant. Allowing songs that are only available for download, good old tunes and the such, to be included in the charts. I can’t wait to see how the charts lie come next Christmas for example. I hope, and expect some of the classic oldies will be in there

Look here re the jbex thing in the title if you are thinking “eh?”.

So I my 3 month probationary period ended today at work and being permanent confirmed! Wahoo! It’s nice to finally feel appreciated by my employers after working for stupid employers who couldn’t care and I was just a number. Quote from the appraisal “the management team is extremely happy with her peformance”.

It’s brilliant also to have a job I really enjoy too. Took me a while to get use to the not dreading getting up for work in the morning thing! I miss you Rob though, can not forget you.. and Lee. Ooooh the conversations and the err, ‘interesting’ topics we covered. Also Russ.. for being Russ. Steve for all the chocolate too.

Turns out my car is (just?) a noisey tappet too. Likely to be related to fact my head gasket needs replacing and I’m always topping the oil up

Just waiting for my head ache to go now. Not sure how I can get eye strain head ache on my lazy eye.. that’s just wrong.

Pub time when Karl returns home with Steve to celebrate

Okay.. I was a little surprised at how quick people replied to my last post and this thing is actually read by some one at least! Might actually start bothering to write things now.

So let’s try now…

Last week has sucked really if I have to be honest, and not because it was the first week back at work - I was glad to be back! I spent all last week really ill. Body aching like hell, fever, you name it. I’ve not been that ill since I was a kid

So then Friday I drag myself to work because being home alone is doing my head in and I’d court up on of Torchwood and Hogfather, and managed to watch 2 films Flushed Away and Borat… aaaand watched a few episodes of Coast (BBC documentary on you guessed what) that I got on DVD for Christmas as requested (and the book as a surprise from Karl :D). Though some I need to watch again as I was too busy falling a sleep. So anyway, went down to the car to be welcomed by a terrible ‘banging’ sound. Was making me think it was a loose belt and scared me shitless. Que me being late for work after getting 4 trains/tube trains via London to work. Turned out to be a sticky fuel injector - tried my luck with some shock fuel treatment (which my dad didn’t think would sort it) and bingo! Well, it was okay Sunday night.. lets see tomorrow morning, other wise it’s time to pay someone to replace/clean it properly Which will suck even more as we’re going to Nottingham this weekend to do stuff on my car - head gasket/belt/the such. Least it wasn’t the belt as that would have really took the piss. My dad, who I trust on these matters as he’s spent many years under a diesel engine, is really advising me if it’s not sorted to not drive all the way to Nottingham with it like that though! Bloody cars. This Astra has given me more grief than the others I’ve had added together.

Off to bed to watch Pirates of the Carribean now I think, tired.

Wish me luck in my meeting at work tomorrow to discuss my first 3 months there and offically get the ”you’re staying” thing. Not worried at all as I know I rock (nah.. they’ve told me I’m excellent :)). Just worried my self appraisal form is rubbish. Oooh well.

You bought this long post on your selves. Expect more. Mwahahaha.