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Past Diatribes |
Very Wise. Please Read Carefully. |
-- June 2000-- |
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We have been putting a lot of time into the garden recently. It’s almost impossible not to be doing something outside, the weather has been so beautiful lately. A good eight months of the year, at least, this is not pleasant to be outside without a jacket. A funny place, Ireland.
When not planting trees, weeding the flower patch or digging up shrubs, Carmel and I have been chasing after the million and one wedding-related details. Invitations, menus, bands, cakes, dresses, cars, hotels, silverware patterns--- thank God we only have to do this once in a lifetime! I suppose the whole wedding planning process is a trial to see if the relationship is strong enough to survive. At the requisite pre-marriage course, last weekend, one fellow started to talk about (gasp!) sex. Thunder boomed, lightning crashed, unseasonable fingers of hail clawed at the windows. Everyone laughed- perfect timing on behalf of nature, like it was a sign from God. Memorable, though- it was only the second time lightning has ever struck in Ireland, since I’ve been here. Strange for a country that receives so much rain.  OK, the next major item if news: We got our new car!! The economy is in such a boom over here that the dealerships cannot supply the demand. They can’t import them fast enough. We shopped around, made our choice, and slapped our deposit down for a cherry-red Renault Clio. There were about four weeks of anticipation, then she arrived! This is the first brand-new car that Carmel or I have ever purchased. Had 6 miles on the clock, the day that I picked ‘er up--- we just rolled the clock past the 1000-mile mark, the other day. It’s been fun doing it, too! The ride is far smoother than in Bubs (our ’92 Nissan Micra) and the interior much more luxurious. The stereo’s controls are located right behind the steering wheel, just south of the turn indicator. The driver doesn’t even need to take an eye off the road to change a channel or crank up a good tune. Fuel mileage has been pretty good and (except for one scare, which proved that the built-in immobilizer worked) there’s been not a whisper of trouble from the engine.  I’m still learning something new each and every day at work, so the new job is keeping me happy. The free trip to New Orleans, there in early May, has also contributed to the general job satisfaction J Wasn’t a holiday by any stretch, though: fourteen of us came over from Dublin to attend the Cable 2000 convention. Several hundred other companies were also in attendance, and more than 30,000 of the world’s cable TV/broadband communications movers and shakers visited the convention over the three days. Even to someone who has no interest whatsoever in broadband, who couldn’t tell a T-1 from a tea bag, the convention would have been a trip. Much of the floorspace was transformed into an amusement park, each cable channel featuring a ride, game, food or beverage to promote their theme. There was a giant rock wall that visitors could climb from the Explorer channel or something, a video skeet shoot game from the Outdoor channel, and a chance to get yer picture taken with various Playboy Channel bunnies. Some BBC affiliate was giving out free shepherd’s pie and Guinness. This booth right next door gave out Chia pets in the shape of Mr. T’s head. It was a huge carnival, full of freebies and prizes and complimentary beer. That’s just the surface of it all, and the multi-millions that went into these promotions offer an inkling of the sheer waves of dosh that surge about in this industry. Being a bit more interested in the substance than the flash, I picked up a ton of info on the technology driving it all. I’ll spare ye another long discourse on computer science and segue neatly into a discussion on Flash.  My little sis sent me this e-mail one day: "Mick, I love Flash. It is so incredible!" I answered, yeah, it was a cool enough movie--- and was a bit baffled by her fervor until she explained that Flash is a new tool for creating deadly animations on websites. "Oh! THAT Flash!" I says. E also sent along a couple samples of what wonders are possible with the power of Flash. Check out Balthaser and Supercar, just for a glimpse of the neat stuff that can now be made for the Internet. A few years ago, the buzz was that Java would be the tool bringing this sort of animation and interaction to the Internet. Judging from the number of sites that feature Shockwave or Flash, it would seem that Macromedia has stolen Sun’s thunder. I’ve been messing about a bit with the Flash tool, trying my hand at a little project or two. Who knows? Perhaps next time surfers come calling, there’ll be all sorts of shamrocks swirling and leprechauns dancing. Um, perhaps not. Anyway, that’s enough of a rant or rave for now. Be well and wish me luck on the soccer pitch. I haven’t a hope. Peace. |
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