Jamie-alexander.com

...the original web guru and all round good guy

I've just upgraded this site to use Joomla! 1.5.9 and I like the admin interface, the look of the site itself remain much the same as before - well, it did before I changed the template. The content is all new ("what content?" I hear you say, that's prolly another post in itself - there's no migration from Joomla 1.0. to 1.5 so it's a fresh install and I didn't back up the content as I'm not really fussed about it, it was just a load of bollocks as written by me so I'm sure I can do something similar again!). Nice interface in the back end though but is it really that good that I upgrade? Well, the clue is in the tagline at the bottom - I like the "Desktop blogging" tools which are widely available, w.blogger was my previous favourite until I discovered Zoundry's Raven was free - excellent interface and support for multiple blogs (and that includes Joomla, but only v1.5 upwards, thus the upgrade). Take a look at http://zoundry.com/ it's a great tool and it's free, what more could you ask for?

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The News

Audio, Video and New Storage

Written by Xander
Wednesday, 02 September 2009 11:52
Well, I've been busy over the last couple of weeks adding some new hardware to my home network. Got my hands on a Netgear SC101T network storage unit with 2 500Gb drives installed,seems like the bee's knee's - now lots of storage space!! Means I can finally clear out the drives on the Ubuntu Linux box, and do some housekeeping. Also means I can now access all my MP3s from any connected PC (and move the MP3s on CD/DVD back onto hard drives), the plan was to access the MP3s via a network music player and connect that to my stereo system, So with that in mind, I searched ebay once again, getting my hands on a Pinnacle Soundbridge Homemusic system. My wife's been busy too - we've a 200 multi-CD player and haven't made use of it since our daughter emptied the contents out of the living room window at the age of 2, still no harm done after picking them out the garden and giving them a little wash down! So she decided to fill it up again and has been busy converting vinyl to CD (or more accurately, downloading the MP3s and burning them to CD). Unfortunately, she got me to download some stuff (hesitate to say, but it was "Heart - These Dreams"), I couldn't find a MP3 download and got my hands on a FLAC version, the chief needed MP3s though, seems her burning software only likes MP3, so I downloaded a conversion program for windows - it was only a 30 day trial and stopped between each song, till you pressed continue, a trifle annoying but useable, until it stopped working completely (with 10 days left on trial). I then decided the Linux box would be a better platform to convert format on and found I'd already installed "Sound Converter", must have been a while ago as I'd forgotten all about it - but it did the conversion job without any problem, in one pass, and the software's free (easily installed too - I use Ubuntu Linux, a breeze to install new applications!). So that's one problem sorted, now all I need to do is get the Soundbridge installed and see if there's any network bottlenecks as I'm not impressed with the speed of the network storage. Something to look forward to I guess, lol. With that in mind, I've been looking at some network monitoring tools and thought Paessler's PRTG Network Monitor 7 looked BRILLIANT (and with a freeware version available why not give it a whirl)
Last Updated on Wednesday, 02 September 2009 12:24

Highway To Hampden...

Written by Xander
Friday, 03 July 2009 11:44
Saw AC/DC on Tuesday night, god they looked awful – but the music was excellent! They started with Rock n Roll Train and Hampden rocked... AC/DC's opening number at Hampden
Last Updated on Friday, 03 July 2009 11:54

A Dark Horse

Written by Xander
Monday, 25 May 2009 13:03
Spent Saturday night at the SECC, watching Nickelback play and they were incredible, had a great night. Support was from Black Stone Cherry, didn't Watch Danny Adair's Drum Solo quite match Nickelback on the night, but I'd go see them again, a great band and prolly only gonna get better n better, their album "Folklore and Superstition" is a cracker, if you haven't heard it already then get your hands on it and have a listen, but turn up the volume when you do - it's not meant to be quiet! Play Highway to Hell video Nickelback opened with a bang - or what sounded like a few gunshots, I was just getting back in after going for a quick drink when Black Stone Chery finished their set and I just about jumped out my skin, lol. They opened with "Something In Your Mouth", it was rocking, and the gig just got better from there, Nickelback played almost all of their latest release, "Dark Horse", and a few others, including a cover of "Highway to Hell" with Chris from Black Stone Cherry on vocals and reminding us of "How You Remind Me". Danny Adair was the star of the show (well, at least during his drum solo he was), jeez, it was awesome, I'm not usually a fan of the old drum solo, but he blew me away, it was incredible! The place was jumping by that point, the music was getting better n better, loved hearing "Animals" live, the set was pretty hot too - well, we felt the heat when the flames exploded on stage! (and that was at the back of the Hall) All in all, a great night, really enjoyed both Nickelback and BSC.
Last Updated on Friday, 03 July 2009 12:23

The Legend of Buca di Beppo

Written by Xander
Monday, 12 April 2004 09:54
The legend of Buca di Beppo involves a covert meeting of key developers in a Mafia-style restaurant in the United States. 'Bucas' has on more than one occasion been the catalyst for key (and in some cases considered insurmountable) development 'humps' being overcome. With copius amounts of food and wine flowing, the creative juices of coders seem to work keener, faster, and problems are solved. Louis Landry famously agreed that living near a Bucas could actually lead to faster development cycles. Mmmm. A restaurant with photos of famous Mafia films like The Godfather and violin cases leaning against the booths. Makes you wonder, doesn't it? If Joomla! was a commercial venture, we're sure management would actually consider building a Bucas inside the building! Masterchief meet Bugsy Landry.
Last Updated on Monday, 20 April 2009 11:37