graphics tablet

After six months of struggling with mouse and keyboard I decided to invest in a graphics tablet for my design work. This arrived yesterday and was expensive but well worth it. The control you get over the brush is truly wonderful, work feels more natural.

I would recommend anyone with the software to handle one of these tablets properly e.g. PhotoShop etc. to invest in one.

Hopefully I will see benefits in both creativity and productivity.

I have still only scratched the surface with what it can do. But it’s fun learning.

merry christmas

sunset

I get these amazing views from the eighth floor.

I’ve just finished uploading my photos from my trip to the FIFA World Cup in South Africa. That was my third major sporting tournament I’ve attended and will probably be the last I travel abroad to.

London has the Olympic Games in 2012, maybe England will get the World Cup in 2018. Apart from that, I’m done. It’s not that I am no longer enjoying myself, it’s there are lots of other things I want to do.

There major football tournaments on three different continents in eight years is enough for me.

new friend

So what next? I can’t afford to be a space tourist. So maybe a couple of months in China or India, perhaps a cruise around the Adriatic or Caribbean. There are lots of places I have yet to visit in Europe. I have never visited Paris, Berlin or any other major capital city. I tend to stay off the beaten track.

A couple of years to think about it yet, and I need to get off my ass and find some more work to pay for it all.

Once I have a new plan I have incentive.

I’m getting lots of fresh air and starting a tan. Seriously, I can get sun burnt in an English April, the ginger curse.

I’m meeting lots of new people, most of whom are nice even if they are not voting our way. Some are coldly polite. A very few are unpleasant. I had the first door slammed in my face this week, luckily I remebered to turn my microphone off.

I have been visiting parts of Stevenage I haven’t been in years. On the way from leafleting, I took a short cut through woods I used to walk through on the way to school. It’s much overgrown now, as the school is no longer there.

Bluebells were in bloom. They are late this year because of the long winter. I had forgotten about Bluebells. It’s now official: Winter is at last over.

]]> http://www.timneale.co.uk/2010/bluebells/feed/ 0 http://www.timneale.co.uk/2010/shopping-spree-1-new-tv/ http://www.timneale.co.uk/2010/shopping-spree-1-new-tv/#comments Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:23:35 +0000 Tim Neale http://www.timneale.co.uk/?p=1504 My TV stopped working. Strangely, the world didn’t stop turning.

I realised I was in trouble when I rang up the repair people and they put me through to a “special department” after I told them my TV didn’t have a plasma or LCD screen.

“You have a cathode ray tube set?” I was asked in the strange tone I hear when I tell people I don’t own a car.

“Yeah, I live in a tower block,” I told them. I’ve found that people accept, “I live in a tower block” as an explanation for just about anything.

the hole in my life where the tv isn't

They wanted the model number. It took me a while to find it under the accumulated dust. Then the number didn’t exist on their system. I worked out the TV was 20 years old. It had never previously needed repairing.

They don’t make ‘em like they used to.

No one locally knew how to service a CRT TV. They had to find a repair man in London. When the guy saw the set he laughed and I knew it was the end of the line for the TV.

The repair man took a look. The circuit board on which the transformer sits had carbonised with heat and age, become brittle and cracked.

No chance of replacement parts. Short of getting hold of the circuit diagrams and building a new board myself, that’s that for a faithful old friend.

Time for an upgrade.

I only replace things when I have no alternative. I’m the kind of guy people at Apple hate. When I do get something new, I get the biggest and best model I can with all the gadgets and gizmos. I then play with all the gadgets and gizmos once and never use them again.

It keeps me happy.

I’ve been drooling over the 42”, all singing, all dancing, high-definition ready, plasma screen TV’s. Then it occurred to me to get a tape and measure the hole the new TV would occupy.

A 42” TV is 1 meter wide. That would stretch from the arm of the sofa to the edge of the wall in the photo. It would over-dominate the room.

I would have to move the furniture and plants. The ivy wouldn’t like that. See it growing up the wall? And let’s be honest, I don’t watch that much TV.

I have settled for a 32” plasma screen, which is not quite state of the art when it comes to clarity etc, but it is “high definition ready” and will be a huge improvement on my old set.

It arrives Friday, which gives me a whole weekend to play with gadgets and gizmos.

The scaffolding’s reached my floor. It’s strange to see people standing outside of my window. On the eighth, you get used to privacy. Walking into a room and coming face to face with someone is a shock.

new neighbours

But they have moved on up. Next they will be encapsulating us in the blue plastic. Everything will be dingy and blue.

I’m told that the worse part is when the drilling starts, eight hours a day, five days a week. I don’t know weather I’ll be able to work.

At the end the block will have cavity wall insulation. My heating bills should go down. Maybe it will be worth while.

great view

Another couple of letters arrived from Stevenage Homes today. Again, I haven’t opened them as I don’t want to spoil my good mood.

Tomorrow maybe, after I finish the Leaseholders Online site.

home (not so) sweet home

It keeps getting cut off. I have called Virgin Media four times in the last week. It’s getting ridiculous.

It’s also getting expensive. Calls to Virgin customer service costs 40 pence a minute on my mobile. And each call takes on average ten minutes.

They’ve changed the call waiting system since I last called. Now, “to ease the pain of waiting” you can select the type of music to listen to (at 40 pence a minute). You make your selection. It then ignores it completely and plays the same song

…Pain not eased.

It turns out the wires are being cut maliciously. I’m told I’m not the only one affected. It’s nothing personal.

Apparently’ someone’s “in dispute” with Virgin Media. Something I find easy to believe. I’m not a happy customer.

The last time the technician called, I got him to show me the junction box. It’s not exactly safe or secure.

I’ve been promised there’ll be a new case fitted soon. Meanwhile, you don’t need CIA training to tap my phone. I guess I should be please someone drew attention to the fact.

Another reason to dump the landline September 2010.