May 2011 – Page 6 – Personal blog of Peter "Sci" Turpin

Twitter Updates for 12-05-2011

Install's not happy anyway, so will need to reinstall. Best to figure what graphics card drivers won't bork it. 00:00:21, 2011-05-12
@firefiber I don't know the location, but beginning to think it's a vid driver issue. Recently updated to nVidia 270.61. Checking versions. in reply to firefiber 00:03:10, 2011-05-12
I liked a @YouTube video http://youtu.be/Kq5KWLqUewc?a Deus Ex: Human Revolution – Cinematic Trailer 00:08:52, 2011-05-12
266.58 refuses to install. Trying 260.99. 00:24:31, 2011-05-12
260.99 installed. Watching some videos now to see if it holds. 00:36:44, 2011-05-12
@renardqueenston Is that Sunday or Monday? Timezones, y'know… 00:48:14, 2011-05-12
260.99 seems to be holding steady with much tab-switching while videos running. 00:49:11, 2011-05-12
Oh, and the repaired monitor has been running on another machine's desktop for nearly an hour with no power glitching. 00:52:02, 2011-05-12
@firefiber Fragmentation wasn't helping, but yeah looks like an issue with nVidia 270.61 driver on my 8600 GT & XP. Now using v260.99. You? in reply to firefiber 00:58:19, 2011-05-12
@renardqueenston Oh that's fine. Was worried it'd be a weekday. Other plans. in reply to renardqueenston 01:00:06, 2011-05-12
New blog post: Accomplished day http://www.sci-fi-fox.com/?p=987 01:27:44, 2011-05-12
Yup, Youtube running fine with backdated video drivers. 01:54:20, 2011-05-12
@tajasel It looks good on you, but wow what a different look :) in reply to tajasel 02:00:55, 2011-05-12
@ChaseLioness I'd say the same but my Bio teacher was a lady & her shaving status would be in places I never got to see. Also been 15yrs. :P in reply to ChaseLioness 13:54:28, 2011-05-12
My chest feels tight again. I'm not stressed. Maybe I inhaled something in the workshop? Time for a walk. 13:55:36, 2011-05-12
Wow, someone paying their electric bill via PayPal. o_o; 14:34:19, 2011-05-12
I like spring. I can wander around my room naked as the trees block the view to my window from all the surrounding houses. 15:09:52, 2011-05-12
I figured there'd only be a few dozen colours on this, but no, it's a PNG. Appropriately there's 666 used. 17:30:34, 2011-05-12
I suspect scandisk results from this new HDD may not be favourable. As I open the packet a chipped-off chunk of the housing fell out. 21:03:05, 2011-05-12
Hitachi using "metric" gigabytes too. "1Tb" actually 931.51Gb not 1000Gb. 21:15:38, 2011-05-12
Anyway it's formatting. Should be done in a couple of hours. 21:16:22, 2011-05-12
Had some discounted Turkey Kofti Kebabs for dinner and boiled up some lamb bones in the pressure cooker. Tomorrow I'll make stew with them. 22:34:27, 2011-05-12
I haven't touched Hammer in a long time, and even then only messed about with it(@YouTube http://youtu.be/bbdntMlbnVg?a) 22:40:02, 2011-05-12
@firefiber Well it seems to have stopped happening for me now with the driver downgrade, so certainly seems driver-related. in reply to firefiber 22:46:33, 2011-05-12
Holy.. Michael Straczynski developed Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors! This explains so much! 22:53:02, 2011-05-12
New drive's started making a lot of activity noise at the 98% formatted mark. Fearing a bunch of dead sectors right at the end.. 23:47:14, 2011-05-12
And now it's quiet again. Spooky. o_o 23:48:06, 2011-05-12
That new HDD smell. SMART reports only 3 start/stop events. Power-on of 2hours. Temperature.. err.. 1638445 centigrade. o_O 23:54:24, 2011-05-12
Surface error scan running now. 23:55:16, 2011-05-12

Twitter Updates for 11-05-2011

Okay, is ANYONE on my list here using O2 and has a problem with them? If not, I'm probably going to switch to PAYG with them. 00:02:18, 2011-05-11
Going to try livestreaming for a bit.. http://www.livestream.com/scisketches 00:40:40, 2011-05-11
MSN dial-up prompt struck again and kicked me offline. Where the fuck is it coming from?? 01:29:00, 2011-05-11
@jackalesque For non-existent connections even! It's something to do with MSN being activated as if it were a connection-settings file. in reply to jackalesque 01:35:49, 2011-05-11
Phone about another clear casting resin. Some potential perhaps, but large shrinkage. Will grab sample. 12:49:32, 2011-05-11
Phoning O2 next to check about transferring my Orange contract number to a PAYG. Making sure it's possible. 12:51:36, 2011-05-11
@JezzKitty *hugs* You work to live, not live to work. in reply to JezzKitty 13:02:02, 2011-05-11
@doctorow I usually buy drives from Scan.co.uk. They're usually cheapest. And they have SSD & regular stocked. in reply to doctorow 13:12:46, 2011-05-11
O2 SIM is on the way, PAYG is as I hoped (deal is 30days from last top-up), PAC code will cancel Orange contract. 13:26:16, 2011-05-11
Also got a small sample of another clear resin on the way. My moulds are at about the minimum size limit tho. 13:27:33, 2011-05-11
Next I post something, eat some lunch, then move more shelves around in the workshop before more casting & mould making. #active 13:28:30, 2011-05-11
Stainless shelf I found is up! Got all the oils, fluids and sprays on it. #EasyToClean 15:26:47, 2011-05-11
The capacitors I ordered have also arrived. First some tea, then some casting, then I'll do the soldering. 15:27:15, 2011-05-11
@TinyTeaDragon I'll begin work on advanced cooling systems. 16:42:43, 2011-05-11
Bah. Got to re-cast something before I can get on with the soldering. 18:20:48, 2011-05-11
There are ten blooms on my beautiful smelling rose~ Imagining cutting one for someone. 18:37:58, 2011-05-11
Probably going to be a good chances of more cuttings too. 18:38:18, 2011-05-11
Soldering done! Putting the LCD back together now.. one cap blew while soldering, but looks like it was damaged in the post. 19:47:33, 2011-05-11
Okay, cross fingers.. testing time.. 19:56:34, 2011-05-11
It's not caught fire.. and the "check video cable" text is showing. It's not imediately power-cycling at least. 19:58:36, 2011-05-11
Silent. No buzzing or hissing. Seems to power-save off after a minute or so. Turns back on fine. Will take indoors for video testing later. 19:59:51, 2011-05-11
@BlooSquish I was expecting a "Yo' momma" joke at the end of that. o_o in reply to BlooSquish 20:35:56, 2011-05-11
@Mish_Monster Waey, congratulations! :D in reply to Mish_Monster 21:10:05, 2011-05-11
Okay, now out of black pigment. Will have to order some more. So many expenses this week. 21:21:27, 2011-05-11
@BlooSquish We'd miss you :( in reply to BlooSquish 21:29:44, 2011-05-11
Right, heading in for tea & cookies, as well as a shower. :) 22:16:43, 2011-05-11
Had a thought. Have rolled by my display drivers to a much earlier version to see if it helps with Flash video issue. 22:44:44, 2011-05-11
Just realised there's a "spotlight" around the mouse cursor for the unselected Chrome tab mouseover. 23:25:22, 2011-05-11
Okay, might have been an nVidia driver issue. Was running v270.61, downgraded to v190.62. Going to try v266.58 now. 23:58:41, 2011-05-11

Twitter Updates for 10-05-2011

Huh. WinAmp's no longer displaying it's media library contents. I mean the window is malformed. There but with a big grey portion. 15:36:00, 2011-05-10
I think it's time for a new HDD. I can't really afford it right now, but it looks like I'll have to reinstall to fix these increasing probs. 15:37:15, 2011-05-10
If I grab a 1Tb disk I can dump the 300Gb's contents onto it and reformat for boot disk use. 15:39:01, 2011-05-10
I wonder how this acquisition of Skype by Microsoft will affect Skype support on Linux? #ThreeGuesses 17:37:13, 2011-05-10
@tajasel I think a super-soaker would work better if you're firing lube. in reply to tajasel 18:00:33, 2011-05-10
@tajasel I bet the instructions are interesting. in reply to tajasel 18:24:36, 2011-05-10
@TimWakeham Rarity, nooooooo! D: in reply to TimWakeham 18:34:22, 2011-05-10
@jackalesque The fuck?? Are you okay? D: in reply to jackalesque 18:41:07, 2011-05-10
@tajasel Working on it~! in reply to tajasel 18:41:29, 2011-05-10
@tajasel "Tricorn" or "tricorne". And I used to have one, but it's long lost now. :( in reply to tajasel 19:13:07, 2011-05-10
Right for a new HDD, attending Expo and seeing Johnathon Coulton, I'm going to need £100 or more. Already £70 back into the overdraft tho. 19:16:06, 2011-05-10
So I need to earn a few hundred in profit ASAP. 19:17:46, 2011-05-10
My forward planning still leaves much to be desired. #ThisIsWhyICantHaveNiceThings 19:22:17, 2011-05-10
Demonstrating sex toys using a naked couple on stage with mains power-saw mounted dildo. Giving realistic expectations? http://bit.ly/kF4W0K 19:53:14, 2011-05-10
Had some chips with the remaining chicken in cream sauce. Now having tea and 17p Fudge bars. 21:44:13, 2011-05-10
@gothicat S'okay, not going to get any play time tonight anyway. Still down the workshop. in reply to gothicat 21:47:38, 2011-05-10
Ugh, so many things with tiny hidden spots of black pigment on. Hands covered in smudges now. 22:02:35, 2011-05-10
@twinklestah You should talk to @jackalesque who is also fish-obsessed :) in reply to twinklestah 22:13:56, 2011-05-10
I subscribed to TotalHalibut's channel on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/user/TotalHalibut?feature=autoshare 23:23:37, 2011-05-10
Winamp just crashed. Whatever the problem is, it's worsening. I need this machine for business, so a 1Tb HDD just became a business expense. 23:59:28, 2011-05-10

Twitter Updates for 09-05-2011

@Moshiicake You playing the PC version? If so, I need someone for co-op. o_o in reply to Moshiicake 00:27:29, 2011-05-09
@garrwolfdog Have you considered asking for a raise? in reply to garrwolfdog 00:28:01, 2011-05-09
@karaspita Tempted to say they know better than to get involved in pointless exercises, but that's just me letting the snark out for a walk. in reply to karaspita 00:29:14, 2011-05-09
There's only 4 more achievements I can get in single-player Portal 2 now.. :/ 00:30:21, 2011-05-09
@twinklestah Buy it.. for science! :) in reply to twinklestah 00:31:54, 2011-05-09
Going to try and watch a YouTube video. Fingers crossed. :P 00:32:28, 2011-05-09
Managed to watch 14minutes and no crash! *minor victory* 00:48:31, 2011-05-09
Copying 15Gb of misc files off the workshop machine to the desktop.. using an 8Gb flash drive. Slow. 00:49:50, 2011-05-09
But some of them are things I really shouldn't have on a workshop machine. *cough* 00:50:13, 2011-05-09
@TinyTeaDragon Sweet dreams! :) in reply to TinyTeaDragon 01:11:38, 2011-05-09
@VeryBritishDude Yeah, screw those nuclear medical radiologists and analytical biochemists! Don't understand them therefore don't need them! 14:02:16, 2011-05-09
How do you whistle with a stick of wheat in your mouth? o_o(@YouTube http://youtu.be/k53DDtYH2ss?a) 14:11:22, 2011-05-09
@VeryBritishDude "They get people to look for people who might be left out from things" in reply to VeryBritishDude 14:14:18, 2011-05-09
@VeryBritishDude Only if it has provable benefits. The roles should have to justify their existence. May be useless some places, not others. in reply to VeryBritishDude 14:21:49, 2011-05-09
@VeryBritishDude I'm just being a pedant & saying a 5yr old isn't likely a good economist. Most of it seems to be poor management. in reply to VeryBritishDude 14:23:14, 2011-05-09
@garrwolfdog Okay, that's a hell of a shortfall. You're right, far more likely to get that amount elsewhere. in reply to garrwolfdog 14:24:04, 2011-05-09
@ChaseLioness Have a drink and sit in the sun for a bit. Whatever it is, it'll take the edge off. in reply to ChaseLioness 14:26:15, 2011-05-09
@VeryBritishDude Does sound like an issue from raw numbers. Maybe Israel's less fussy on quality of materiel purchased tho? Devils advocate. in reply to VeryBritishDude 14:36:26, 2011-05-09
@VeryBritishDude Sounds feasible in that light, but downsizing the resources of the people with the physical power is a delicate matter. in reply to VeryBritishDude 14:46:31, 2011-05-09
I liked a @YouTube video http://youtu.be/0XdAopedqvI?a Creatures in the Woods 15:35:19, 2011-05-09
Workshop PC is reinstalled and running. Can blog and listen to music while I work again! 15:39:07, 2011-05-09
Going to grab some maté tea, clear up some more and get some casting on the go. 15:39:31, 2011-05-09
@VeryBritishDude But as you suggest, they look after their own, even if just desk operatives. It would "disrupt operations" maybe. :P in reply to VeryBritishDude 15:41:05, 2011-05-09
@VeryBritishDude Any budget cut is fought by proving you need the money. EG: Police using riot vans for everything to show they're needed. in reply to VeryBritishDude 15:42:13, 2011-05-09
@VeryBritishDude Suspect suggestion downsizing procurement would lead to armed forces suddenly "needing" a lot of equipment replaced. in reply to VeryBritishDude 15:43:18, 2011-05-09
@VeryBritishDude I'd like to hope there's a carrot option too rather than going right to the stick. in reply to VeryBritishDude 16:13:45, 2011-05-09
Wait, what? Oh, they're repeating the last broadcast.. #NewsReal 16:59:20, 2011-05-09
Ate 3 meals today, cut and fitted two shelves, cleared and sorted floorspace.. getting improvements! 20:16:06, 2011-05-09
The kittens have discovered the bit of old drainpipe in the garden and are running in an out of it. :3 21:05:15, 2011-05-09
Opened up the monitor Alice-Amanda gave me ages ago. Caps noted in the repair guide are indeed blown, plus a PCB burn w/ melted solder! 22:01:10, 2011-05-09
Ah, it's actually a zener diode. No wonder it melted it's own solder if it's trying to limited the fluctuations from all those blown caps. 22:05:16, 2011-05-09
Don't have enough of the right caps knocking around. Will have to order some. 22:16:13, 2011-05-09
£5.36 of long-life capacitors ordered. If it works that'll be a 1024×768 monitor for the main machine. That'll make 3 screens. :D 22:39:27, 2011-05-09
Yes, that'll mean reinstalling the 2nd graphics card. Hopefully that cheap PSU can take it. 22:41:20, 2011-05-09
I liked a @YouTube video http://youtu.be/GVz6UEezu0A?a Confuzzled 2011 – Trollolol 22:43:36, 2011-05-09
Time to go shower. But I really need to play the Portal 2 co-op with someone! The Yogscast are going to ruin the ending of it for me soon! 23:02:45, 2011-05-09
@TimWakeham No idea, ask the person who made the video, I wasn't there :P in reply to TimWakeham 23:21:42, 2011-05-09
@Chandraken One for the #MondayConfession :P in reply to Chandraken 23:22:05, 2011-05-09
@sorvall_sergal Add me on Steam? "SciStarborne" in reply to sorvall_sergal 23:44:53, 2011-05-09
Damn you ebay! Nice table on that junk milling machine. Location: Scotland. :P 23:52:46, 2011-05-09

Twitter Updates for 08-05-2011

Freeing up 47Gb on the main disk by moving Steam to the storage drive. It's a SATA disk, so wonder if it'll improve gameplay? 00:25:08, 2011-05-08
@JezzKitty *cuddles* Sleep tight :) in reply to JezzKitty 01:16:11, 2011-05-08
You know you're moving a lot of files when the checksum takes 25 minutes. 01:35:20, 2011-05-08
Resizing the Windows partition seems to have gone smoothly. Windows still boots fine anyway. 02:17:23, 2011-05-08
Bed at last. 03:16:28, 2011-05-08
Also, first rule of Linux; The new install never runs as well as the Live CD. 03:16:59, 2011-05-08
Fed up trying to get Kubuntu running. No sound, dual-monitor not working right. Gone to do workshop stuff. 14:15:01, 2011-05-08
So much faffing about today. Lots of computer buggery. 18:36:39, 2011-05-08
Workshop machine "died", bluescreened & wouldn't POST. However diagnostic LEDs say it's a RAM failure. Swapping sticks around now. 18:37:28, 2011-05-08
Kubuntu on main PC also a mistake. It's full of minor pointless changes that render most support info useless. EG: "kdesudo" replaces "sudo" 18:39:52, 2011-05-08
@NixiePixel You look bemused but lovely X3 in reply to NixiePixel 18:41:20, 2011-05-08
@zenthetiger Perhaps next CF they should arrange a post-walk spa treatment? in reply to zenthetiger 18:42:14, 2011-05-08
Workshop PC has nearly 2 completed passes with Memtest now. Will leave it cycling while I make delicious food. 20:31:28, 2011-05-08
Going to make chicken in a cream sauce with brown & oyster mushrooms. Wish I had someone to share it with. 20:32:14, 2011-05-08
Or since my brother's using the hob right now, I could tide myself over with a bowl of Sugar Puffs. 20:48:22, 2011-05-08
Omnom.. that came out lovely :D Boneless chicken next time tho, and make sure I have rice in. Had to use pasta. #YummyChicken 23:00:36, 2011-05-08
@jackalesque Sod him. Post it anyway, prove him wrong, whatever. You don't change yourself to appease people you don't even like. in reply to jackalesque 23:05:43, 2011-05-08