All about the cow farts

Cows fart a lot and if you’ve ever been near a cow when it’s let rip you’ll know it isn’t a pleasant experience or a particularly nice thing to … smell.

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Back door adverts

I logged into Facebook for the first time in about three weeks this morning and was confronted by a message telling me one of my friends has signed up as a fan of Marmite.

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Learn an instrument

This photo is Creative Commons and by Sean Dreilinger

I can play guitar and drums - and that isn’t just a chance for me to boast on the internet but if I did want to boast I can also sing (a bit). I learnt both these instruments off my own back with support from my parents.

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The mundanity of routine

A new baby brings with it a new routine - or at least it does if your lucky enough to have one that enjoys sleep.

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Going live with Yahoo!

The web, as with most things in life is all about trends and the latest seems to be to have everything you do shown live over webTV ALL the time. It’s the Truman Show effect but done on the cheap and in real life.

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Kailen-James Morrison

Well the baby I seem to have been never endingly (please excuse my use of non-words but I’m bloody tired) talking about lately has finally arrived.

Kailen-James Morrison was born on 18 January 2008 at 07:05 AM and weighed 8lb 15oz.

Mummy and Baby are both doing fine and are both back home with sister Oceana-Skye, brother Jaden-Taylor and Daddy.

This is so much cheaper than an advert in the paper and will actually reach the people I know and might have a passing interest.

(that last line means I can keep the post within the feel of the blogs output).

See more photos on Flickr >

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The cycle of media desire

On Monday Ryan read a book and the book was good
On Tuesday Ryan listened to a podcast and the podcast was good
On Wendesday Ryan watch TV and the programme was good
On Thursday Ryan turned on the Radio and the show was good
On Friday Ryan watched a DVD and the DVD was good
On Saturday Ryan listened to music and the music was good

On Sunday Ryan was shouted at by his wife for paying her no attention all Christmas and it wasn’t so good

Tastes change and mine are no different to anyone elses, one day I’m really into reading while listening to music and the next day I’ll be catching up on the hours of programmes I’ve had sitting in Sky+ for the best part of a month.

Normally my main past time is listening to podcasts and audiobooks - my iPod is great because it means I can hang it around my neck and listen to its bountiful contents anywhere I like - on the toilet, walking to work, washing the dishes or reading a book - I particularly like listening to something overly atomospheric and prenting I’m in a movie with my own soundtrack.

Unfortunately I’ve been iPod free for the past week or two as I managed to overload the power or something - basically it smelt a bit burney and then stopped responding - nothing worked.

Fortunately I got a new iPod for Christmas from my parents who brought it over with them when they visited us this weekend (thanks mum and dad - it’s a great present).

So I’ve been busy filling my iPod with music, videos and podcasts to listen to while walking around - or at least you’d think I would be but first I had to work out why the bloody thing kept asking me to “Insert the Mobile Resource Disk” every time I tried to plug the bloody thing in.

I eventually worked out the problem and for anyone using Windows and having the same problem when trying to install the iPod Nano (third gen) on a Windows XP machine:

Uninstall iTunes AND the Apple Mobile Device Support - in fact the mobile support is the most important one to uninstall - I tried uninstalling iTunes without that and the problem still happened when I re-installed iTunes again.

Now it all works I’ve managed to get a few bits on it and am on the lookout for a decent AVI to iPod video convertor that won’t cost a huge amount of money and won’t fill my system with shit-ware.

This post was supposed to be a look at the cycle of media desire - the idea that what we want changed depending on mood, situation and weather but then the Smiths came on my iPod and I desided it was all too much bollocks to bother writing about.

Happy New Year

(Oh and this blog was down because I lost my password and I’m with Fasthosts).

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Is broadband essential?

I was reading the Jersey Evening Post the other day and there was a letter to the editor about the new goods and services tax, I’m not going to talk about GST but instead about a question underneath the image put next to the letter.

The image was a picture of a girl at a computer with a caption saying “Is broadband essential?” I thought about this for a minute, wondered if I could live without broadband, stored it in the back of my head and moved on.

For the rest of this post read broadband as internet - broadband is cheaper than dial-up, 85% of all British web users are on broadband connections and so dial-up is something I’d never consider, not even on the radar as a viable option.

Anyway, I forgot about it until this morning when I read a comment on my, feb up with blogging, self flagulation of a rant by the ever fabulous glasses friendly Raindog.

Thought you’d been quiet of late. I have the same problem. I just blog when I find an interesting designer or agency site now. It’s always better to be doing something irl anyway. That said, I’ve been without internet for a week and I feel like I’ve lost a limb.

Now I’m not saying going without the internet is worse than losing a leg - that would be rediculous BUT I don’t think I’d be able to survive without the net. And when I say survive I mean live a normal 21st Century life - not that I’d actually die if I couldn’t check my e-mail.

But stupid descriptions aside, now that you’re feeling like a scolded 8 year old - I can get to the point of the post.

My bank account is all online, my wifes bank account is online, I communicate with my family online and I use the internet to make contacts with people, research stories and stay in touch with friends around the world.

It’s also how I catch up on TV shows I’ve missed, listen to the radio (in podcast form) and loads of other bits and pieces.

So, when working out my monthly income and expenses Broadband is put in the essential column, it is as important a part of 21st Century, developed world life as food, gas and electricity. It should also be available to those in developing countries as well.

If I had to drop things because my expenses where higher than my income Broadband wouldn’t be on the list.

First thing to go, despite screams from my children would be Sky. Next I’d drop my blog and pay for subscriptions and DVDs. We’d then look at cutting back on food or buying cheaper stuff instead of organic and big brands - then finally, as a last resort, if it was that or heating I’d drop the broadband.

Fortunately I’m not in that position but broadband is a vital part of life in this millenium - it’s the future of television, radio and communication and should be available to every home in the world.

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Gorilla Gorilla Gorilla

One of my favourite ways of spending an afternoon is to head to Jersey Zoo sorry Durell in Trinity, Jersey to wander around the park and look at the animals - the majority of which are from heavily endangered species.

My favourite, by a very long way, is the West Lowland Gorillas (Gorilla Gorilla Gorilla) I could stand there for hours watching them get on with their every day lives.

We went to the zoo on Monday with the kids and my little one (well he’s four and just started nursery - but he’s a bit sensitive) got a bit scared of the Gorillas - he thought they would get him.

Anyway - on hearing Jaden scream in fear they all gracefully moved to the side where we were standing to see what all the fuss was about - they just stood there watching him.

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

These magnificent animals are on the brink of extinction because of everything from hunting for meat to the ebola virus.

The 2007 Red List of Threatened Species, published by the World Conservation Union listed the Western Lowland Gorilla as ‘Critically Endangered’ due to the Ebola Virus Infection.

This was an increase in their threat level from endangered the previous year.

More than 60% of Western Lowland Gorillas in Africa have been wiped out by the Ebola virus.

Together with loss of habitat to farmland, the illegal capture of gorillas for bush meat, the pet trade, hunting trophies and souvenirs and now the Ebola Virus, all species of Gorilla are now threatened with Extinction.

In one small area of Cameroon alone, an estimated 800 gorillas are taken each year, and for the rest of their range, this figure would be many thousands.

If the situation in the wild doesn’t improve, it’s more than possible that the only future for the Western Lowland Gorilla will be as captives in zoos and conservation centres.

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