Saturday, 09:03 pm, 14 February 2004

I've been adding smatterings of randomised Javascript to the Noble Ape site to allow for some element of randomisation for the folks who regularly come by it. I am going to being to add the same here. The image now cycles on the front of the site. So regular checks should produce a random image.

Somewhere along the line, I am thinking of adapting more random content to make the Barbalet's Log experience unique (ish) each visit.

Good night.
Saturday, 12:00 pm, 14 February 2004

Something for Valentine's Day

Since I stopped drinking in September of last year, my wife has been trying to get me to start again. As have my coworkers. To this end, my wife has started leaving beer around the house, just in case I feel the urge to start drinking again.

Good afternoon.
Saturday, 08:47 am, 14 February 2004

I have been looking to buy a laptop for the past couple of months. Through work I have a 20% discount on Apple hardware, but I thought with the Noble Ape connection with Apple, I might be able to do a little better. Emailed the folks at Apple. No response. So I thought to myself, what am I actually looking for in a laptop. Basically something slightly faster than my 133Mhz desktop machine and not a lot of money.

So I scoured eBay and found a Powerbook 1400c 166 Mhz for UKP139 including postage. I had a Powerbook 1400c 133 in Australia and the US. It was a perfect size and ideal power for my work then and probably most of my work now.

With the above, there is a similar continuing narrative to my feelings about Sourceforge. Communicating with Apple, you always feel the poorer cousin. The DVDs of the CHUD tools demonstration took about five months to arrive with regular email from me requesting status information. I think corporate America just misses the boat on Open Source. I believe Apple actually charges money for their developer kitchens which use the Noble Ape Simulation heavily. I don't want to be a hypocrite with my comments about Sourceforge vs the reality with Apple.

Good morning.
Friday, 06:47 pm, 13 February 2004

So Long SourceForge

Perhaps the forced donation system wasn't doing enough pyramid selling.

Dear SourceForge.net user,

Are you a power user on SourceForge.net? Do you visit the site more than once per week? This month we are introducing a set of premium features that will make your development life easier. These new features are the first of their kind to be incorporated into the site. I think you'll enjoy them.

Why are we doing this? First, we want to add powerful features for those of you who use the site on a regular basis. These features are based on feedback we've received from you during the past 12 months. Secondly, these premium features are a way for us to cover the cost of running the site. SF.net is very expensive to operate; your financial support helps us add new features, more bandwidth, mirrors and new servers. As a thank you, we have partnered with our sister site, ThinkGeek, to offer you a free ThinkGeek T-shirt when you sign-up for an annual subscription (read below).

Take a look at this page for more information: http://sourceforge.net/subscription.php

Power User Premium Services:
----------------------------
* Advanced search tools to find projects on SourceForge.net. Includes ability to search on category, description and name. Also includes boolean searching and stem word matching.

* Advanced search within projects. Boolean searching. Search all aspects of project at once. (pervasive search across Trackers (Support Requests, etc.) and discussion forums).

* Priority Technical Support for SF.net site usage. Your Support Requests to the SF.net staff team will be moved to the start of the queue for processing.

* Project monitoring. Have a complete view of ANYTHING that happens to a project. If it is a support ticket, Feature Request, or forum entry, you'll know about it. We'll email you on every change made within the project you are monitoring. This generates additional email, but it is a great way to stay on the front lines of the development process.

* Direct Downloads Download any file released on SourceForge.net in a hurry. No need to use the website; download files directly from the command line. If you need to add software to a remote server, this is the easiest way to do it.

* Subscriber icon next to your name. This icon shows the community that you are supporting SourceForge.net and the Open Source community.
----------------------------

These services are available either for $6.95 per month, or $39.00 annually. For a limited time only, if you order an annual premium subscription, you will receive a free ThinkGeek T-Shirt. You have more than 30 to choose from. No Open Source Developer should be caught without one. You can see the full list of available shirts here: http://www.thinkgeek.com/tshirts/

Please subscribe today and support SourceForge.net. http://sourceforge.net/subscription.php

BTW: Thank you to all developers who have supported the site: http://sourceforge.net/supporters.php

If you have any feedback on SourceForge.net, please feel free to contact me directly at pat@sf.net

Thank you.

Patrick McGovern Director, SourceForge.net Pat@sf.net

I suspect I won't read any press pieces on this. I forwarded it to half a dozen folk. The general consensus was SourceForge has broken it's last tenant. Soon it will be forced subscription. What happened to the advertising? How about being a public listed company? It took me five minutes to get all my services off SourceForge.

The main concern I have about this is that the blind folk who develop Open Source, the 85% GPL constitute will put in their money. Free as in free!

Good night.
Wednesday, 08:24 pm, 11 February 2004

Tapes from Australia - Part 12

Another parcel of tapes from Australia arrived today. In fact, as I type I am listening to Cypress Hill's first album purchased on tape in 1996 in Adelaide from memory. I was late to Cypress Hill. I think I was mild suspicious of any band that seemed to have a single message. But DJ Muggs is very very good and can't be slept on.

In the tape parcel was also an interview I did in December 1996 about Noble Ape. Everything in the interview came true. I had totally forgotten about the existence of the interview and yet there I am being interviewed at half to midnight sometime in December 1996.

Also in the tapes selection was Public Enemy's Apocalypse 91' - the Enemy Strikes Black. It is an interesting album. A transition between the brilliant Fear of a Black Planet and their later mediocre efforts. I like Living in a Zoo though. That was a good track amongst later poor quality muzik. Also one of my favourite albums ever, Ice Cube's Kill At Will. A little known fact, the Beatles' Lucy In The Sky... mixes perfectly into Ice Cube's Jackin' For Beats.

Lost Angeles - It's a Brand

In 1990, I lived in LA briefly. My interest in LA has never dropped. Some of my early dating with my wife was in LA. It is a place full of good memories - driving through Compton displaying my gang sign (the Smoking Slug) with my future wife screaming at me. Okay, so it probably wasn't a wise idea. But you have to represent. If you want to be in my gang. here's two views on the sign.

Shocking how fast I have become pasty British. 22nd this month is my third year in the UK. I don't know how I am going to celebrate. Breast implants? My email says I need them.

Good night.

[ Previous Log ]

Barbalet's Log

[ Log Archive ]