OK. I declare the era of camera shake over. Seriously.Blair Witch was good and so were a number of films that used the same technique. I get that it provides realism and makes things look quick and dirty, I really do. You know what else it does? Makes me sick. And makes a whole lot of other people sick. So stop it already.

In a more serious light, I wonder at the films that seem to use this “Documentary” style of shooting. Is it possible that they need to use this technique as a crutch? Often it seems to be used as a way of distracting us from the alarming lack of plot or conscious thought.

I think it’s time we moved past this. I’d like to be able to sit in a cinema and watch a whole movie without feeling nauseous if it’s alright with you.

Finally, I have a laptop.

She’s beautiful. She’s not the fastest in the world but now that I’ve tanked Vista and popped on my very favourite Ubuntu I’m loving her. I shall name her… well actually I don’t know what to name her. Any suggestions, you 5 people that read my blog?

I must take this moment to say that Ubuntu is everything I’m looking for in an operating system. It’s fast, easy to setup (barring one teeny, tiny problem with my graphics) and runs like a dream.

Now I’m just getting her to work with my phone and we’ll be completely sorted. Nifty no?

For those that are interested, these are the new toy’s specifications:

Processor type	AMD Sempron™ Processor for Notebook PCs SI-42 • 2.10 GHz, Level 2 cache 512 KB
Operating system installed	Genuine Windows Vista® Home Basic with Service Pack 1 (32-bit)
Standard memory	1024 MB
Memory layout	(1 x 1024 MB)
Maximum memory	Supports up to 4 GB DDR2 memory

Internal drives
Internal drives	160 GB
Storage controller	SATA Hard Disk Drive
Hard disk drive speed	5400 rpm
Optical drive type	Lightscribe Super Multi DVD Writer (+/-R +/-RW) with Double Layer support
Lightscribe	Create silkscreen-quality disc labels direct from your PC with LightScribe: Just burn, flip, burn.
Optical drive controller	SATA optical Drive

System features
Memory card device	5-in-1 integrated Digital Media Reader for Secure Digital cards, MultiMedia cards, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, or xD Picture cards
Modem	High speed 56K modem
Network interface	Ethernet 10/100BT integrated network interface
Wireless technologies	802.11b/g WLAN
External I/O ports	3 USB 2.0, 1 HDMI connector, 1 VGA port, 1 RJ45 ethernet connector, 1 RJ11 modem connector, 1 headphone-out, 1 mic-in
Display size	15.6″ Diagonal High Definition HP Brightview Display
Display resolution	1366 x 768
Graphic subsystem name	NVIDIA GeForce 8200M
Video RAM	Up to 319 MB Total Available Graphics Memory
Webcam	Webcam with integrated microphone
Internal audio	3D Sound Blaster Pro compatible sound 16 bit integrated
Speakers and microphone	Altec Lansing® speakers
Keyboard	101 key compatible keyboard
Power supply type	65 W AC Power Adapter
Pointing device	Touch Pad with On/Off button and dedicated vertical Scroll Up/Down pad, volume control, mute button
Battery type	6-cell Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) battery

Lost for something to spew onto these virtual pages, a friend suggested I blog about “being a young married man”. Since this didn’t strike me as a completely silly thing to do, here it is.

I consider myself one of a dying breed – as a young person (read less than 30), I’ve never shied away from commitment. While many of my peers were sowing their oats and trying like buggery to avoid the matrimonial noose, I ran headlong into it. The fear of being chained down like a tethered animal has never gripped me and although I married young, I feel I married well.

And I’m pretty glad that I did really. I can’t recall a single thing I’ve done that’s had as much impact on my life as getting hitched. Perhaps it’s the lady I’ve got but I haven’t regretted a single day since.

I may be married but dammit, that doesn’t mean I can’t still have fun.

Marriage doesn’t lock you down and force you to behave like someone you’re not – if anything it gives you a lifelong buddy you can take with you wherever you go. Someone to start a family with, someone who understands you and sympathizes even if you’re talking complete twaddle.

So if you’re one of the young oats sowers, enjoy your day in the sun. I’ll sit here and enjoy my day in the arms of my wife and look forward to the next 80 odd years of my life.

Tags: marriage, girls, young

Check out Gizmodo’s article on a prison in Brazil – da Silva’s cell was raided and found to contain:

• A plasma TV
• A fridge
• Gym Equipment
• Two Pistols
• $173 000 in cash

I suspect my house will never contain even close to that. Further… how the hell did people not notice?
Posh Prison: If This is What Prison in Brazil is Like, Arrest Me Now

Tags: prison, brazil

Goodbye hard drives, hello SSD: Sci-Tech: News: News24

It seems like Samsung has developed a pretty reliable Solid State Drive for use in Laptops and so forth. It’s possible this is a nice big step towards getting rid of those stupid platters and arms.

Wouldn’t it be great to never again hear that fateful *tik*tik*tik*tik* sound coming from your beloved PC?

As with everything else though, this is a moderate approach new technology. Samsung are hoping that as many as 35% of notebooks will be using the new tech by 2012.

Quite a few years left for us then and I’m sure an even longer wait for this to be widely accepted.

Tags: samsung, tech, drives, SSD