2006 — Day 45 - Time for a quick Flash

Chum Brian, who monitors a Humax PVR14 forum slightly more carefully than I do (I suspect because he better exploits some of the more advanced facilities of said PVR), pointed me in the direction of a new software update from those Korean marvels. Mirabile dictu — see the influence of Mr Mount at work? — I had the requisite bookmark in the browser on the newest PC, complete mit username and password.

The download was a doddle. So the only bit that went awry was the discovery, while recumbent around the base of said machine looking for the right plug hole, that today's modern Media PCs are all very well, but they have dispensed with "old-fashioned" RS232 serial ports. This is double plus ungood, as it means I now have a reason for keeping Windows on old reliable. (Humax only make the DIY upgrades available via PCs limping Windows, you see.) Collapse of stout party. Now where did I put one of my USB sticks to get the update on to old reliable? Not to mention the PC-Link cable that has, as it were, the right (female) sex at each end?

Up the Pole department

I don't know what these pix are all about, but at least one viewer described them as Bosch meets Magritte. That works for me. And how about these pencils? They go nicely with the temporarily clear head induced by Vicks inhaling — best not to ask.

Who's that knocking at my door?

Hello Mr Amazon! What have you brought me today, pray tell?

Safely updated department

The revised Humax bits are whirling around in the gubbins, nicely in time for this afternoon's showing, on More4, of This island Earth which, if memory serves, is the one with the giant brains in it. Given that DVDs of this film seem to be on offer at £32 and up, maybe I shall just pop it onto a round silver thing for posterity. Of course, while old reliable was up, it was time to refresh its virus protection, its security patches, and its level of Media Player (now, at "11", sporting a fancy new skin that I'd seen in prototype form when trying various Stardock Central exploits in my insane attempt to get Windows XP to look like a Macintosh). Small picture of same:

Windows Media Player

Oh dear! Now you know I'm listening to Massive Attack.15 Bonus points if you can work out why this image has non-rounded corners.

18 December 2006  

Footnotes

14  Same model Mike P and Dave H have, by the way...
15  In later listening (after the film) I heard a line in "Risingson" (from the Mezzanine album): "Automatic crystal remote control, We come to move your soul" which sounds to me very like a crazy line stuck in my head for over 30 years: "Automatic pushbutton remote control, synthetic genetics command your soul" from "Mean machine" by the Lost Poets. Call me suspicious...