2011 — 27 February: Sunday

It seems Google's Chrome browser may just have saved me from a diabolical fate1 as I was about to use IMDB to check out the new film "RED" by following a link embedded in an email...

RED alert?

It's too late, and I'm too tired, to investigate in any more detail at the moment. I've just finished watching "The Philadelphia Story" for (I suspect) about the tenth time. It still delights me, as does the polyphony of Clemens non Papa that's currently on BBC Radio 3.

G'night.

Thoroughly scanned

There was only one unpatched program — the Foxit PDF reader. Mind you, the updated version promptly (and very temporarily) added an unwanted "Ask.com" toolbar to enhance my web enjoyment. I hate it when they do that. And, for some reason, five attempts to update the virus and adware signature files failed last night but I had no further problems this morning with a newer file. And the next time I visited IMDB using the Chrome browser it was unperturbed.

The sun is shining. It's 09:03 and time for some breakfast. Then there's a crockpot to be stuffed. [Pause] Reading this "Register" piece about a nasty Trojan finally persuaded me to install the software two of my online banks keep recommending.

Some are more equal than others

I've just heard a North American guvmint soundbite (in the context of a stern warning to Libya) "those who slaughter civilians will be held personally accountable". Having mildly overdosed recently on anti-war documentaries and examinations of consistent U.S. foreign policy since the end of WW II my smile — if existent — would be rather forced. [Pause] Were we ever likely to invite the Libyan leader to the UK? I doubt it. So removing his diplomatic status seems like a very hollow gesture. Crikey, even the saintly Tony Blair has been wading into these murky waters. There's an interesting, if depressing, piece here on genocide. What a piece of work is Man!

I'm old enough to...

... remember2 when Java was red hot and cool. Not any more :-)

Deprecated

Still, it paid the bills until my retirement. I'm not inclined to grumble. (Not that I ever do, of course.)

It's 12:55 and I'm listening to an interview with Adam Ant (of all people) whose diagnosis of "bipolar" had somehow escaped me. I'm also looking at what turned out to be gathering storm clouds out there. I need the lights on in here at the moment.

Oblivious to the weather...

... I've just finished stripping down, dusting, removing four components from, and re-assembling, my A/V system. No more aerial inputs needed as I've taken digital terrestrial TV/radio out of the loop (as it were). The dishes rule. It's cloudy and twilighty at 17:40 and I'm overdue for my next cuppa.

Next thing you know, the rest of the crockpot is chilling in the fridge (it was delicious, by the way) and Guy Garvey's in full flow on BBC 6Music.

A somewhat less tangled...

... web, if I say so myself:

A/V rack

And a mere six remote controls (well, not including the one for the plasma screen).

  

Footnotes

1  Or, at least, the possibility of getting clobbered by some malware.
2  It was late in 1995 when IBM established its Java development centre at Hursley. I was one of the first 12 staff assigned to it.