Mixed Ramblings

This weekend started off very busy. I've been removing the grass surrounding the gum trees all week and did some more on the weekend. I also sprayed the remaining grass with weed killer. Mowing was a large part of Saturday, mowing a path to the gum trees by the side of the fence and mowing the grass around the house with the flymo. I still have 1 tree to chop up that came down in some high winds we had and a branch from an apple tree than came down a while ago.
Whilst relaxing in the bath after a long day outside, tending to the garden I had a few thoughts. What to so with the surplus vegetables that I'll get this year. I usually freeze the tomatoes. That, I shall do again, but I might try for a few more tomatoes this year and see what tomato beer/wine/cider tastes like. I'm not sure what you'd call it really. The garlic I might break up into cloves and submerge in oil to preserve them which means getting some oil and some jars. Maybe some of those flip top thingys. About a month ago, my yearly garlic supply dried up so I have to wait for a month and a half before my next years crop. Thankfully I have some spare garlic given to me. I then had a rather interesting thought and searching for it on the web found nothing. Alcoholic Cola. Cola has water, sugar and flavour. All I need add is yeast, surely? An interesting project which I'll have a go at when the really cheap cola is on sale. It'll cost about NZ$16 for the cola, NZ$5 for the yeast and I get all the bottles ready to bottle it too. Worth a try I reckon.

Why reinvent the wheel?

In my time at programming I created or used any number of routines over and over again that did a specific job, from just a small function like adding a number of days to a date to writing out an error report or selecting data from an SQL database. Now I'm a business analyst and there are many process modelling applications out there that follow a set standard (BPMN for example). I know there's more than one way to skin a cat, programming has taught me that, so what I'd like to know is why can't I find a library of process model routines that I can import into the BPMN application of choice and build up a simple library of my own to create processes faster?
So many different systems perhaps? Yeah right, like there's no HR or no Help Desk. OK, I'm working in the education sector, but receiving an application for study has similarities to receiving an application for insurance. I shall continue my quest for processes I can scavenge but it seems odd that there's nothing out there.

Wind

On Wednesday I got up at 04:00 to catch an early flight to Auckland for business. Networked, watched presentations and got some useful info to take back to work. My flight home was expected to be off at 18:30 but as I was at the airport earlier I managed to get onto an hour earlier flight... thankfully. I got back to my car and drove to Hell to get dinner and then drove home. as I was driving home the wind picked up a bit. Enough to push my car around more than normal. It was about the time I would have been coming into land at Christchurch Airport if I had not caught that earlier flight. The next day, after work Bees took me over to show me a tree. It had blown down in the wind. I'm glad I wasn't on my scheduled flight coming home. Scary. Still, on the bright side, more firewood.

Labour Day Weekend

Over Labour Day weekend we all took a trip up Marlborough way to Havelock where Jim, Gaby, Angel and Sapphire now live. On Friday afternoon at 14:00, we drove off north along SH1 towards Picton. We stopped for a couple of comfort stops and once for fish n chips at Kaikoura before arriving about 20:00 at Havelock, knackered and in need of a drink. Saturday and we were going to go to Picton but decided to go to the market at Nelson. Nelson is full of rich people or hippies (exaggeration here). We had a wander. Bees got a white hat. Jamie got a truck made out of coke cans. On the way back we stopped off at Pelorous Bridge for an ice cream and a wander around the river. That evening Gaby and Jim invited Rebecca and Chris, their neighbours around for a few drinks. It ended up many, many drinks.
The next day, Sunday, with some, a little worse for wear, we went off to Linkwater for the Linkwater School Fair where the kids went on the bouncy castle, bouncy titanic and had their faces painted. There was a band playing (teenagers) who seemed very good, especially the drummer. I watched him and after about 10 seconds I decided he was alot better than I, but then I haven't played for 15 years. Later that afternoon we went for a walk in Havelock and the kids played on the museum train. Monday afternoon we came home, all knackered. It was a great trip and apart from the driving, it was a relaxing break. I took a few photos.

Ellesmere A&P Show

It's that time again. The time when we take a trip into Leeston to the Ellesmere A&P Show. I took Jamie and Bees into Leeston and met Suntiha there and we went to the showgrounds. We had a wander and whilst the others went on the rides, I too photos of the event. We had lunch and had a look around. It was the same as it's always been but considering that nothing much happens around here, it's a nice change from the norm, even if it is the same change as always.
One of Jamie's pictures was on display in the "school" shed which Audrey seemed very proud of as she did with all her horse riding that day. Very happy at the end when the Grand Parade wandered past. Bees also took part in the parade thanks to Chole and I also saw Jan with her winner. There were also other interesting sights.

Jamie's 6th Birthday

Jamie was 6 yesterday. He woke up nice and early do I was able to watch him open up his first present, Dennis from Thomas the Tank Engine, and a card.
I left work earlier so I could catch the end of his party. He only invited 4 girls along and they were all waiting for me to arrive so we could cut the cake.
Jamie also got some walkie-talkies, Lego, cards and money
I believe they all had a great time.

Albums

So why, in this day and age of the internet and rapidly changing music industry, iTunes and other sites for downloading tracks, do artists still produce albums? When I say albums, I mean a group of tracks collated together as opposed to a CD or an LP.
I know the answer already for many and that's because they schedule a studio, producers and other key staff to help create the songs, so it's best to get a group of songs together to get the most effective use of staff and studio time.
It's a wonder though why groups don't perhaps create demo's and spit them out one by one until they decide to create an album from the demos.
Maybe a new way of creating more sales? Perhaps. Perhaps not.

Playing YouTube after downloading

Want to save a YouTube video onto your PC? Hate installing things on your PC for that one off time that it'll be used and when you decide to use it for a second time you find it's a trial version and you can't use it again?
Then, when you go to play a video you've downloaded, you find your player doesn't support the YouTube format.
This is one way you can sort this out.
1. Go to LiberKey and download it and install it onto a USB stick. That's what it's for.
2. Make sure you have VLC Player in the download. There are others but this is a good one to pick.
2a. If you don't, go to the applications page and at the bottom, click the little box next to the one you want. That will download and install it direct to your USB stick for you - assuming you have your USB stick plugged in and running that is.
Note: VLC Player, if you're not familiar, is Open Source so there.
3. Go to YouTube and find the video you want.
4. Copy the URL (eg. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gnFbwRmkc4)
5. Go to Save Video Download, paste in the URL and select the "Get Links" button.
6. Underneath the box where you pasted the URL, a link or two will appear. One that's in .FLV format and maybe one that's in .MP4 format.
7. Select the .MP4 format because you're more than likely to have a player that plays it. You're Done.
8. If there is no .MP4 format, select the .FLV format link and download it.
9. Once downloaded, and you have LiberKey running from your USB stick, Open VLC Player and drag the .FLV file into VLC Player. You're Done.
Note: If you want, VLC Player will also convert the .FLV video file into .MP4 or other formats.

Nothing installed on your PC. No annoying trials, no advertware. Enjoy. LiberKey also has many other useful tools to play with which you can take around with you wherever you go.

UPDATE: Or you could just go here, paste your URL and click the mp4 hyperlink.

Hanzel Und Gretyl

Grrrr. I've just found out that Hanzel Und Gretyl are coming to New Zealand. Playing Auckland only on 13th November. How annoying. I would have loved to have seen them but I can't keep flying up to Auckland to see groups every month. It's start to cost a bit too much. Ah well. I guess I'll have to pass this time.
I think I need to move to Melbourne.

Blog Updates

You may have noticed a few slight changes to my blog. I've highlighted most of them in the picture.
1. Added a skype notification and contact link.
2. Added a 'share' button.
3. Started adding labels to my posts
4. Added a labels 'cloud'

Something not in the picture is the top navigation bar that usually sits on a Blogger page. It's gone. I was searching for Blogger plugins and came across this site which had some interesting articles and plugins for Blogger one of them being how to remove the navigation bar.