On the Rails

So, I thought I'd have a go at being all modern, I thought I'd try playing with Ruby and Rails, I'm following a book, and it looks like it ought to be really simple - it's not quite as simple as they say though, the book says that all I need to to is install Ruby then use ruby to install Rails, but actually to get something working you need to install Ruby, install Rails, Install the sqLite ruby support and download sqlite.

• Install Ruby
• gem install rails
• gem install sqlite3-ruby
• Download sqlite3.dll and copy it into the Ruby bin directory

This worked for me, at least - then create and serve a rails project with a welcome page:

• rails projectname
• cd projectname
• start ruby script/server
• ruby script/generate controller Welcome
• edit config/routes.rb to comment out the existing map.connect lines and replace with
  
  map.root :controller => "welcome"
  
  
• rake db:migrate
• ren public cilbup to get rid of the public index.html - this could equally well become a deletion.
  

I've Been Mugged

I honestly thought this would not happen for a few years yet...

IBM UK snuffs 'final salary' pensions

Not only that, but today is Michael Jackson's funeral...

I'm not looking forward to the 8th of August, and on the 9th of September, I'm hiding under the table.

Finger Lickin' good

Another classic from Simon over at Los 3 Gato Cypriato.

I think I might just head off to some island somewhere and blog about it; looks like fun.

Read all about it

I've just finished reading a phriends (scratch that, I don't work with him any more) friends new blog, The Three States if Cypriot Cats. It's a series of musings on the ex-pat life in a small Village in Cyprus.

It's well written, witty and well observed.

Southampton 90210

If anyone asks you, I don't live in the England, right? I'm from Beverly Hills.

See, I was listening to Keane's new album, Under the Iron Sea, and thinking to myself that I cannot think of any similar music.

Then it occurred to me that maybe I hadn't listened to enough music to decide that there wasn't any similar around!

I'd read something a while ago about Pandora. This site builds you personalized 'radio stations' that play music with similar musical qualities to music you tell it you like. The problem is, it needs you to be a US resident, asking for a ZIP code and I could only think of one.

I seeded the station with 'Crystal Ball' from Keane, and then added 'Spitting Games' by Snow Patrol. The result of that and some other decisions I made is Unrational Radio.

Wankers

Big Brother is over - and, no surprise, Pete (aka Tourrettes boy) won it.

Earlier I mentioned that I'd put bets on three of the housemates to win, Pete, Imogen and Glynn. I was hoping for Glynn to win it, purely and simply because I stood to make the most money out of him winning (£21). As it was, with Pete winning, I got £6, which is a measly £1 profit.

Shame you couldn't bet each-way on Big Brother.

eBay gum

It started small, with Tamagotchi batteries; you've got to get your Tamagotchi batteries from somewhere, right?

Then it got a little bigger, an Analogue cable TV receiver; every home should have one.

But I think I could have gone a little too far with the Porsche Boxter.

I'm sure Suzy will understand.

Ingerland

I've surprised myself, once again, at how my brain works. In short, it doesn't.

I see an opportunity to watch a nice football game at the pub with a few friends, fine, great even. Because it's a special occasion, I agree with my wife that it's OK if I go out for a few beers after the game with my friends, just to catch the other matches, fine, great.

So why is it that I went utterly mental?

I can't remember much past about 6 in the evening. I have a vague recollection of a guy called 'Rico' tagging along with us from the first pub, something about ending up in another pub 'after hours' and waking up at home with my shirt on in bed - but other than that, nothing.

Never again (well, until Thursday).

Shoulders

Am I a fetishist?

I find shoulders attractive. A good pair of shoulders, to me, is probably better than a good pair of legs - so why is it that shoulders get such a bad rap?

How many times have you heard someone say 'what a great pair of blades' ? I'll wager (uh-oh, gambling is back) that the answer is never. On the other hand, how many times have you heard someone say they will 'shoulder the blame' or be a 'shoulder to cry on'.

Shoulders are not for crying on, they are for rejoicing in.

Praise the maker.

Grandson of Gamblog

Monumentally bad day!

14:40 Goodwood - Mountain High £5 @ 8/11 lost
15:30 Newmarket - Lets Roll £5 @ 10/3 lost
15:40 Haydock - Escape Clause £6 @ 1/3 lost
16:10 Haydock - Pride Of Nation £5 @ 5/4 won 11.25
16:55 Goodwood Nicada £6.25 @ 17/2 lost

I've withdrawn a bunch of money now, so this is today:-

Movement: down £16 Account: £0 Hand: £42.75

I do have several bets outstanding though...

£5.00 on Germany (sorry) to win World Cup @ 7/1

Potential: £40 (£35)

£1.00 on Schumacher to win Monaco Grand Prix @ 15/8
£1.00 on Alonso to win Monaco Grand Prix @ 13/8

Potential: £2.62 (62p) - £2.87 (87p)

£2.00 on Pete to win Big Brother @ 2/1
£2.00 on Imogen to win Big Brother @ 8/1
£1.00 on Glyn to win Big Brother @ 20/1

Potential: £6 (0) - £21 (£16)

£3.00 on Wayne Rooney to be Top English goalscorer @ 7/1
£4.00 on Steven Gerrard to be Top English goalscorer @ 11/2
£1.75 on Theo Walcott to be Top English goalscorer @ 16/1
£2.00 on David Beckham to be Top English goalscorer @ 10/1
£5.00 on Frank Lampard to be Top English goalscorer @ 9/2

Potential: £22 (£6.25) - £29.75 (£14)

Total Potential: 0 (-£27.75) - £93.62 (£65.87)

All of this came from an initial £10 stake!!!! Great fun!

Big Borether

You should know something about me, I'm very faddy. I am guessing, that if you're reading this blog you probably already realised that I get heavily into something for a while, really enjoy it, and then get bored.

Well, it didn't take long, but I think I've reached the end of my teather with Big Brother. All the interesting people are walking, or have walked, out of the house. The ones that are left are tedious and not in the least bit compelling to watch.

From what I've seen, Pete is going to win it, he's the guy suffering from tourettes.

It's made me interested in finding out more about tourettes. I saw a really interesting looking book about it at Amazon, Don't think about Monkeys which I might get, but it hasn't made me want to sit glued to the TV for the next 3 months!

Fear not dear readers, I'm back.

Son of Gamblog

Bad day today.

20:35 Lingfield Kahlua Kiss £5.00 @ 12/1 lost
15:55 Ayr Secret Liaison £5.00 @ 5/1 lost
14:50 Ayr Deutschland £5.00 @ 6/4 won £12.50
14:40 Goodwood Corridor Creeper £5.00 @ SP lost
14:10 Goodwood Night Crescendo £5.00 @ 4/1 lost

I also put a very shameful bet on something else, which takes another £5 off the account

Movement: down £12.50 Account: £32.50 Hand: £25.00

Gamblog

I have had a roller coaster ride on the horses today (which, if you think about it is an odd image - a carousel ride would be much more fitting).

I have been playing some more with Ladbroke's money. Here are the highlights of today's action:

14:55 Kempton £10 on Fajr @ 9/4 (favourite) lost
15:25 Kempton £5 on Rezzago @ 8/1 (rebound!) lost
20:15 Sedgefield £20 on Heartstopper @ 6/4 (favourite) won £50

Movement: up £15 Account: £50 Hand: £25

Birds words

There is nothing worse in this world than a man using women's words.

I don't mean words about women, no, I mean words that have clearly been designed with ladies in mind. Words like tea-cake, smooch, and yummy.

There really should be a ban on the use of these words, by men, in public places. We have a smoking ban, and, whilst I find the smell of someone else's smoke on my clothes mildly annoying, I find the sound of a bloke telling his friends about the "Yummy tea-cake" he had the other day downright offensive.

In fact, it makes me want to sob.

BB7 Bio: Shahbaz

Age
37
Sex
Male
Occupation
One-time Rent boy
Hero
Patrick McGoohan
Music
Shirley Bassey
TV
Are You Being Served?

Shahbaz loathes hypocrisy, loves not sleeping and adores his mouth. His biggest ambition in life is to knit his own Kylie Minogue to wear to parties.

BB7 Bio: Lea

Age
'35'
Sex
Only if the cameras are rolling.
Occupation
Model
Hero
The Montgolfier Brothers
Music
Gail Williams
TV / Movie
Plastic Fantastic (XXX)

Lea sees herself as a caffeine addicted, honest single mum, with a body 'to die for', although it is also a body that 'she paid for'.

BB7 Bio: Glyn

Age
18
Sex
Male
Occupation
Lifeguard
Hero
David Hasselhoff
Music
Baywatch classics
TV / Movie
Baywatch

Glyn sees it as his duty to show off his sexy body to the nation. Missing his A-Levels to do it, is a bonus. A cunning linguist, Glyn speaks both Welsh and English.

Weak, I am weak

I caved - I had given myself 2 weeks before I would start watching BB7, as it turns out, it only took me 2 days (and it was probably less than that).

I've decided that I cannot keep banging on about Big Brother over here though, so I created a blog specially for that event: bb7-uk.blogspot.com.

What I am going to do, just for fun, is create some unofficial biographies of the housemates, I'm going to add them here - just so you, my avid readers, can join in my latest obsession! Don't worry, other than that, I'll keep the two separate.

Big Brother goes Dahl-ish

Let me see if I understand how this works:

You buy a chocolate bar, find a golden ticket, and get a chance at the big prize?

I have a feeling I've seen this before somewhere. In a book maybe, or, that's right in a film - that nice Johnny Depp man gives away a factory in a competition something like this.

I foretell that the first ticket will be found, by a German. Their name will be reminiscent of a month, June, Julie or something like that - and they will like chocolate.

Are you that soldier?

Tourettes Cash Bonanza

I don't watch Big Brother, but, I think I just saw that they put a guy who claims to have Tourettes syndrome in the house. This is a master stroke from show's creators, Endemol.

They will now not have to bleep any of the Big Brother episodes. Doing so would constitute discrimination. The result? Viewing figures will go through the (already pretty high) roof.

I know it's going to happen. I know I'm going to get sucked in. I almost just gave in and watched the first episode, but I didn't watch it, just the first 2 housemates.

I give myself 2 weeks before I start watching it arse daily.