tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63565332011-08-03T21:13:12.767+01:00A place where the Wombat can freely rant across the metaphorical plainsThe Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comBlogger2451100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-49588253270252606672010-06-15T11:40:00.001+01:002010-06-15T11:42:35.108+01:00

I've been working recently on a new project with my website (Jon Coe's website). At the moment it's hosted (very generously) in a dusty corner of a friend's webspace, but I'd really like to rent my own unmanaged server (partly because I enjoy getting my hands dirty with that kind of thing, but mainly because it would give me more control over the set up). It looks as though the cost would be

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-13144695150614179572009-09-01T20:20:00.003+01:002009-09-01T20:57:13.701+01:00

Blimey! Has it really been two years?! Well, yes, obviously it has.I'm not convinced that I'm all that likely to resume regular posting, but you never know. So what's happened since May 2007?First up, Felix has grown... a lot. He's still a titch in terms of physical stature, but intellectually he's a giant. I suppose I would say that, wouldn't I? Could Bertrand Russell, at only two years old,

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-90709409339705062612007-05-24T07:32:00.000+01:002007-05-28T08:08:18.484+01:00

Exciting! Just found out that the first of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy will be released as a film in December. The UK title of the book was Northern Lights, but it seems that the film will be coming out under the US title, The Golden Compass.The actress playing Lyra looks about right, and they've got Nicole Kidman playing Mrs Coulter, which is spot on (apart from the hair colour).

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-74966453451895169452007-05-05T09:01:00.000+01:002007-05-05T09:03:15.853+01:00

I've posted pics of Felix's first couple of weeks.

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-39677829364148752292007-04-16T09:37:00.000+01:002008-12-09T19:23:51.077Z

There's something I've been neglecting to mention for the last 9 months...L and I are pleased to announce the birth of our little boy, Felix.I was so in awe of L at his birth. Despite not having slept for 36 hours, she did it all with only 1 codeine, 2 paracetamol, and the better part of a cylinder of gas and air. We managed to get the pool at the Midwife Led Birthing Unit, so he was born

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-14397130743839281302007-03-11T10:17:00.000Z2008-12-09T19:23:51.427Z

Took the patio table and chairs out of the garage yesterday. As I was setting them up L noticed an unusual looking spider making a web on one of the chairs. Its head + abdomen length was about 7mm, and it was shiny and dark with brown splodges and a creamy band at the front of the abdomen. My first thought was that it was a Black Widow(!), so we carefully put it in a glass, and looked it up on

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-40656419210358104322007-02-16T08:08:00.000Z2007-02-16T08:23:05.864Z

Nadia and Kev got me book tokens for Christmas. I spent most of them on educational household material (some of you may be able to guess what kind of material, and others will just have to guess—stop chortling at the back, Miller). That left me with about eight quid to spend on a work of fiction for my own personal pleasure.I went straight to S and picked up a Will Self collection of short

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1169891747371052642007-01-27T09:45:00.000Z2007-02-16T08:24:03.345Z

Umm. I haven't been saying much recently, have I?! Well one exciting thing recently (over a fortnight ago, actually, but that's up-to-the-minute reportage by my standards) is that I've passed my driving test.I've been out on my own a few times, but I'm going to need a lot more practice before I feel at all competent. I still can't quite believe that I'm allowed to drive without L-plates or

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1165913135338794122006-12-12T08:29:00.000Z2006-12-12T08:45:35.373Z

L asked me this morning when the shortest day is, which made me remember some research I did in September 2004 into sunrise and sunset times.If you go to the US Naval Observatory's Astronomical Applications site, choose 'Data Services' > 'Table [...] for an entire year', and put in your location's coordinates (Cambridge is 52d 20m N, 0d 5m E), you'll get a table of sunrise/sunset times for the

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1164875739480395382006-11-30T08:07:00.000Z2006-11-30T08:35:39.506Z

A fortnight ago I was dismayed to find that my website was broken. The site was accessible, but it was displaying MySQL error messages. When I went to Hostroute support (Hostroute is the company that provides my webspace) I discovered this entry in their staff blog. Due to quite unbelievable levels of ineptness their contractors had done a system rebuild on the server without checking that they'd

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1161789972154180682006-10-25T16:26:00.000+01:002006-10-25T16:26:13.213+01:00

Amazon river 'switched direction' The Amazon once flowed east to west (a very long time ago). (tags: amazon rivers brazil south_america)

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1161530674178464812006-10-22T16:24:00.000+01:002006-10-22T16:24:34.336+01:00

The life of Mohammed A well-presented account of the life of the prophet Mohammed on this Islamic site. (tags: islam mohammed quran)

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1160466388715191552006-10-10T08:38:00.000+01:002006-10-11T19:19:15.360+01:00

We went to see An Inconvenient Truth on Saturday. The film centres on a lecture on climate change given by Al Gore, which doesn't sound like gripping subject matter, but really it was. I haven't been to many films where the audience has applauded at the end.I'd always thought of myself as reasonably ecologically responsible, but perhaps just a tad lazy. The film made me realise just how

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1159975502274920212006-10-04T16:25:00.000+01:002006-10-04T16:25:02.730+01:00

Darren Naish: Tetrapod Zoology Excellent cryptozoology blog. (tags: forteana cryptozoology darren_naish)

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1158333820998220262006-09-15T16:23:00.000+01:002006-09-15T16:23:41.183+01:00

FreeICT A website set up by Anna Fairhurst, providing links to useful free ICT resources for schools. (tags: freeict education schools ict)

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1157815398397410572006-09-09T16:23:00.000+01:002006-09-09T16:23:18.483+01:00

Saddam 'had no link to al-Qaeda' A 2005 CIA report released by the Senate's Intelligence Committee on Friday showed that there was no evidence of formal links between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda leaders prior to the 2003 war. No shit. (tags: errorism saddam_hussein al_quaeda iraq usa)

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1157642585656371152006-09-07T16:23:00.000+01:002006-09-07T16:23:06.036+01:00

'Goat-free roads made me speed' A Swiss man caught speeding on a Canadian highway has blamed his actions on the absence of goats on the roads. (tags: comedy driving speeding canada switzerland goats) Blair set to outline quit plans Twat. (tags: politics labour tony_blair)

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1157210570733900262006-09-02T16:22:00.000+01:002006-09-02T16:22:50.823+01:00

Baby boom for near-extinct rhino Scientists in Indonesia have found evidence of four new rhino calves on the island of Java. Javan rhinos are one of the rarest mammals in the world. (tags: animals conservation rhinos indonesia java) Belgian town bans school French The Flemish town of Merchtem, near Brussels, has banned the use of French in its schools. (tags: belgium languages

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1155655333652964112006-08-15T16:22:00.000+01:002006-08-15T16:22:13.716+01:00

Experts meet to decide Pluto fate Astronomers are gathering in the Czech capital, Prague, hoping to define exactly what counts as a planet. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) hopes to settle the question of Pluto, which was first spotted in 1930. (tags: astronomy planets pluto)

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1155050543200985242006-08-08T16:22:00.000+01:002006-08-08T16:22:36.126+01:00

Babies 'spot mathematical errors' Babies appear to be puzzled by puppet weirdness. (tags: babies child_development intelligence) Evolution reversed in mice US researchers have reconstructed a mouse gene from 500 million years ago. (tags: genetics evolution mice)

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1154445720132890072006-08-01T16:22:00.000+01:002006-08-01T16:22:00.330+01:00

Brazil to take penguins back home Penguins stranded on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro will hitch a ride back home to Antarctica with Brazil's air force and navy. (tags: penguins brazil south_america antarctica)

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1153408913630708962006-07-20T16:21:00.000+01:002006-07-20T16:21:53.733+01:00

Britain 'had apartheid society' Recent research, exploring the idea that the Anglo-Saxon invaders of the Dark Age achieved genetic as well as cultural dominance by the imposition of an apartheid system. (tags: asnac dark_age anglo-saxon england apartheid genetics)

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1151940062411609902006-07-03T16:21:00.000+01:002006-07-03T16:21:03.200+01:00

The New Bilenky ViewPoint Tandem This tandem design is so cool. At over three grand, it might be hard persuading L, though... (tags: cycling tandems bilenky viewpoint) Bikecentennial Airbag Helmet I wonder why this helmet design never caught on? (tags: cycling helmets comedy)

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1151335367479482882006-06-26T16:22:00.000+01:002006-06-26T16:22:47.573+01:00

Hitler cats! A blog dedicated to cats that look like Hitler... (tags: cats hitler comedy)

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1150640801635642312006-06-18T15:10:00.000+01:002006-06-18T15:26:41.656+01:00

Can't really remember what else I was planning to blog about, so, umm...For a couple of reasons, I've been thinking a lot recently about the impact of rising sea-levels. It occurred to me that it would be cool to have a UK map with contour information such that it would be possible to see how the coastline would change with different sea-levels. Alex Tingle has produced a map similar to the kind

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1150539722867775962006-06-17T10:53:00.000+01:002006-06-17T11:22:02.880+01:00

Note: don't read this post while eating!It's been an odd few weeks. Our cat Pixie became very ill a fortnight ago, with diarrhoea and vomitting, which became more or less continuous seepage. We took her into the vet's, where she stayed, kept in isolation for eight days, while they tried to work out what was wrong with her. We got her home, considerably thinner, on Wednesday, after her condition

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1148484025922187662006-05-24T16:20:00.000+01:002006-05-24T16:20:28.753+01:00

Y Brawd Mawr: Dim negeseuon Cymraeg Mae negeseuon Cymraeg sy'n trafod rhaglen Big Brother wedi cael eu tynnu o'r safle gwe swyddogol. O'n i ddim wedi clywed, ond hefyd fe gafodd Glyn gerydd oddi wrth Y Brawd Mawr yn gynharach am siarad yn ei famiaith (maen nhw wedi ailfeddwl yn hwyrach). (tags: big_brother cymraeg) Welsh chat banned from BB website All Welsh language

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1148397638631313612006-05-23T16:20:00.000+01:002006-05-23T16:20:38.716+01:00

London's heart of stone Plans to take better care of the mysterious and ancient 'London Stone'. Don't remember ever hearing of this intriguing artefact before, but it's an interesting story. (tags: forteana uk england london stones)

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1148138439654106152006-05-20T16:20:00.000+01:002006-05-20T16:20:40.066+01:00

Windows Vista: Get Ready Micro$oft's 'get really excited about the next version of Windows' site (tags: operating_systems windows microsoft vista longhorn)

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1147792845846017442006-05-16T16:20:00.000+01:002006-05-16T16:20:46.063+01:00

News 24's 'wrong Guy' is revealed BBC News 24 have accidentally interviewed a job applicant live... Nightmare. They ought to give him a job, if only to make up for the stress! (tags: bbc jobs interviews comedy)

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1147461864715332102006-05-12T20:18:00.000+01:002006-05-12T20:24:24.733+01:00

Just uploaded eighteen new wedding photos (courtesy of Jessica), and replaced some of the ones taken by my mum with better versions.Another OU assessment due on Thursday. This particular module (M263) is lethally boring... I've been doing well on the assessments, but I'm not looking forward to the exam next month. I had thought my exam-sitting days were long over!

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1147447193312929732006-05-12T16:19:00.000+01:002006-05-12T16:19:53.390+01:00

Yellow dust cloud hits east coast Britain is under attack from a cloud of Scandinavian pollen. Bloody foreigners. Why can't they keep their pollen to themselves? (tags: forteana birch pollen england scandinavia)

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1145804908649809312006-04-23T16:05:00.000+01:002006-04-23T16:08:28.660+01:00

Wedding photos now up! I'll be updating these, and posting more as new ones arrive.

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1145546375447960432006-04-20T16:19:00.000+01:002006-04-20T16:19:35.673+01:00

Wildlife defies Chernobyl radiation The Chernobyl exclusion zone has become a haven for wildlife. (tags: ukraine belarus chernobyl animals conservation nuclear radiation) Secret rivers found in Antarctic Antarctica's buried lakes are connected by a network of rivers moving water far beneath the surface, say UK scientists. This raises problems for those hoping to drill into the

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1144742784296709512006-04-11T08:19:00.000+01:002006-04-11T09:06:24.350+01:00

Well, that all went rather well!I only had time to feel really nervous while I was just hanging around before the ceremony. After meeting the registrars, I was on a conveyor belt for the rest of the day. Everything was so well organised, and family, friends, and hotel staff so helpful, that I didn't have anything to worry about. We (my lovely wife and I!) had a wonderful time, and we hope all our

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1143652287865025862006-03-29T17:57:00.000+01:002006-03-29T18:11:27.920+01:00

Less than four days to go! This morning I started feeling that nervous excitement that you get with something Big and Scary that you know will be fine really. Reminded me of how I felt the morning I took my thesis off to be printed!At the risk of inducing nausea in my less sentimental readers, the nearer the day draws, the more convinced I am that marrying L is the right thing.

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1143445701725247542006-03-27T08:36:00.000+01:002006-03-27T08:51:03.170+01:00

A productive and enjoyable weekend. On the productive front:I've nearly finished my latest OU assessment (due in midnight tonight, but I've only got 12% remaining)Finished the disco music for the wedding (or thought I had till L pointed out that the version of the Time Warp that we've got is a truly awful remix, and we'd therefore be better off without it)Bought the Best Man's present (and I'm

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1142794702561107742006-03-19T18:48:00.000Z2006-03-19T18:58:22.573Z

I've just booked a place on Ray Mears' Fundamental Bushcraft course in September next year! Leila saw that places had just become available for next year (they sell out very fast), and persuaded me that I should stop dreaming about it, and actually do it. That's the kind of girl I could marry... Oh, hang on, I am marrying her. A fortnight today!

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1142522368160537632006-03-16T15:19:00.000Z2006-03-16T15:19:28.213Z

Viruses leap to smart radio tags Security researchers have infected a Radio Frequency ID tag with a computer virus to show how the technology is vulnerable to malicious hackers. (tags: rfid viruses)

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1141557022754939932006-03-05T11:00:00.000Z2006-03-05T11:10:22.886Z

Back in January I reported that I'd been unable to make use of Gary Keith's browscap.ini files. Well, I noticed soon after that Gary also provides a .csv version of the same file, so I knocked up a neat little script to parse one of his .csv files and write/update my database with the content. So I can now replicate the PHP get_browser() function.

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1140794325944416782006-02-24T15:18:00.000Z2006-02-24T15:18:46.023Z

How would I look with a new face? The BBC's medical correspondent underwent a face scanning and computer imaging technique, to see how he'd look if another man's face was transplanted onto his own skull. (tags: medical surgery transplants face_transplants identity) Autistic ability 'underestimated' The intelligence of people diagnosed with autism is being underestimated, a

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1140621761125518222006-02-22T15:22:00.000Z2006-02-22T15:22:41.193Z

Top stars picked in alien search A US astronomer has drawn up a shortlist of the stars most likely to harbour intelligent life. (tags: astronomy seti life)

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1140189518849343692006-02-17T15:18:00.000Z2006-02-17T19:11:50.516Z

Sleep on it, decision-makers toldA Dutch study suggests complex decisions like buying a car can be better made when the unconscious mind is left to churn through the options.(tags: psychology decision_making conscious unconscious)T. rex 'had razor-sharp senses'Tyrannosaurus rex may have been a big beast, but it appears to have possessed the sensory skills of much smaller, more agile animals.

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1140103225249737342006-02-16T15:20:00.000Z2006-02-16T15:20:25.310Z

Monkey magic casts spell in Asia Monkey! (tags: TV monkey) BBC Climate Change Experiment The BBC has organised a distributed computing experiment to model climate change (tags: weather global_warming bbc distributed_computing)

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1139585002486183642006-02-10T15:23:00.000Z2006-02-10T15:23:22.536Z

Self-cleaning bathroom on the way Cool! A special coating has been developed which, when activated by light (even domestic lighting), destroys organic compounds. (tags: nanotechnology hygiene)

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1139486890236404792006-02-09T19:03:00.000Z2006-02-09T19:19:45.250Z

I never mentioned that, having passed my first two OU courses, I've been awarded the Certificate in Computing and Mathematics. So I can now put the letters 'Cert Comp and Maths (Open)' after my name. Well, it might impress someone...All the bits from Dabs have arrived, so I'll be ready to start building the Beast (OK, more of a softly purring kitten) this weekend, while L's up North.Yesterday I

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1139325393213014652006-02-07T15:16:00.000Z2006-02-07T15:16:33.313Z

Internet Explorer 7: Beta 2 Preview Well, just because it issues from the loins of Satan, doesn't mean I shouldn't play with it... I'll be looking at this closely to see whether it'll break anything on my site. (tags: browsers ie7)

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1138807124269643742006-02-01T15:18:00.000Z2006-02-01T15:18:44.326Z

Research questions phonics policy Research has questioned the impact of synthetic phonics teaching, which was backed by a government literacy review. (tags: education schools phonics)

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1138461524302438182006-01-28T15:18:00.000Z2006-01-28T15:18:44.356Z

What happened to the Robot Age? Article looking at why robot technology doesn't seem to have taken off as noticeably as IT (tags: robots) Millions of Men May Be Descended From Irish King, Study Says Wowsers! Research suggests as many as 1 in 12 men in Ireland carry the genes of Niall of the Nine Hostages... (tags: genetics genealogy mediaeval ireland asnac)

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1138391321374547942006-01-27T19:35:00.000Z2006-01-27T19:48:43.446Z

BBC News article on the dilemma faced by 'the international community' over Hamas.The US government claims to want democracy to spread across the Middle East. So... A political party convincingly wins an election in the Middle East, and the US government responds by demanding that said political party change various core elements of the manifesto on which it was elected. Huh? What bizarre new

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1138375470846855712006-01-27T15:24:00.000Z2006-01-27T15:24:30.900Z

How to enable/disable automatic beta updates in Firefox The update channel for Firefox (and, I think, Thunderbird too) can be set to 'beta' or 'release' with a very simple edit to a prefs file (tags: browsers firefox thunderbird)

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1138202243045731062006-01-25T15:17:00.000Z2006-01-25T15:17:23.106Z

Sea energy 'could help power UK' The Carbon Trust, which helps firms develop low-emission technologies, has urged the government to increase support for wave and tidal concepts. Wave and tidal power could provide a fifth of the UK's electricity needs, according to their report. (tags: energy wave-power tidal-power uk carbon_trust) Scientists find 'smallest fish' Scientists have

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1137836031230635942006-01-21T09:21:00.000Z2006-01-21T09:33:51.290Z

Discovered I can't use get_browser() because browscap is at too high a level for ini_set() (and I don't have access to php.ini because it's a shared server). Arse. I'll either have to carry on with phpSniff, or knock up a function of my own.I put my black leather coat up for auction on eBay. It sold for £67.43 (exc. delivery) which seemed a tad better than a poke in the eye with a blunt cheese.

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1137684325524121492006-01-19T15:25:00.000Z2006-01-19T15:25:25.573Z

Gary Keith's Website Until now I've been using phpSniff for browser/OS detection on joncoe.me.uk. I'm going to try using PHP's own get_browser() function instead, since that ought to be a lot more efficient. This chap kindly provides up-to-date browscap.ini files. (tags: webdev php browsers operating_systems)

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1136647232820449652006-01-07T15:20:00.000Z2006-01-07T15:20:32.870Z

New cat family tree revealed A group at the US National Cancer Institute has published the results of a study into the ancestral relationships of the cat family (tags: animals cats evolution genetics) Why cats don't go for sweet foods Because their sweet-receptor genes are faulty... Glad mine aren't! (tags: animals cats genetics evolution taste)

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1136193208311485532006-01-02T08:58:00.000Z2006-01-02T09:13:28.323Z

Happy New Year!Despite the oddness of the number (2006=2*17*59), I think this is going to be a good year. Wedding preparations will be the main focus for the first quarter. Still quite a bit to organise (and pay for!). I'm going to be measured up for a suit today (courtesy of pater).Do I have any resolutions? Perhaps to learn Arabic this year. I think the prospect of a trip to Syria or Dubai (now

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1135508448547815052005-12-25T10:59:00.000Z2005-12-25T11:00:48.556Z

Merry Christmas, one and all!

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1135437604711343392005-12-24T15:20:00.000Z2005-12-24T15:20:04.763Z

Scientists find 'mass dodo grave' The 'beautifully preserved' bones of about 20 dodos have been found at a dig site in Mauritius. The bones are believed to be at least 2000 years old. It is hoped that DNA can be obtained. (tags: animals birds dodos extinct)

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1135351246266294332005-12-23T15:20:00.000Z2005-12-23T15:20:46.313Z

Extinct mammoth DNA decoded A large chunk of Woolly Mammoth mitochondrial DNA has been sequenced, revealing that the extinct species diverged from the Jon Coe only 6 million years ago. (tags: genetics evolution animals elephants mammoths)

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1134652759168218512005-12-15T13:19:00.000Z2005-12-15T13:19:19.256Z

Peru's 'mermaid' girl doing well A Peruvian baby born with fused legs is making good progress six months after having surgery to separate them. (tags: forteana medical abnormalities sirenomelia) 10 Simple Ways To Speed Up Windows XP Think I'll give some of these a go... (tags: computing windows_xp fixes)

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1134566305387659142005-12-14T13:18:00.000Z2005-12-14T13:18:25.436Z

Fixing the Back Button and Enabling Bookmarking for AJAX Apps Use of AJAX can result in the loss of back-button functionality. Here's how to fix it. (tags: webdev ajax)

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1133984945568136752005-12-07T19:29:00.000Z2005-12-07T19:49:05.636Z

Got my results back from the Genographic Project yesterday! Turns out I'm a member of Haplogroup I (M170) (subclade I1c). The founder of this haplogroup lived in the Middle East, and his descendants migrated to the Balkans. The picture gets a bit more confused between that point and the present day, but basically the subclade I1c is commonest in NW Europe (though it's not particularly common).So,

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1133875028259239362005-12-06T13:17:00.000Z2005-12-06T13:17:08.310Z

'New mammal' seen in Borneo woods In the dense central forests of Borneo, a conservation group has found what appears to be a new species of mammal. (tags: forteana cryptozoology mammals borneo)

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1133183832991488192005-11-28T13:17:00.000Z2005-11-28T13:17:13.066Z

Science 'must teach experiments' The National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts says more experiments could help reverse the decline in interest in science. This is very true -- I'm not sure I'd have taken Chemistry and Biology at A-Level if there'd been no prospect of pract (tags: schools science experiments)

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1133026150023033052005-11-26T17:26:00.000Z2005-11-26T17:29:10.033Z

I've finally got round to putting pics from our Normandy holiday online. Only four months late...

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1132151329807668762005-11-16T19:46:00.000Z2005-11-16T19:48:14.763Z

I've had confirmation that the Genographic people have received my DNA samples, so I should get a result in the next few days. I'm very excited about it, even though the likelihood is that they'll just say ‘your forefathers came from Western Europe’. As the Project advances, they'll be able to make more specific lineage identifications. And, you never know, they might tell me I'm a descendant of

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1131283027255091802005-11-06T13:17:00.000Z2005-11-06T13:17:07.316Z

Color Perception Is Not in the Eye of the Beholder: It's in the Brain Researchers at the University of Rochester have found that the number of colour-sensitive cones in the human retina differs dramatically among people -- by up to 40 times&mdash -- yet people appear to perceive colours the same way. (tags: medical colour_perception)

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1131110230543215192005-11-04T13:17:00.000Z2005-11-04T13:17:10.593Z

Make a USB turd Like it says. Carefully craft a suitable turd, plug it into your computer, and Bob's your second cousin thrice removed (tags: comedy)

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1130851072956365252005-11-01T13:17:00.000Z2005-11-01T13:17:53.000Z

Two-womb mum has double baby joy A Devon woman with two wombs beat medical odds by giving birth to two babies at the same time. (tags: forteana medical uk childbirth)

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1130570900793474462005-10-29T08:19:00.000+01:002005-10-29T08:28:20.806+01:00

Remember the National Geographic's Genographic Project? Well, last weekend I signed up. To my surprise the kit (mouth swabs, return envelope, maps, DVD, etc.) arrived yesterday—I'd been expecting it to take a couple more weeks. I've got everything packed up now for return to the testing centre, so I should know the migratory history of my Y-chromosome in 4–6 weeks. This should scientifically

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1130419031626820822005-10-27T14:17:00.000+01:002005-10-27T14:17:11.693+01:00

First wild beavers for 500 years Beavers are being reintroduced to the UK, 500 years after they were hunted to extinction for their fur. Six European beavers are to be released on an estate in Gloucestershire (tags: uk animals beavers reintroduction)

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1129814258223904492005-10-20T14:17:00.000+01:002005-10-20T14:17:38.303+01:00

Official apology over Tryweryn The city of Liverpool has officially apologised for flooding the north Wales valley of Tryweryn in 1965 to supply water for the city. (tags: news history nationalism wales tryweryn liverpool)

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1129461745415216942005-10-16T12:14:00.000+01:002005-10-16T12:22:25.420+01:00

I'm a very happy Wombat today. Last night I asked L to marry me, and she said yes! So now it's all go with wedding plans.

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1129369342920842472005-10-15T10:00:00.000+01:002005-10-15T10:42:22.926+01:00

Today's the day Iraqis vote on their draft constitution. If it's passed, Iraq will be defined as a federal state with the likelihood of eventual separation for the Kurds and the possibility of the same for the Shi’ites. If it's rejected, the National Assembly will be dissolved and elections for a new interim parliament will have to be held. They will then have to write another draft constitution

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1129225525238190642005-10-13T18:39:00.000+01:002005-10-14T11:00:53.230+01:00

Finally, I have a job! And not just any job, but an exciting one. I'm now an official Web Developer. Hee hee. [Edit: title corrected (generally an infinitive is better with a modal verb than a noun...)]

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1129209452571240642005-10-13T14:17:00.000+01:002005-10-13T14:17:32.626+01:00

Second tornado strikes Birmingham Another tornado has struck Birmingham under a mile from the scene of the one earlier this summer (tags: forteana weather tornados uk birmingham)

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1129036658328828622005-10-11T14:17:00.000+01:002005-10-11T14:17:38.373+01:00

Alert over Italian soccer 'star' The Welsh FA is warning clubs to be wary of a mystery Italian, who has been turning up at clubs, claiming to be on an exchange organised by the Italian FA (tags: forteana wales football)

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1128950576836574722005-10-10T14:22:00.000+01:002005-10-10T14:22:57.386+01:00

Cave discovery dispels lynx myth Lynx bones discovered in a cave near Settle have been carbon-dated to 1500 years ago, 2500 years later than the conventional date for lynx extinction in Britain (tags: forteana animals cats lynx) A wiki index of Cambridge blogs Geoff Jones has created a wiki index of blogs emanating from people living and or working in Cambridge (tags: blogs

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1128777426823384682005-10-08T14:17:00.000+01:002005-10-08T14:17:09.630+01:00

Woman saved when bra stops bullet Helen Kelly, 25, was hit as shots were fired in a gang feud after last November's Urban Music Awards in London. The underwiring in her bra stopped the bullet doing serious damage (tags: forteana guns bras) David Frost joins al-Jazeera TV David Frost is to appear on al-Jazeera International, the pan-Arab news network's new English-language channel

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1128330631357152382005-10-03T10:08:00.000+01:002005-10-03T10:10:32.010+01:00

Another one from Pater:Donald Rumsfeld is giving the President his daily briefing. He concludes by saying: ‘Yesterday, 3 Brazilian soldiers were killed in an accident.’‘OH NO!’ the President exclaims, ‘That's terrible!’ Tears form in his eyes, he sobs, then slumps forward.His staff sits stunned at this display of emotion, nervously watching as the President sits, head in hands. Finally, the

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1127549626007677962005-09-24T09:08:00.000+01:002005-09-24T09:13:46.030+01:00

My esteemed father has emailed me the following:This test only has one question, but it's a very important one. By giving an honest answer, you will discover where you stand morally. The test features an unlikely, completely fictional situation in which you will have to make a decision. Remember that your answer needs to be honest, yet spontaneous. Please scroll down slowly and give due

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1126185462857706122005-09-08T14:17:00.000+01:002005-09-08T14:17:42.890+01:00

Classroom role-playing 'limited' Young children are missing out on imaginative games in school because of the demands of the curriculum. (tags: educations schools play)

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1124198231301563212005-08-16T14:17:00.000+01:002005-08-16T14:17:11.350+01:00

Buerk criticises 'women-run' BBC Michael Buerk, the former BBC newsreader, has claimed that men in the Corporation merely serve as sperm donors. Though presumably that doesn't include the ones who 'are becoming more like women' (such as Tim Henman and David Beckham). (tags: bbc)

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1124025438195723992005-08-14T14:17:00.000+01:002005-08-14T14:17:18.243+01:00

Japan speed-eater in dumpling win Takeru Kobayashi polished off 83 steamed vegetarian dumplings in eight minutes, easily beating Hong Kong's Johnny Wu into second place with 76. (tags: forteana food records) International Federation of Competitive Eating - IFOCE Yes, there really is an International Federation of Competitive Eating. I'm the world's slowest eater, but I doubt

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1123766227888682522005-08-11T14:17:00.000+01:002005-08-11T14:17:07.946+01:00

Languages in danger of dying out Interesting little piece on language death, including the fascinating detail that speakers of one Australian language have no words for left or right, but use the compass points instead. (tags: language)

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1123679844066615472005-08-10T14:17:00.000+01:002005-08-10T14:17:24.120+01:00

The Darien Venture BBC History's account of the infamous Darien Venture -- Scotland's attempt to join the new colonial powers at the end of the 17th century. Its failure probably led to the Act of Union, and Scotland's subjugation to the English parliament, a few years late (tags: history scotland act_of_union darien colonialism)

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1121779215639905262005-07-19T14:20:00.000+01:002005-07-19T14:20:15.700+01:00

The real sound of Shakespeare? In August the Globe theatre will stage an 'original production' of Troilus and Cressida, with the actors performing the lines as close to the 16th century pronunciations as possible. (tags: shakespeare language dialect english)

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1121178288511516992005-07-12T15:16:00.000+01:002005-07-12T15:26:39.263+01:00

Yay, I've got a job! My enthusiasm is slightly tempered, though, by the fact that said job is picking raspberries at just above the minimum wage; and even more tempered by the fact that I'm supposed to start work at 6. Eep. Today was the first day, so I didn't have to be there till 7. For the next few days the memory of a ‘lie in’ till 6 will be but a blissful memory. About 50% of the workforce

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1120915047780870502005-07-09T14:17:00.000+01:002005-07-09T14:17:31.456+01:00

Footprints of 'first Americans' Human settlers made it to the Americas 30 000 years earlier than previously thought, according to new evidence: human footprints preserved by volcanic ash in an abandoned quarry in Mexico. (tags: archaeology americas)

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1120726010439318032005-07-07T09:25:00.000+01:002005-07-07T10:56:08.773+01:00

I've now been unemployed for 6 days, and I'm beginning to lose track of time. The photo perfectly exemplifies the desperate effects of my situation. Someone give me a job now! Please. I mean, I'm good at stuff. Really I am. All sorts of stuff. Web stuff, databases, editing, filing, tidying, speaking, cycling. I'm sure there are other things too, but I'm too modest to list them all. I think every

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1120655846217229442005-07-06T14:17:00.000+01:002005-07-06T14:17:26.300+01:00

Welsh blanket smoking ban planned Welsh blankets won't be allowed to smoke anymore. Hurrah! (Actually the story is that smoking will be banned in Wales in workplaces and enclosed public places within 3 years. Also hurrah!) (tags: news wales smoking)

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1119705423734665072005-06-25T14:17:00.000+01:002005-06-25T14:17:03.786+01:00

Why does the moon look so big now? For the past few nights the moon has appeared larger than many people have seen it for almost 20 years. This article puts forward the two most prevalent theories as to why our brains falsely perceive a difference in the moon's size. (tags: astronomy moon forteana psychology illusions)

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1119359839830566272005-06-21T14:17:00.000+01:002005-06-21T14:17:19.880+01:00

Trafalgar ancestors The National Archives has created a freely-searchable database of all those who served at the Battle of Trafalgar. (tags: genealogy trafalgar)

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1119273434988853272005-06-20T14:17:00.000+01:002005-06-20T14:17:15.043+01:00

Report from the IWC meeting A report from the first day of the IWC's meeting. Mongolia is a member of the IWC?! WTF? Most Mongols have never seen the sea, let alone a whale... (tags: whaling animals whales) New model permits time travel A newly-proposed quantum model states that the 'changes to the past change the future' paradox does not exist. It would be possible to visit, but

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1118755001966271482005-06-14T14:16:00.000+01:002005-06-20T12:02:40.150+01:00

The kinship of strangers Members of the Rootschat forum take part in a monthly competition to uncover as much as possible about a randomly-selected individual. Sounds like good fun! (tags: genealogy uk)

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1118690474025047712005-06-13T20:18:00.000+01:002005-06-13T20:21:14.030+01:00

I've just won a pair of tickets for Live 8!!!

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1117891062500941522005-06-04T14:17:00.000+01:002005-06-04T14:17:42.556+01:00

Extreme genealogy Amateur genealogists are turning to DNA testing to trace their ancestry. But how much can this tell us about where we come from? (tags: genealogy genetics)

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1117804849661128132005-06-03T14:20:00.000+01:002005-06-03T14:20:49.710+01:00

Primary reading lessons reviewed Literacy teaching in England's primary schools is to be reviewed following a critical report on standards by MPs. Techniques such as 'synthetic phonics' will be investigated, with a view to using them more. (tags: education schools literacy) Experts tell Mr from Mrs dinosaur Palaeontologists think they have found a way to tell whether dinosaur

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1117545645542969682005-05-31T14:20:00.000+01:002005-05-31T14:20:45.590+01:00

AI Seduces Stanford Students Reports on some interesting psychological tests. Notably one in which students were found to be more easily persuaded by a computer-generated face which mimicked their head movements while talking to them. (tags: psychology social_behaviour mimicry) Roadcasting Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University are developing an ad hoc networking system for

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356533.post-1117113600657897832005-05-26T14:20:00.000+01:002005-05-26T14:20:00.720+01:00

Durham Records Online Census transcriptions, parish records, etc. for Co. Durham (not free, but charges are reasonable) (tags: genealogy census durham)

The Mortal Wombathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13279566800087269086noreply@blogger.com