Just been made aware of the term SEO (search engine optimization). Being a geek I thought it meant a specialist area in making search engines do their job better. I think I am wrong, what I think people use it to mean is for "social networkers" to get their social networking posts up the search rankings.

OMG! Like we all give a damn.

Every time I switch my laptop on its update this, update that. Java, Firefox, Windows, McAfee, Flash, Acrobat, etc, etc, etc. It is wearing me out. I spend more time waiting for updates than using the damn thing. I going to start to put off doing updates and leaving them for one evening when I can just let them all run in one after another.

I've got a PC with an Opteron 150 and a gig of memory. It is flacky, there is not mouse or keyboard connect so i have to use the USB ports of which it has gobs of. However they don't always work when the PC is switched on. Plus sometimes it never starts up or occasionally reboots. Basically it's shagged. But i like the case and the PC is pretty meaty. So I'm looking at a replacement motherboard, processor and memory (what I'e got is ECC).

Preferrably a quad or duo processor. Not sure if I should go intel or amd. Heart says i should support amd but compatibility and reliability says intel. i am torn.

I'm a little sozzled. A birthday meal for Jo's Mum. Some bear, some German champagne. The room is not spinning yet but my head hurts and I've got that dry sensation in my mouth that says I should be drinking water by now.

Got the fast train this morning. Doors opened to reveal wall to wall people. A bit of pushing and shoving and there was room for five more. Today's rant is to those who stand with their backs against the hand rails. Makes it very difficult for the rest of us not to fall on you when the train jerks from side to side.

It is going up because of fuel and food. So King and Darling want to raise interest rates to stop inflation rising. What gives!

Haven't blogged for over a year. Must get back into this blogging lark. Still doing the same thing though I sold my car last June so we've been a one car family for a while now.

Whats happening with the weather. Has the UK lost summers altogether?

Desperately want to get a iTouch iPod. Bored with my 2Gb mp3 player, can't get enough music on it. Keep listening to the same stuff again and again.

Can't stand people who sit on the train and insist on putting their bag behind their legs so that (1) there feet are where you need to put yours if you sit opposite them and (2) you can' t stretch your legs out to avoid their feet because their bag is in the way. Give me strength.

Need tea.....

What is going on. My heyfever has started early. Normally it doesn't kick in till June. I can't stay outside for long periods before my eyes sting and I sneeze twenty times in a row. Plus it makes me tired and really grumpy. I just hope it finishes early as well.

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Solaris is on Film 4. I've got it on DVD but I'm compelled to watch it again as I find it a very brave film. I remember the original, watching it as a kid late at night on TV, not quite understanding what was going and half falling asleep. Hell knows what age I was.

It has been a fair few months since I last blogged. I've changed jobs and now no longer need to travel to Gloucester from London every couple of weeks. I also started off with my manager and other team members being in the same office. However since starting I have had a new manager in New York. Oh well.

There is talk of Top Gear not returning to BBC2. That would be a shame. It is no longer the car show but a entertainment show. It's got to the point in my household where we all enjoy watching. The kids won't let me delete the episodes I have on the Hummy.

Not heard the album yet but Bombs is magic!

Well I finally purchased my shiny new Humax 9200t last weekend. I unpacked it, slotted it into where my trusty old Labgear Set-pal receiver was and fired it up. Initially not good. I could see an image on the TV but it was way to dark and rolled, just like the tuner being out slightly. This was via a SCART lead so there was no tuner involved. So I checked the connections, everything tight. CRAP, what now. I know lets try the cable that came with the unit and not the one I've been using for a couple of years without problems. Hey presto, up pops the installtion menu.

A few minutes later I've got all the channels set up and everything is go. So now I can pause live tv, rewind, record programmes in the same quality they are transmitted in (my VCR is really grainy).

Next into the search feature, hmm, can't find Battlestar Galactica on Sky Three. Ah the guide hasn't fully updated. Then I remember it could take a day for the seven day guide to completely fill [note: I still missed recording BSG!!!]. The search does have a by genre option, so I selected movies. Moments later I had scheduled the following films for recording:

• Fifth Element
• Man with the Golden Gun
• Sexy Beast
• Lost in Translation
  
• Bad Boys
• Back to the Future
• Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo [for the kids]
• Robocop
• Small Soldiers
• ... I can't remember them all now.

On top of the films the kids also love to see 80's classic 'Monkey', so that was scheduled as well (plus a few Basil Brush episodes).

The only negative point so far has been my screw up recording CSI:Miami on Tuesday evening. I was trying out the instant record so I left the player on 'five' and about 9:30 decided to press the record. I foolishly thought it would spot that it was half way through CSI and use some of the chase play recording to make up for the time missed at the start (it buffers up to an hour of what you are watching). Alas no, it started recording immediately and wiped out the proceeding chase play buffer. Ouch! Interestingly I picked up CSI from half way in without any trouble at all.

I've since upgraded the firmware and believe it does what I thought it should, or it is possible rewind live and record. I'll have to try it out again. Later I'll have to play with uploading MP3s and downloading video using the USB port. I many ways it is a shame it doesn't have an ethernet port.