Seth McFarlane's Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy

If you are looking for some more laughs between seasons of Family Guy then look no further than www.sethcomedy.com - the new internet comedy series from the man himself, Seth McFarlane.

Starting this week Seth is putting online new comedy shorts (much in the same style as the famous Family Guy cutaways).



With new comedy shorts every week this should be well worth watching. I know I'll be tuning in!

On the road again - Part 3

Here we are with the regular cycling update. I've managed to stick with my regime of cycling to and from work each day, and have found that the journey is getting easier all the time. My weight is down from 13.5 stone (around 85kg) to a much more svelte 12 stone (76kg).

The good thing about this is that it puts me into the "healthy" zone for my height (around 6 foot). My love handles are rapidly becoming a thing of the past, and my stomach is not far off being flat.

Another good thing about this is that I've lost the weight without having to diet (not that I was overeating before).

The time taken to and from work is down to around six or seven minutes each way, so I've started coming home for lunch too. This also increases the daily distance to around four and a half miles a day, which is probably helping to burn a few more calories.

My fitness level has also continued to increase. It now only takes a few minutes to get my breath back after a brisk ride, I seem to be able to breath deeper when cycling hard too. As an asthmatic this isn't a bad thing either. I've also gained leg muscles.

So far this is certainly turning out to be a very positive experience. Being able to leave work and go home for an hour in the middle of the day really helps my positive attitude about it.

Great North Run

A friend of mine is taking part in the Great North Run on October 5. He'll be raising money for Mind - The Mental Health Charity.

So, while you are here why not pop over to http://www.justgiving.com/dsh and sponsor him a couple of pounds (or dollars).

As I know you are all generous souls (and feel free to Digg / Buzz Up this post whilst you are on) I'm sure we can help towards his total, so come on guys, dig deep!

Alternatives to Adsense

Lately I've been looking at alternatives to Google Adwords, because (and let's be blunt here) it tends not to work.

If your page impressions are in the thousands rather than the hundreds, or you are managing multiple blogs then it may be worth it, but for the rest of us. . .

So what are the alternatives? WidgetBucks is being lauded as a better paying alternative. The ads are more customisable than Google's (although I'm avoiding the "pop-under" ads), apparently they pay more, between $3 and $6 a click in fact, and you can earn money through referrals. The minimum payout is $50, and they'll pay direct into your PayPal account.

Another bonus is that unlike some other ad networks, this one is free to join - no credit card needed here.

Worth using? I'll let you know. In the meantime click the link above and give it a shot. I'd be interested to hear how things go.

Adding Yahoo Buzz to Blogger

You've probably noticed the natty "Buzz Up" button to the left of my posts. This is a vain attempt to encourage people to vote some of my stuff up on the new Yahoo Buzz service - which is sort of like Digg only newer and more funky.

If you'd like to add it to your Blogger template then follow these simple instructions:

1 - Edit the layout of your page
2 - Put a tick in the "Expand Widget Templates" checkbox
3 - Look for the following line in your template:

<p><data:post.body></p>

Replace it with this:

<p><table align='left'><tr><td><script type='text/javascript'>yahooBuzzArticleHeadline = "<data:post.title/>";</script><script badgetype='square' src='http://d.yimg.com/ds/badge2.js' type='text/javascript'><data:post.url/></script></td></tr></table><data:post.body/></p>

Preview your template, and if everything has worked correctly and you are happy with the look of the button then save it and feel the Buzz love!

This will fill in the title of your blog post as the title of the Buzz'd article too.

And if anyone feels like Buzzing Up this article just to prove that it all works It'd be appreciated!

One Year of Half a Page of Scribbled Lines

Due to the hayfever incident (see the next post down) I completely missed the significance of yesterday - our first birthday!

Yes folks, on September 4, 2007 our first post crawled out of the primeval sludge that passes for my brain ready to pounce on any passing readers.

So happy birthday to me! Now where are my damn presents?

Damned Hayfever

I spent most of yesterday (and the night before) suffering from the worst bout of hayfever this year. It took a while for the antihistamines to kick in, so I had 36 hours of sore eyes, runny nose, constant sneezing, and generally feeling rather iffy about things.

I certainly feel a whole lot better today, in fact I'd go as far as to say that I feel more like a human, and less like a mobile snot factory. My nose may never be the same again.

Things are moving slowly with SpankMonkeys!, which is where all by IT / Technical / Geeky articles are going to go from now on. It will take a while for it to get on the Google radar, so I'll be pimping some of the articles on here - just to try and get things going.

Of Chrome and Chromium

You may recall my annoyance at the lack of a Linux implementation of the Chrome browser - and the note on the source code page:

Note: There is no working Chromium-based browser on Linux. Although many Chromium submodules build under Linux and a few unit tests pass, all that runs is a command-line "all tests pass" executable.

Click here to read the full post

This Week on SpankMonkeys!

Some pimpage of my "other" blog. . .

Google Chrome - First Impressions

Google, masters of the search engine, blogging, advertising and God only knows what else, now want the web browser market too.

Read full story here

Older stories. . .

For Sale - One Sun, Slightly Soiled

Latest on the rumour-mill is the possibility of Sun Micro being up for sale, with Microsoft being the potential buyer.

Read full story here


Pystar to Countersue Apple!

According to CNET Pystar, those wacky funsters who have been selling Mac clones (with genuine Apple software) are countersuing Apple!

Read full story here


iPhone Antics

Truth in advertising is a wonderful - if sometimes rare - thing. Apple have fallen foul of the UK's stringent advertising laws with their iPhone adverts.

Read full story here


Microsoft takes toughter measures against XP "Pirates"

They're at it again. The "Windows Genuine Advantage" (WGA) programme is being toughened up to make life less pleasant for users of pirated software. As well as a permanent watermark on screen, the desktop background will change to a plain black colour, and will revert to this once every hour if the wallpaper is changed. These changes are only being done against Windows XP Pro, because they are "focusing on the product edition that is most often stolen."

Read full story here


I Love IM - NOT!

I'm starting to develop a serious dislike for Instant Messenging. Don't get me wrong, it can be a useful tool to keep in touch with people, or at least it is if they use the same protocol as you.

Read full story here


Hans Reiser - Sentenced

Hans Thomas Reiser, former Linux file system guru, was sentenced to 15 years to Life yesterday (Oakland, California). Hans confessed to the murder of his wife (Nina) as part of a plea bargain which reduced his minimum sentence from 20 years.

Read full story here


KDE - The Long Shutdown

As the Alice Cooper song goes "It's the little things that drive you wild," and that is certainly true with KDE4.

Read full story here


Ubuntu on Macbook G4

I like Ubuntu - I'm not ashamed to say it. Don't get me wrong, it isn't perfect but it has a nice balance between speed and ease of use.

Read full story here

Star Trek Phase II - Blood and Fire Teaser Trailer

Well, we are nearing the release of the next episode of Star Trek Phase II (the fan film series formerly known as New Voyages) and just to whet the appetite, the episode teaser (the bit before the start credits) has been released.

Boy, does this look good or what!



For a high quality version download of the video, head on over to the Phase II website.

Classic Comedy: The Brittas Empire

"Since I have been manager, I am proud to say there have only been twenty-three deaths. And not one of them was a staff member."

Gordon Brittas (Chris Barrie) - one of the most memorable characters in sitcom history first appeared on our screens in 1991 as the new manager of Whitbury New Town Leisure Center. As far as Gordon is concerned this is the most important job he could do - safeguarding the physical and emotional well-being of all visitors to the center.

At least this would be the case if he wasn't so hugely incompetent. Initially Gordon was portrayed as pompous, arrogant and pretty dislikable. This was toned down for the later series in which Gordon was incompetent but well-meaning, and became a likeable - if infuriating - character who causes chaos wherever he goes.

The supporting characters were the perfect foils for Gordon: Helen - Gordon's long-suffering wife; Colin Weatherby - ex swimming instructor turned maintenance man; Carol, the highly emotional receptionist who keeps her children in drawers during work hours (it makes sense when you watch it); Laura - as efficient and competent as Gordon is useless; Gavin and Tim - gay lovers, only Gordon doesn't realise it; Linda, an extremely over-enthusiastic all-rounder; Julie - Gordon's secretary who really can't stand him.

The show lasted for seven series between 1991 and 1997 and is still regarded as some of Chris Barries finest work.

Brittas Opening



Clips Compilation