Spent the last couple of days grappling with parsing & updating XML in Perl for my project. I finally got it working but it isn’t particularly memory efficient as it takes in the whole database (5000+ nodes) in one big chunk.
After the ever-rediculus Oscars last night I thought I’d offer my own impartial opinion on the best films of 2004 (as I did last year!). You’ll notice that none of these were even nominated! This list is not definitive as of course I didn’t see all the films last year this represents my own tastes:
Top 5 Films 2004
- Kill Bill (Volume 2)
- A Tale of Two Sisters
- House of Flying Daggers
- Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence
- Shaun of the Dead
Update - Just noticed that Shi mian mai fu (House of Flying Daggers) was nominated for ‘Best Achievement in Cinematography’, opps.
Notable Mentions
Worst Film 2004
I haven’t watched nearly as many films as I would have liked this year so far due to being busy with other things but I’ve got a lot lined up so watch this space!
Got an opinion? What did you like/hate the most last year?!
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After some expert tuition from my Grandmother last weekend (while I was in London) I cooked up a rather tasty steak meal last night, complete with mushrooms, chips & salad etc. A top tip for other aspiring chiefs: try cooking the mushrooms in the oven with a little olive oil then transfer them to the frying pan with the steak for the last 5 or-so minutes of the process to let the juices infuse - very tasty!
For those Star Wars fans who don’t mind a few spoilers, check out this pretty comprehensive run-down of what we can expect from Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. Although what’s written here is far from concrete I find it amazing that so much has leaked out at this early stage but I guess we all know where it’s headed anyway!
A few random links:
- Alaskan Alpine Club - Making some amazing artificial ice walls by pumping water up through pipes in the middle of the ice 24 hours per day. Really impressive stuff.
- Clearlooks - A new theme/style for Gnome. Now my desktop looks better than yours!
- BowGo Project - A new take on the classic pogo stick that bounces higher, farther and more efficiently than conventional devices. Looks lethal but very cool!
- How Safe Are We? - Has this advert gone to far? I wonder if this is really appropriate in the post 9/11 era. Maybe, maybe not.
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One of my favourite shops, Muji (“no brand, good product”), which sells some seriously cool every-day type stuff has taken things one step further and designed a whole house!
What they’ve produced is functional utilitarianism at its best: the value it’s contents are determined by their utility whilst retaining a certain sense of individuality which is often lacking in many minimalistic creations (in my humble opinion!).
Take a peek at the MUJI+INFILL project here, although be warned - your Japanese better be up to scratch! [Crude English translation] Find out more about the house on WorldChanging.
On the design side of things take a look at these ideas for 24 hour analog clocks - “because there are 24 house in the day”! Some interesting ideas about visualising time.
Even in the harsh sub-zero weather conditions we’re having up North at the moment signs of spring are beginning to show themselves!
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We got some more pretty extreme snow last night, making my walk to lectures this morning a lot more interesting! Taking photos in the snow isn’t the easiest thing to do but I got a couple of photos while I thought I’d share below. Click on the text beneath each one for a larger version.
Snow on the river
More snow!
Although they were originally taken in colour I think they look a lot better in B&W - the contrast of the snow against everything else seems a lot more pronounced.
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Yesterday was probably the most tiring day I’ve had in years. I got up in the South of the UK at 6am and went to sleep in the North around 2am (this morning!). My epic journey included many trials, including four hours of interviews and many other challenges!
On my way I managed to get a few cool pictures in Canary Wharf which is a pretty amazing part of London that was re-generated during the 90’s. The above is my favourite - I’ll try and put a gallery up of the rest later on if I can get it to work properly (graphics manipulation library problems at the moment!).
This morning I opened my curtains to be greeted with a white blanket of snow covering the surrounding landscape. With it being so cold recently I had been expecting it for a while but it hadn’t been forecast until tomorrow! In light of this a trip outside was definitely required. Many snow related assaults ensued!
Update: Find the photos here!
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