Technology, Books and Other Neat Stuff

Phase 2 of the SandM.co.uk server migration is about to begin - moving 37GB of data in the shape of files, backups and downloads from the old house file server to the new one, using Microsoft's nifty File Server Migration Wizard.

Let's see if it does what it says on the tin. It should be the sort of thing I can leave running and go to bed...

So, as you now know, I went to Cyprus to go play with ruggedised portable satellite data systems. A thrilling subject, but not an interest most of you share with me...

However, the company that flew me out to look at their rather clever kit is a major sponsor of the World Rally Championship, and as it was the weekend of the Cyprus rally, I got taken up into the mountains of southern Cyprus to watch heavily modified cars go very fast up, down and around gravel mountain roads.

It was hot, very sunny, and everything smelt of pine, sage and thyme. The unforgettable scent of a Mediterranean summer, the air heavy with the heat, and full of the slow chirping of grasshoppers and the shrill creeching of swallows. Then there was the whine of heat-stressed turbochargers, the crash of tortured gravel, and the spray of dust as a car flashed past...

I had a digital camera with me, and a little folding tripod (as recommended by spride), and despite the speed of the cars, I came up with a handful of reasonable photographs.

( Vroom! Fast times and fairly high )

Just before the current mini-heatwave began the postman left us a little package. Inside were the components we needed to turn our faithful little Moulinex food processor into a juicer.

So now any innocent fruit that carelessly enters this house (or is bundled in the front door by the folk at Ocado) stands a very good chance of being chopped up with sharp knives, then having its flesh pressed into a spinning grater and before giving up its very juice in a spinning centrifuge.

Mmm...

This afternoon we threw in a pear, a mango, some water and half a lime for a very refreshing drink.

Mmm...

Just add ice...

We're off to the States again tomorrow, this time for two whole weeks, flying out to Los Angeles, driving down to San Diego for an intensive weekend technology briefing from Microsoft (with side trips to the zoo and one of my favourite mexican restaurants), then we're flying up the coast to San Francisco for BEA's eWorld (which is focussing on one of my technology obsessions), and finally down to San Jose for Baycon where we expect chill out and to see lots of LJ folk.

It's going to be busy (but fun!). We may even have a couple of days at the end of the trip to either go up to Harbin, or down to Big Sur...

Expect photoblogging throughout the trip!