Finally made my first purchase on the new Mac App Store. I tried a demo version of Mars Edit a couple of weeks ago and I found it to be quite an easy blogging tool. I decided to bite the bullet and move from trying to buying. This little bloggerette is just a quick post to test the install. All seems well.
Goodnight
There is a distinct possibility that there will be swearing in this post. (There consider yourself suitably warned.)
I’m essentially a laidback sort. I wouldn’t normally say boo to a goose but recently I have had a bad experience with an online retailer that has pissed me of no end. I consider myself internet savvy and have bought enough things online over the years but seriously this was a fucking nightmare.
It was Mrs Cheesecake’s birthday last September and I bought her a gift from an online shop. Turns out the item wasn’t quite right so I returned it for a refund. Today I had to threaten legal action in order to get a response from the shop owners. This was after a dozen increasingly annoyed e-mails to the them that had resulted in no response. According to their website they pride themselves on their customer service. What fucking customer service motherfuckers!!!! Nearly five months to sort out a refund isn’t customer service pal. I really wish I could name and shame but I haven’t got the money yet but I now feel a bit more hopeful that I’ll get the money back and finally get Mrs Cheesecake a gift she deserves.
Sorry for the rant but I had to get that off my chest. Better now. Normal service will be resumed shortly.
I really don’t think I should be watching Pineapple Express after an afternoon of drinking. This film is seriously weird. Gary Cole is a comic god though. I’ve decided to try another blogging tool. Today’s blog is brought to you by ecto. Much like Mars Edit it seems to cover all the bases when it comes posting a blog. I’ll try it over the next couple of weeks and see how I get on.
I decided to take another crack at writing a blog using MarsEdit for Mac. I wanted to see if I could re-create the same look and feel as one of my standard posts from my PC. I really didn’t take a proper in-depth look at the MarsEdit the last time I used it. I’ve looked again and I’m happy to note that all the functionality I have seen in Windows Live Writer is available.
The latest update, Cataclysm, will soon be upon us and I am looking forward to the changes that are due. I’m particularly looking forward to trying out the archeology profession. I was amused when I read the archeology trainer is called Belloc, nice nod to Raider of the Lost Ark there. WOW is incredibly addictive and I’m sure large chunks of December will come and go will I play the game.
short and sweet this evening
Later taters
Cheesecake out
I think it’s fair to say that everyone that reads this blog will be connecting to it via the technological wonder that is the Internet. I think it’s also fair to say that the speed at which you are able to access this content plays a large part in your enjoyment of said content. Recently my home interweb connection and specifically the ISP that provided it have been fucking me about in a grand old fashion.
Wait I’m getting ahead of myself here. Lets go back in time and I can explain from the beginning.
Since I have been using the internet at home, roughly since the mid 1990s, I have been using BT as my internet service provider. They have proven to be historically reliable and based on that I started to grow ever complacent with their diminishing service. Recently I checked the contract I had with them. It read something like this
“Dear Complacent Ass we have promised you up to 20MB broadband speed. We are now sat in our ivory tower quaffing champers and laughing at you. You are only getting 1.5MB. Ignoring your existence love and hugs BT” (I may have paraphrased slightly there).
Turns out you can only mess me about for a few years before I finally get the hint. Another well known ISP *cough* Virgin Media *cough* were able to offer me up 50MB for an additional fiver a month. The best part about it is, and this is the kicker, I’ve run a speed test a couple of times since changing supplier and I am getting at minimum 30MB. So even at worst the connection speed it is still nearly 30x faster than before.
**SPLUT** Sorry that was the sound of my head exploding like a ripe melon as I try to get my brain around that number.
If the story has an moral, and I’m not sure it has, its that BT can take a long jump of a short pier. I wouldn’t piss on them if they were on fire. They relied on my customer loyalty and when it came the the punch provided to little to late. I called them today to cancel my account. First question I was asked
“Is there anything we can do to stop you cancelling your account?”
“Can you provide up to 50MB broadband speeds?”
“Erm…..no”
“Then I guess there is nothing you can do”
*resigned sigh* at other end of phone.
Gosh I feel better I’ve go that rant of my chest.
Later Peoples
Pablo VirginMediacake
Its been an age since I purchased any new books. My e-reader is pretty full and I am slowly working my way through the backlog. There are however a couple of upcoming titles which I am very keen to get my hands on and will have to go old school a buy paper copies of both.
Mark Chadbourn‘s The Sword of Albion will hit the shelves soon and as I’ve got all his other books it seems likely I’ll buy this one as well. Spies in Elizabethan England – oh yes I think so.
I am also really looking forward to Wolfsangel by MD Lachlan. I’ve heard lots of good things and so will be rushing out to buy once it is released into the wild. Vikings! Yeah I’ll have me some of that. Hmmm when it comes to Vikings you do have to go some to top this though……
Consider the gauntlet well and truly laid down Mr Lachlan, good luck sir! Full Led Zepplin inspired goodness can be located here.
Even shite movies deserve some love. When I was a teenager I amassed a vast collection of B-Movies. I went though a phase where the longer or sillier the movie title the more interested I was in viewing it. How could you not love Class of Nuke’Em High Part II: Subhumanoid Meltdown?
Not long ago I realized a lot of the so called ‘mainstream’ stream films I’ve been watching were missing the sense of silly fun that comes with a good B-Movie. I decided it was time to get back in touch with my B-movie roots. I’ve purchased the following from Amazon and I await it’s arrival in the next couple of weeks.
That’s right peoples a 12 disc B-Movie boxed set. Hell Comes to Frogtown, The Stuff (come on who wouldn’t love a film about a rampaging yogurt?) Elvira: Mistress of the Dark, Night of the Living Dead. The list just keeps throwing out gems. Return of the Killer Tomatoes – you have to appreciate the joy of this. People need to know that one of George Clooney‘s first movie roles is about killer fruit.
‘But Pablo’ you cry ‘B-Movies are laughably bad’. You are essentially right but lets not forget the heartwarming story of Mr P Jackson. I’m sure some of you may have seen the Lord of the Rings trilogy but would that exist, or indeed be as good, without the bugnuts insane delights of his earlier work? I demand you go now and seek out Bad Taste, Braindead and Meet the Feebles. Once you’ve viewed all three then we’ll talk.
Mrs Cheesecake got a new phone recently. She is not a great fan of touchscreen tech so instead got herself a Crackberry 8900. I have to admit that even though it’s not the smart phone I would buy for myself I do find it quite a neat little bit of techno-wizardry. I still have 12 months to go before I can get a new phone so I must gaze on enviously as she tweets and msgs effortlessly.
Till next time. Don’t you go changin.
Cheesecake Out
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I’m a gadget head. I love all tech, hardware, software and gadge. Last year I found out about the Gadget Show Live about a week before the event happened. Needless to say by that point the event was well and truly sold out so there was no point in even trying to attend. This year I was ahead of the game and got my tickets sharpish.
I’ve never been to the NEC before. In fact I’ve only ever been to Birmingham once and that was another lifetime ago. The place is like it’s own little city. It is fucking enormous. I reckon it took us about twenty minutes to walk from the the station to the hall where the show was taking place.
One of the first things we saw were these immense statues. On a side note does anyone have £3000 I can borrow? On the understanding you’ll never get it back.
Mrs Cheesecake and I had also purchased tickets to see the Supershow hosted by the Gadget Show’s very own Jason Bradbury, Suzi Perry, Ortis Deeley and John Bentley.
The Supershow was fantastic (it did help we were 3rd row from the front so got an amazing view). There were some great tech related challenges and the crowd were kept involved with all the goings on. We also managed to get a bit wet!
After the show we wandered around the exhibition. The one drawback to the whole thing I suppose was that it was INCREDIBLY busy. The crowds were everywhere. This did make it difficult to stop and actually view anything without either getting in someone’s way or someone getting in your way.
On our way out we ran into the 10th Doctor and friends. Damn Daleks get everywhere don’t they.
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Lets set some parameters for this blog. For starters – I love film. All of it. Even the shit ones that no one else particularly appreciates. (I’m looking at you Rabid Grannies, Rollerblade Warriors, Blood Sucking Pharaohs in Pittsburgh etc). I’ve always kinda been of the belief that every movie deserves to be loved. Why not. People invest a lot of their time, energy and creativity in an effort to entertain the masses. Good on them I say. Long may it continue.
Recently however I have noted a worrying trend. I’m concerned that this will effect my enjoyment of something I love dearly. What, I here you cry, could illicit such a reaction from the normally docile Mr Cheesecake? I’ll tell you, just two alphanumerics in a movie title…..3D.
Now before I continue lets get one thing straight. I don’t hate all 3D films. Avatar blew my tiny little mind. I expect Tron Legacy to do exactly the same. The key thing about the use of 3D in both these examples as that it’s used by the directors to enhance the visual style of each film. The extra depth enhances the experience. I get that and I consider it perfectly valid.
The sort of thing I have a problem with is things like. U2 in 3D, The Jonas Brothers in fecking 3D. Why do cinema goers have to be subjected to such shite. If your interested in seeing U2 or indeed The Jonas Brothers go to a fucking concert.
I’m also worried that films are getting made in 3D just for the hell of it. I heard that the last couple of Harry Potters are in going to be in 3D. For the love of great goggly moggly WHY! The previous films didn’t require an sort of enhancement like that to hold an audiences attention so why do it now?
3D has prompted great debate at Cheesecake Towers. I am my usual unsure and slightly sceptical self while Mrs Cheesecake has embraced this new technology wholeheartedly. She does agree however that 3D is not necessary for all genres but does consider it inevitable as it’s all about the dollar dollar.
Who knows where we’ll be in a couple of years? The Chinese have a curse. “May you live in interesting times” I guess currently for movies it is just that….Interesting.
A slightly unsure Cheesecake
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Normally, dear reader, I tend to use my blog to discuss film, books and at a stretch fish finger sandwiches. Today I decided that for a bit of a change I would just write a bit about stuff. Just some random odds and sods and see where I end up.
I make no secret about the fact that I am more an Autumn\Winter kinda guy. My first vivid memory is one of snow (strange as I was born in July). This has stayed with me throughout life and I always look forward to winter. It may also explain why I like lumberjack shirts but that’s not really relevant here. I think this is why I prefer the Winter Olympics to the Summer games. This time around I have been somewhat lax in my viewing (ok INCREDIBLY lax). I only managed to catch the Men’s Ice Hockey final. I was fucking ace though. The US of States vs Canadia. The third period and overtime were very exciting. Mrs Cheesecake enjoyed the game as well. Always a surprise to be caught up in a sporting event as , anyone who knows me will know, I’m not what you would describe as sporty. Portly yes, sporty no!
Recently I’ve noticed that I am reading/following far more blogs than I did before. I blame Twitter, damn your soulless black heart *shakes fist*. Though I have tried to be resistant Twitter has successfully expanded my horizons and I now follow more than a dozen blogs. Previously I followed two. The topics range from movie news to book reviews with friends blogs thrown in for good measure. I’ve started using Feed Demon to manage the blogs I follow. I can heartily recommend this excellent tool it allows me to categorize and view the blogs in the order I prefer.
Last year I was drinking way to much coffee. My daily caffeine intake was so high that by about 4pm I would normally have a headache. Another side effect – I was really short tempered. I had a tendency to come home and stomp about like a bear with a sore head (if you saw me you would appreciate just how apt that description is). For about six months now I have cut right down. I still take the odd coffee but we are talking about one or two cups a month. Instead I have moved to caffeine free tea bags. You know what. I feel loads better. I think I’m a bit mellower than I was before and the afternoon headaches have disappeared.
While I’m wittering about health. You may recall I wrote at the beginning of the year that I had decided to set myself a physical challenge. For two reasons (1) I could do with the exercise (2) I wanted to commit to something and see it through to completion. With that in mind I decided to cycle 500km in 2010. Two months in an I am coming up on my first milestone. By the 13th March I will reach my first 100km. I’m glad to say I am finally starting to get into the groove with this. The first month was killer but the second was starting to get easier. I suppose I should mention I’m not just cycling I and weight training as well. I train five out of every seven days. I just have to try an keep up the momentum I suppose. I have allowed for interruptions in the my regime. I figure I can allocate up to twenty days off due to unforeseen circumstance. So far I am glad to report I have only used one day.
In another health related note I got a wisdom tooth removed today. The process was a lot easier than I imagined. I am concerned that once the anaesthetic wears off it may smart a little.
In fact I don’t think I can right anymore just now.
Later peoples and remember to brush regularly
Cheesecake Out
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I was taking a look at WordPress this morning. Considering a change to where I blog. Curious more than anything else, I was trying to figure out if WordPress would suit my blogging requirements better than Blogger.
Cut to a couple hours later and I am none the wiser. Don’t get me wrong WP looked ok but I then complicated matters by deciding to see if it would be possible to tweet my latest blog to Twitter and then onward to Facebook automatically.
(I figure if your going to write your thoughts down on a regular basis and send them out into the ether it makes sense to get as large and audience as possible.)
The problem I have is that there are so many different bloody methods and tutorials and how to do this my head may fucking explode. I was just looking for one easy simple method to bring together all this social networking malarkey together. Under one roof so to speak. AARRGGHH
It’s driving me nuts.
Rant over
UPDATE: Typical, five minutes after I posted this I figured it all out. I’m going to go have a lie down now. As you were.
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