October, 2016

The Weighting Game

The Weighting Game

I’ve struggled with my weight most of my life. Recently looking at photos over the past decade or so, I can’t honestly say there are that too many I’m happy with – somethings got to change. Depressing on many fronts. I’m not alone, of course, there is a multi-billion dollar industry built around people just like me. I’ve done Weight Watchers, 12 WBT, Crazy Diet shakes and wasted more gym memberships than I care to remember. None of that worked, for me. Adding to the list of things that I won’t be doing – calorie counting, fitbits, iPhone apps of…

What’s on my mind? Facebook Toxicity

What’s on my mind? Facebook Toxicity

OK So I liked ‘The Social Network’ but in general I find FB, or Farcebook as I affectionately call it, to be one of the greatest time wasters ever invented. It’s nothing more than a cross between a narcissists paradise and an extension of the school playground with all the associated bullying. Popularity contests reign supreme with likes the currency. (I aced it last week when a pithy comment got 11 or so likes – I rule!) I don’t remember my school years all that fondly, and while it is interesting to see what people are up to, it hasn’t…

WordPress Backup Redux

WordPress Backup Redux

I currently work with WordPress (WP – hey whatever happened to WordPerfect?) and am not overly happy with the backup offerings that are out there – at least the ones available on the freemium model. So I’ve had to ‘roll my own’ and thought I’d share with the group. The architecture of WP is fairly straightforward. It’s a content management system (CMS) that has come a long way in recent years. You create pages and posts, and most of the content typically resides in a MySQL database, which has also seen great improvements in recent times. (But for the life…

Cooper’s Cloudburst – A warning for us all

Cooper’s Cloudburst – A warning for us all

The recent case of artist Denis Cooper losing his blog highlights the problems associated with shifting your life’s work into the cloud. I’ve already spoken on how you don’t really own anything, and this extends to digital assets as well. Imagine waking up one morning to find that your website has disappeared into the ether. If you don’t have contingency plans in place you may never see it again. Thankfully for Cooper, Google provided him with a copy of his blog so he could begin the arduous task of resurrecting his life’s work on another platform. It’s imperative that you…

In Rememberance – King Bhumibol Adulyadej

In Rememberance – King Bhumibol Adulyadej

I’ve taken some time before putting pen to paper, so to speak, to gather my thoughts on the passing of the King of Thailand, Rama IX. Many men aspire to greatness yet few achieve this lofty peak. King Bhumibol Adulyadej was one of them, a statesman like no other, who did tremendous deeds for his people and his country. As a farang (foreigner), it’s difficult to understand the bond that the Thai people have with their king, and due to his lengthy reign, he was the only monarch that many of them had lived under. In some ways the mark…

Review – Changwon Express

Review – Changwon Express

Perched on the outside of MRT Petchaburi Exit 3, this little gem is a great place to knock back a few craft beers and chow down on some Korean treats. Named after the owner Ted’s hometown in South Korea, this place has a great vibe but limited seating. Come early. We got through the dumplings (half pork/half kimchi) which were divine, the Kimchi tacos, Bimibob and some grilled beef served with a type of naam prik. The blackboard lists a number of craft beers on tap and the Tire Burning Weizen was our fav (we also sampled the Tuk Tuk…

Vientiane, Laos

Vientiane, Laos

Caught a bargain airfare with AirAsia, just THB 1800 return. Cheaper than a trip to Immigration @ Chaeng Wattana. A weekend escape away from the monsoon rains of Bangkok to explore the sleepy capital of Laos. Loved: The beer Laos. It tastes better than what they brew for the export market, and is cheaper too. Hated: The currency – can never get to grips with it, always checking my notes very carefully before handing them over. Exchange rate: 233 LAK/THB The hotel – great location but had I known that I was on the 6th floor and the lift was…