Californian weather

I blame the Beach Boys ... somehow, I had always believed the weather in California was how weather should be - warm, dry, breezy, and perfect. Maybe the Beach Boys never made it to Palo Alto, and that's why it was so cold, wet, windy, and simply horrid. The conference was good, though: Met up with the 'usual suspects' and had too good a time. But next time (and you know who you are) stop me from ordering that extra bottle of wine!

Quote of the week: "So, Gerry - my RSS feed aggregator must be broken because I haven't seen anything new on your blog recently".

Of the many highlights these past few days has been the culmination of my search for a software developer. For all those Doubting Thomases out here (I had to look that one up - I'm so ignorant), putting the equivalent of a Small Ad on my blog worked (see the last but one post). I was contacted within moments of that post, and just three weeks later we're almost ready to start the whole process! Ok, so it was three weeks, a sushi lunch, two beers, and a gin and tonic later. This could be a life-changing event. And not just for my life. Hopefully it won't be too long before I can post the following here:

Donate to Japanese earthquake relief effort

British Red Cross
American Red Cross
Apple iTunes (currently USA only - links to American Red Cross)

Wanted: iPad Developer

I've been flirting with the idea of creating an application for the iPad. After advice from various people, including Apple, it's time to move the idea to the next level. Needless to say, I have zero time in which to do any coding myself, so this posting is an experiment: If anyone reading this is a budding iPad developer who'd be curious enough to contact me, please do. I'm currently thinking of a commercial venture with a share of the revenue going to the developer (although I don't rule out hiring a developer on a regular contract). You'll have to take my word for it that this app is going to be huge. And a game changer. But then... I would say that, right? When you see the idea, you'll understand (you'd have to sign an NDA, I'm afraid). Of course, the chances of an iPad developer reading this blog are about as great as the chances that I shall win the lottery (which would be truly amazing seeing as I haven't bought a ticket in years). But as with all postings here, they will provide endless amusement for me as I re-read them in old age and think to myself "What was I thinking when I posted that craziness?"

Crisis? What crisis?

This is just so fantastic. After many months of collective negotiation, I have, like many other academics, received a pay rise. It will add to my monthly pay cheque, after tax, an additional £1.14. According to Amazon, that means I can afford two extra pencils a month. And I can assure anyone who cares that two pencils' worth of increased productivity is terrific value-for-money! I can't wait till my next pay cheque. I'm already thinking Faber-Castell, though if I just had the patience to save up for three months, I could instead afford a small box of Lamy ink cartridges for my fountain pen. Hmm. There are clearly some difficult choices ahead. I almost regret that pay rise.