Round and round I go.

Oct 20, 2009 |

nYou know, I’d love to be my own boss. But, from earlier than I can remember, I’ve seen the unending problems associated with being self employed.

Without making it seem like I’ve a big head, I’ve the skills to go out and provide a service and indeed a product that provided in a single package would be of use to small to medium size businesses and families. I think the audience I’d target would be receptive to what I could offer but although I can do the work that I’d aim for, the marketing of the service and the management of the business would be two things that I’d have no clue about.

Even if I had the confidence to go out and try it, I have a mortgage, bills and dependencies that require that I continue to bring home a regular salary. Starting a business takes time and things don’t happen over night. Even when things do happen they can fluctuate from one week to the next.

But still, I’d love to try it.

Will I? Ha! Of course not. I doubt a new start up could survive in Ireland at the moment.

Jaws 11 is now released.

Oct 19, 2009 |

So, the much anticipated Jaws 11 release is now out and the public beta is over.

there’s nothing much to say really. I’ll have to upgrade because I want to use Windows 7 so I have no choice really as moving to an alternative screen reader isn’t a viable alternative. They just don’t tick all the boxes Jaws does. Much to my dissapointment by the way.

So, Here’s the link.
http://www.freedomscientific.com/downloads/jaws/JAWS-whats-new.asp

I’m still working away.

Oct 14, 2009 |

Things are still ticking over nicely for me.

I’m developing yet another website, Listen and Learn Recordings is still growing slowly but surely, A long term project that I have been chipping away on will finally be launched soon and there’s loads of new software and hardware out that is keeping me very busy.

Windows 7 is something I’ve written about here before. After over a half a year using it, I’m very happy to say that I’m still very impressed. I’m loving the new keyboard shortcuts, the new features and the increased speed and reliability over Vista. Windows 7 of course will be launched on the 22nd of this month and I’d suggest you all give it a fair go. Although I have already reviewed the early beta of Windows 7 on Listen and Learn Recordings, I will shortly do another review to demonstrate some of it’s more cooler and lesser known features.

My Linux server has also taken shape and is now hosting a number of websites, email accounts and mailing lists. This was something that took much longer than I’d anticipated but it’s a great feeling of achievement to finally have it done.

Breaking away from the computer side of things for a moment, I’ve re-entered a hobby that I was hugely interested in up to about eight years ago. Well, I haven’t woreded that accurately, I was still interested but because I was moving around so much it wasn’t practical to keep it going. Now that I’ve really no plans to move again for at another forty years, I’m building my equipment back up again.

I have a Yaesu FX-7R dule band hand held that I use for when I’m out,

I have an Icom IC207H that is my trusty dule band mobile radio, that’s on the car along with a quarter wave magmount antenna.

And finally, at home I have an Icon 737A HF radio. That’s currently not set up though but hopefully it will start to be used shortly.

My licensed call sign as provided by the ODTR is EI8IZ.

If your in Ireland, you’ll find me on both Dublin repeaters during the day and the Dundalk repeater after 6:30 in the evening time and other work permitting. If your outside Ireland, I’m on the Ireland1 gateway from time to time also.

I’m tempted to add another page to the site just for radio shortly.

Interview with Christopher Toth, one of the main men behind the Qwitter client project now posted to LALRecordings.com

Oct 7, 2009 |

I was very privlidged earlier to speak to Christopher Toth via Skype. He earlier agreed to record an interview for Listen and Learn Recordings to tell people about him self. He also speaks about his programming influences, the history of Qwitter and what people may be able to expect in future versions of the application.

Qwitter is a really accessible and very unobtrusive Twitter client that although is aimed for the moment at visually impaired users, is in my opinion a tool that would be of benefit to most users.

Listen to the interview at http://www.lalrecordings.com/node/32

An introduction and review of Qwitter.

Oct 1, 2009 |

I know there’s some duplication on this blog at the moment with Listen and Learn Recordings, but this will die down soon as the Lal Recordings twitter account and the LALRecordings podcast become more active and used.

The reason why I am writing tonight is to advertise the availability of the latest recording to be submitted to www.lalrecordings.com

The introduction and review of Qwitter will explain the world of twitter, how twitter works for a user and how Qwitter makes things so much easier.

Listen to the recording via the following link: http://www.lalrecordings.com/node/31

Listen and Learn Recordings is on Twitter!

Oct 1, 2009 |

In more LALRecordings related news, I have recently set up a twitter account for this site. This will be used primarily to keep followers up to date with site updates and new recordings.

This brings to three the number of methods you can use to keep up to date with new introductions and tutorials on www.lalrecordings.com . You can Subscribe to the podcast, Subscribe to the support mailing list and Follow us on Twitter.

Don’t forget, we are always looking for more contributors for LALRecordings. If you have a topic you would like to share with others please get in contact with me or email info@lalrecordings.com .

support mailing list added to Listen and Learn Recordings

Sep 30, 2009 |

I need to return some of my focus to www.LALRecordings.com for a while. Because I’ve been busy on other projects it had unfortunately taken a bit of a back seat.

No longer though!

I’m happy to announce that with the aim of increasing the level of community interaction on the site, I have created a support mailing list.

I have to admit. I do not always have time to answer the dozens of mail I get every week. SO much so that the legitimit messages sometimes get missed.

The idea of this new support mailing list is that when it gets going, users will help other users. When that’s not possible, then contributors to Listen and Learn Recordings will chip in and lend a hand.

The support list will also be used to notify members of new recordings and keep people updated with list news.

It is one of a number of iniciatives that I will be launching in the coming days and weeks to promote a community on www.lalrecordings.com

If of course you would like to suggest a feature for LALRecordings that you think would help other users then please let me know.

Some of the features I’m thinking of include a site blog, a members only forum, a comment facility for each recording and a notify only mailing list.

Boxing.

Sep 27, 2009 |

Boxing is never something I have really taken an interest in but it just happened to be on while I was over at another’s house last night.

Tyson Fury faught some other fella who’s name escapes me at the moment. What was funny was Fury was a tower of a man in comparason. Both were heavy weights but Fury was almost a foot taller than the other man. How it was fair I won’t understand. There must not be a heavier weight that he could participate in. Anyway, it was quite funny. the commentator explained at the start of the match that Fury was only into his ninth professional match and hadn’t been beeten yet. You have to think to your self, if all his aponents are that different in height and weight, it’s really not surprising is it? It’s hardly a fair match!

Even still, although Tyson Fury is known for generally winning on average on round two or three he lasted right to round six last night. If memory serves.

The commentators complained that Fury was using a clawing action with his right hand and he wasn’t going to get very far with that kind of bad habbet. Although at the start they thought he was a sure bet, they spent most of the match putting him down. In fairness, it did seem like he was having way more problems than he should have had fighting such a smaller and lighter aponent. Of course, the size and weight isn’t everything but it’s a good help!

At the end of the match Fury explained that he dammaged his right hand early on and couldn’t hit as hard with it therefore limiting what seems to be his trade mark right hook. But, he changed to south paw, i.e, seemingly using his left hand as the dominent and still managed to win all be it with a margin of three points.

I was surprised at how entertaining it all was.

Oh, then Bernard Dunne, after all his big talk over the week about how he was going to win this match in the memory of Darren Sutherland, a boxer who died last week, lost on round three. The aponent he had was much much better than Bernard and it seemed obvious from very early on. I hear that that first left hook dropped Bernard like a tun of bricks!

So, Dunne’s lost his title. I definitly feel sorry for him. but, I think basing a marketing campaign on the tragic death of someone is kind of unscrupulous so he kind of deserved it.

The moral of the story is? You cant appreciate the good times without the bad.

Sep 18, 2009 |

So, why write such personal and depressing posts such as The Low point and Live and learn?

I wanted to make the point. even though I doubt it needs to be made, that if you don’t live through the crap and really hit a low then you cant appreciate enough when things are going well.

I wouldn’t swap one moment of my time in that city refered to in the low point post with her for anything in the world. It was posatively a fantastic time until I blew it all to hell.

Equally, although my memories of that time in Dundalk aren’t as posative, I learned too much about my self to ever want to take it away. Yeah, I was trampled on, taken advantage of and all that kind of stuff but moving away was the kick in the right direction I needed to really take responsibility for things.

It’s been fun hasn’t it?

Now, what to write about next!