work, javascript & pogs

Had a bit more work to do over the last week, so did that. Also started reading about AJAX with PHP, but it seemed a bit advanced for me so I decided to re-learn javascript since I only learnt a little bit of it before, and that was probably in 1999 and I haven't really used much since then. So I have been learning a bit of basic javascript, which hopefully should be useful, especially when I start to learn the less absolute basic stuff.

Also, been sorting pogs, scanning them and filing them, nearly done now. I also got my fixed e-sata drive back from the seller quite a while ago now, and copied my pictures on to it. I hooked it up again yesterday to copy across some more pictures, but it wouldn't let me and said it was write protected! I did some internet searching and it seems that this is a problem with Vista (maybe just Vista x64) when using e-sata drives. The problem stems from a user not inherting modify/write permissions even when they are an administrator.

A few people had posted on forums about this problem, but either hadn't had any replies or were given useless advice such as to tick 'modify' for 'users' in the security tab on the drive properties. You can't modify the file permissions when they are write protected! Luckily, one of the posters had said that their drive worked fine when connected via USB, just didn't work properly when connected via e-sata. So I connected the drive via USB, and modifying the permissions worked okay. Then re-connected via e-sata and it worked fine.

So I've finally got the drive working okay. I don't think I'll buy any more new drives from ebay sellers, although the technical support for the first drive they sent that failed was fine, I had to take it to the post office and pay for the postage to send it back, whereas with a well known company like Dabs.com I think they arrange for their own courier to pick up faulty products, so is cheaper and easier if the product is faulty. I don't know if a lot of external hard drives are fault or if I'm just unlucky - out of the 4 I've purchased 2 have developed faults straight after being first used, and another has developed a fault over time. Only the Maxtor drive has worked since being bought, although that has still got corrupted and had to be reformatted a few times.

Today I went out on a short walk with rad this morning, we went over the other side of Harborough behind the housing estate near the Industrial estate, so that was nice since I haven't been over there before. The housing estate was very like where we live, except quite a lot bigger. The ground was still quite frosty, which was lucky because it would have been really muddy otherwise. The field we walked up had ice all up the tractor track we were walking up so you had to be careful not to slip over. It was quite cold, but the weather was nice. Near the end of the walk we got chased by some bulls. It seems that lots of farmers breed cattle that chase you round here.

On the walk I used my LowePro Slingshot 300aw bag for the first time, and it worked reasonably well. It pulls up to your front to let you access the camera very easily, but when you push it back to your back it messes up your coat a bit. Not much of a problem though. I found that even though it's quite easy and quick to get your camera out the bag, it's still not quick enough when walking with someone else and they can have walked quite far ahead of you by the time you have put the camera back in the bag and straightened your coat out. I think it would probably be best to hold the camera in your hand and then put it in the bag when you need to use your hands for something else like blowing your nose or going over a stile.

I got quite hot on the walk, and taking your coat off would be quite hard with the slingshot. I think you'd need to take the slingshot off and put it on the ground, then take your coat off. On my old bag it had plastic clips for holding a tripod, and I always used the top clip for holding my coat when I wasn't wearing it. The slingshot doesn't have this feature, so there would be no where to put your coat and you'd just have to carry it in your hands. Luckily it does have a couple of plastic bands called sliplock bands or something similar, designed for you to clip special Lowepro sliplock cases to. I have just run a spare clippy thing I had through one of these and it seems like it will now hold my coat okay. The slingshot won't hold a tripod or monopod like my old bag could. I guess I could sew some bits on the side of the bag to hold a 'pod, but I don't really want to damage the bag and its possible resale value when I haven't used it much and decided how useful it is. My old bag would dig into my back a bit, so hopefully the slingshot won't do that. It didn't today, but I had a jumper and thick coat on, so my old bag wouldn't have either.

When I got home I copied across the gpx file (yes it did work) and the pics I took. I also found there were already some pics on my comp and I had somehow forgotten to process and these pics hadn't been deleted from the camera's memory card either. After that ate lunch.

After lunch I sorted pogs, got Ben home from school, sorted more pogs and then had dinner. After dinner I sorted pogs and scanned some in. Then I spent the rest of the evening typing this rather long blog.


Food
Breakfast: Marmalade toast sandwich; cup o' tea.
Lunch: 3x small sausage rolls; cheddar cheese with iceberg lettuce sandwich; 2 x clementines; orange penguin style biscuit; cup o' tea.
Afternoon snack: Choc chip cookie; custard cream; coffee.
Dinner: Breaded fish with vinegar, salt & black pepper; peas with butter; mashed potatoes; mushrooms. Pudding was angel cake. Coffee.