Getting stuff from Amazon UK. Got some USB memory sticks for staff to keep backup copies of their work. Got a replacement battery for my adopted Dell Laptop (750MHz Pentium III, 512MB RAM) but they sent the wrong battery. When things settle down I'll be back to my routine of answering phones will working my way through the book Learning Perl. Tomorrow I hope to buy a copy of Traveller Supplement 9: Campaign Guide.

At the moment I have just started recover from another splitting headache. I am going to be receiving some new glasses soon and I hope that will cure the headaches.

Bought Traveller : Campaign Guide and received a replacement copy of Secrets of the Ancients. Am gradually winding things down so I can prepare for a new Traveller campaign.

Had a massive spring clean of my house – thank you, P and P. Took a spare desk to Contact – thank you PC.

From January...

Am trying to exercise regularly. I have found that after exercise I feel better. And it reduces the urge to eat chocolate.

Have just finished re-reading Steven Johnson's “Where Good Ideas Come From – The Seven Patterns of Innovation.

Still reading - in particular "Where good ideas come from" (Steven Johnson) and "Working effectively with legacy code" and to a degree "Grails in action".

Mongoose's latest Traveller book is "Supplement 12: Dynasty". It's not restricted to aristocratic dynasties - all sorts of Dynastic Entities are catered for e.g. Conglomerate, Media Empire, Merchant Market, Military Charter, Noble Line, Religious Faith, Syndicate.

It's cold here but not too cold considering the time of year.

Merry Christmas everybody!!

Still reading. Read "Pragmatic thinking and learning". Interesting. Currently reading "The Windermann Incident", a scenario for the Mongoose Traveller game. Listening to music helps with voices as well. Been watching some Cadfael DVD episodes. It's easy to see how people can be seduced by the easy comfort of TV as opposed to the more demanding (but more rewarding) literature world.

Instead of staring into space battling with voices and visions, I'm reading more (just restarted reading fiction again - Interview with the Vampire). Am watching far less TV these days. Watched "As you like it" (Shakespeare, DVD) today and it was enjoyable.

Am now running Ubuntu 11.10 on my NetBook! It takes a bit of getting used to but, overall I like it although a tweak here or there would be helpful.

With Ubuntu came  kernel 3.0.0. Hopefully the developers will come up with a fix for the battery-draining bug soon.

A few words on films...

Jane Eyre. Chick Lit Flick. 8/10
Illustrates Jane's turbulent life. From rags to riches, she finally finds true love on her own terms.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Brit Flick. 8/10.
A slow moving cold war spy drama. Some good acting.

I have bought a sublime blues CD - Hugh Laurie - Let them talk. According to the CD notes, Charles "Buddy" Bolden is credited as being one of the fathers of Jazz. Born in New Orleans in 1877, he succumbed to schizophrenia before he was 30.

It is time for Humanity to unite. We have an Old Testament. We have a New testament.

It is time to start work on a Modern Testament, with a view to 1) having commandments that exhort ("thou shalt be generous" etc) and 2) have a built in mechanism for reviewing and revising the Modern Testament.