For The Record

It took my Mac Mini G4 1.42 GHz around 18 hours to rip and encode Back To The Future Part II into an 1750 kbps, H.264 MP4 file using 2-pass encoding. I'm guessing the new dual core intel boxes will do that job in about 4-5 hours, which is still too long. So, when they release a 3+GHz dual core PowerPro box - roughly equating to about 2-3 hours - I'm buying. Or, I just stay as I am and continue set it up to rip at 11PM every night, having completed the job shortly before I return home from the office the following day. I keep worrying I'm going to burn out the CPU doing that, like they wear out.

I remember ripping audio CD's into MP3's back in 1997 with a single speed CD-ROM drive and a Pentium and that took several hours per CD - not helped by using crap software at the time. Roll on the day when a DVD movie can be ripped as quickly as a CD.

At this rate, I'll have ripped and encoded my entire DVD collection by April. Admittedly, a task not helped by the fact that I just ordered seasons 1-3 of Curb Your Enthusiasm on DVD. Make that June.

Bonus : Intel iMac vs G5 iMac boot-up burnout video. Remarkable. It does feel like the G5 iMac seems to take an age to boot even compared with my G4 Mini. But still, the intel iMac is pretty quick.

The Webby Fort Clinic

I wish I had more time to devote to this lark.

Of all the abject nonsense that has eminated from this blog down the years, the Switch Off parody page - that took me all of about 25 minutes effort to put together in 2003 - seems to attract the most footfall and sustained interest. It just never seems to expire beyond its sell by date as a steady stream of people find it for the first time each week. Actually, as someone who takes great personal pleasure out of making other people laugh, it's a great boost every week to see more people enjoying my little joke creation. The gift that keeps on giving.

If I had more time I'd launch a Center For Technology Abstinence, a kinda Betty Ford Clinic for webaholics. There'd be no WiFi - for that matter no electrical power either - and every guest room would be a Faraday Cage. There'd be an extensive library with no Computing or Science Fiction sections, expansive grounds to walk in and a chess board.

The morning rituals would include sociability classes where guests would be encouraged to speak to other guests. We'd also have a firing range only with the targets being artefacts, in pristine working order - of the modern age like iPods and cellphones. Guests would be expected to venture out on shopping trips to local bookstores to look for obscure titles that most commonly end up being backordered for personal collection 2-3 weeks later.

If only I had more time.

Dead Week

I had loads of holiday entitlement left over from last year so I'm using them up and not returning to work until Monday - although I am semi-working, picking up emails etc. This week is the year's dead week when nothing tends to happen, and even if it did you have 51 weeks to get over it. So, we're just lazing around, shopping, watching movies and doing basically nothing conventionally worthwhile whatsoever.

I picked up a new keyboard (evidently) after yesterday's unfortunate coffee accident. I think I subconciously meant to spill coffee over it, duly rendering half the keys kaput, as I've never really got on with it very well. Strangely, its replacement - supposedly an identical Apple keyboard - feels quite different, smoother in way and feels like it fits my hands better. Very weird. It was written in the stars.

Speaking of stars, I also picked up one of these on eBay the other day. It duly arrived today and I had a quick 15 minute play with it this evening - without setting it up with all the computer stuff - and I'm very impressed. Poweful and yet very compact. Plus is looks cool sitting on my desk. Next up, how to connect it to the camera.

Went to see Kong on Monday night. The cinematic equivalent of a rollercoaster ride. Increasingly it seems my first comments about watching movies these days revolve around the awesome special effects, neglecting to even remark on the plotline. **Plot spolier alert : the big monkey dies at the end.**