One too many mornings

Last week we travelled back home to Northern Ireland for Paula and Matt(Sus)’s wedding. I didn’t take many pictures but those I did are at Flickr. It was great craic seeing lots of old and some new friends. I’m more than a little homesick because of it. I just feel like I’m battling for nothing here. It will be good to get home. I visited my brother and my gran when I was home too. Little Kirsti is growing up fast and is still very cute. Something David will have to worry about for the next eighteen years. Gran gave m a pocket watch of my Granda’s. I never got to say goodbye properly, he died the day I was coming home to see him, so it is reassuring to have something of his. Thanks gran.

Played footie on Tuesday night for the first time in ages. At four a side on a massive pitch I was very puffed out. The score was only 14-10 against us though, which was pretty good considering I was on our side, and I should have finished better in front of goal. Totally knackered though after it. I ran myslef into the ground, feels good being knackered from running around as opposed to knackered from doing nothing.

Tiger Woods won his tenth major at the Open at St Andrews, myself and Dave went along to see it. We saw a lot of players and followed the ones making a move on leaderboard, but all of them slipped away towards the end. In the final analysis it was an easy victory for Woods, he just controlled the ball better than any of his rivals. The course looks fantastic I’ve never played a round of golf but seeing that would make you want to take it up.
The Open also saw Monty make a decent stab at winning his first major, and the first time he has been close in a long time. A lot of the senior members of the tour did well on Sunday, I saw most of the player I would remember from when I was a kid, Faldo, Langer, Lyle, Olazabal, and Norman. It was a great occasion and the crowd made it a superb atmosphere. Thanks to lots of sea air in the last two days, I was early to bed and early to rise.

What a bonnie place Yellowcraigs is, six years of living in Edinburgh and I’d never even heard of the place. If you visit Edinburgh you’ve got head up here. Ankin and Nina, our german friends, thought is was so picturesque it must be made up. The water is clean enough to swim in and the views are stunning. We had a massive BBQ with too much food and drink and played frisbee on the beach. Slept like a log.

Spending this afternoon building and working out the dependencies for putting rrdtools on the gateway. I’m not usre how useful it is for reporting the problems we see in the field, but it is an interesting exercise.
It also makes pretty multicoloured graphs so it can’t be all bad

The EuroParl has rejected software patents by a 648-14 majority. The MEPs I had emailed have been really positive and supportive.

Unfortunately it is the EU Commission and Council of Ministers, who are
behind the SW patent directives. With this vote that is blatantly
obvious.

For the council of ministers read your domestic elected government.

For the Commission read unelected bureaucrats who are open to
corruption.

For example in May 1999 when the whole commission resigned because an
independent report found “undoubted instances of fraud and corruption”.

Lobbying the MEPs has been hugely successful. And huge thanks are due
to those who did the real donkey work and got this result.

What is even more astounding is that there is no big money behind this
lobbying either. Just concerned individuals and groups.

So now if the Commission start this up again, we have to lobby our
local politicians and government leaders of what we really want and
stop this nonsense.

To the FFII, FSF, other anti-SW patent groups and individuals, A
MASSIVE thank YOU.

Feeling hungry? You will be after you read The Ridiculously Thorough Guide to Making Your Own Pizza. Mmmm.

Starting last night the protests and festivities have begun. The dissentG8 cabaret was held last night at the bongo club. The rebel clowns C.I.R.C.A were there in force along with political activists and musicians. Today the march round Edinburgh town was supported by maybe a hundred thousand. I was there to show my support and had a great time chatting with the rebel clowns. The atmosphere was one of great optimism for change and I hope our leaders don’t let us down on Wednesday.