Posted: Mon 21 June, 2010 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Education, Geeky, Introspective, Reviews(ish), Thoughts, Work-related |
Over the weekend, we went to see Bon Jovi at the O2. It’s their greatest hits tour for the “Circle” album, and they’re at the O2 for 12 nights all told. Now I have to say, I’m not a massive fan of Bon Jovi. Herself is, Brother-in-Law is, so we all went.
The gig itself was really impressive. Bon Jovi’s performance was pretty storming, deifnitely one of the better big gigs I’ve seen – even for someone who’s not a massive fan. I only recognised or knew about a third of the tracks performed, but still, that’s fine.
What was more impressive (for me, anyway) was the stage set, which really was impressive. Right from the start it let you know it meant business, with a massive high-res screen coming down to obscure the view while Bon Jovi came onstage, and which then split into individual columns to travel round the stage.
There were a number of other really stunning technical bits, including some epic lighting, and that same matrix screen also showing that the columns could also split out into individual screens.
But the piece de resistance is the five mobile 6′ x 9′ screens at the back of the stage. They’re made (yes, I researched!) by ABB robots, who say the following :
ABB robots, accompanying Bon Jovi’s “The Circle” tour will be the first set of industrial robots to be a part of a concert tour. The visual intrigue of the show will be enhanced by the five ABB robots positioned toward the back of the stage, each with a 6’ x 9’ LED video panel attached to their articulated arm. The robots and screens will move to the rhythm and beat of the music while displaying real time video footage of the show and digital animations. At various intervals the five robot arms move into a formation where the LED panels become one continuous, five panel screen. The robots will accompany
the nearly two-year long tour, which features over 60 concerts in North America and Europe.
These screens/robots are simply amazing – they’re all articulated in all three axes, and move individually, in time with the music, as well as at one point becoming a staircase. It’s an exceptional demonstration of what can be done now with stage sets if you’ve enough money and creativity.
Stage sets, lighting and effects have always been one of my real geek-out subjects, and that geek in me was totally appeased by the Bon Jovi stageset.
Seeing things like this gig is one of the things that makes me think about What Might Have Been. If I’d stayed in school (and gone on to college, university, whatever) then I’d have gone on to do one of two things : Stage Lighting/Sound/Sets, or working with the Great Apes.
Stage stuff would’ve fulfilled my geeky needs bigtime, and I’d hae loved to do it. Working with Great Apes would’ve fulfilled other parts of me, and I’d have been equally happy doing either. In fact if I were to win a lottery or something, I’d go back to do one of those things. (Most likely the work with Apes, in honesty)
I don’t regret the path I’ve taken, not for one minute. But every so often I do think of the different paths available, the roads not taken. Last night was one of those times.
Posted: Wed 16 June, 2010 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: @Media 2010, Geeky, Introspective, Thoughts, Travel, Work-related |
The @Media conference has always had two sides – the conference itself, and the sociable side of things, getting to meet one’s peers, make connections and all that.
Unsurprisingly, it’s not the side that interests me the most. In fact if I’m honest it doesn’t interest me at all.
I don’t really know why, but conferences like @Media bring out more of the autistic anti-social in me than they should. I find I don’t particularly want/need to make connections with other developers in general and I’m not overly interested in being put together in social situations with a butt-load of people I don’t know. I’m OK with people I know (whether in person or on-line) and on that score I’m OK – which is why I did meet up with friends while in London, but didn’t bother with the social @Media guff at all.
So for me I could happily live without the social side of the conference. Maybe I should do more on that side, but well, I really can’t be chuffed.
Posted: Wed 19 May, 2010 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Domestic, Introspective, Thoughts, Work-related |
As time goes on at work, I’m ending up being more and more of a manager. It’s not a role (or at least a title) I want, and in fact it’s one I’ve actively resisted so far. But with a reorganisation of some of the higher levels – among other things my team now reports to a different director to previously – I’m being pushed more into the management side of things.
I can do the job – I’ve been doing it since Day One in a number of ways – but I still have the occasional wobble about this career progression thing.
Even thinking in terms of career is weird for me. I still prefer the definition of career as “to swerve wildly from side to side” (as in ‘careering downhill’) but there’s a progression in place for me at the moment, and it’s heading down that route.
As it is, my job title is “Lead Developer”, which I’m happy with. If I were to go looking for a new job, anyone seeing that on a CV would know it’s involved some serious team management and project management etc. I don’t want to be a “Manager” though – that’s still a step too far for the moment. I like having my hands in the code, doing the work rather than directing others. I’m OK at directing the others and knowing where we’re going and what’s coming up, but still it’s all a bit of a leap.
I’m not going to reject the role or the position, it does make sense for where I’m heading. I think I’ll have a “bloody hell” session every so often too though. Them’s the breaks.
Posted: Thu 15 April, 2010 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: 2009/10, Depression, Domestic, Five Year Plan (now Ten), Health, Introspective, Thoughts, Writing |
A couple of weeks back I wrote about making an appointment to see the doctor about depression, lack of motivation, lack of drive etc. etc. I didn’t – and still don’t – want to ask for help, but I know that in my current state I have/had to.
Yesterday was the day of the appointment. 7am and I’m at the doctors. That’s never going to be the start of a good day…
Anyway, I talked through some of the stuff with the GP – who’s extremely wet and wanky, but means well. Better than being completely useless I suppose. But you never really get the impression he could give much of a damn one way or t’other. I suppose that’s one of the risks of being a GP though.
And now I’ve got a prescription for Citalopram, an SSRI anti-depressant. I’m going to take them, and see how things go.
I’m not happy about being on these pills, but I’m at the point where I know that I need something to break the cycle/spiral I’ve got into. This is the first step in that process. Well technically it’s the third step, I suppose- the first one was acknowledging I’m in that cycle at all, and the second was doing something about it by going to the GP.
I don’t like the thought of being reliant on pills or medication – I’m crap at even taking painkillers unless I really need them.
Also I can’t help but wonder what I’ll be like on anti-depressants. I’ve been living with depression for such a long time now, I wonder what changes there’ll be if it’s not around. It’ll be interesting to find out, anyway.
Posted: Sat 6 March, 2010 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Introspective, People, Sociable, Thoughts, Work-related |
The bowling night on Thursday was actually quite a lot of fun – helped by the fact our team won, but still, quite a laugh all round. I know, you lot never expected me to say something like that about a work-based social event. Truth be told, neither did I.
I do find bowling fascinating though. Any time I go, there’s always at least one lane of people with absolutely no fucking clue whatsoever about throwing a ball down the lane. Pretty much all the time, they’re in the lane next to one with at least one decent person playing – by which I mean someone who knows what they’re doing, and scores over about 125 or so in a game. Not perfect, but a damn sight better than the people next to them.
And yet those people with no clue never (and I do mean bloody never) take a look at the person next to them, and see if they can figure what they’re doing wrong/differently. It’s bizarre.
When I first went to bowling – admittedly, many moons ago now – I did exactly that. I watched some decent people and figured out most of it from there. It’s not difficult, just watch and learn. As a result, I’m not bad now, (I tend to average around 110 – 120 per game) pretty consistent in how I bowl, and if I went more regularly I’d probably be a lot better. (Which might be something to think about doing, I don’t know yet) There were other people on Thursday a lot better than me – and others a lot worse. So I’m probably somewhere in the midle.
But even there, the people who were really bad at it didn’t seem to want to figure out anything about how to improve it.
For me, I always want to learn, want to improve on what I’m doing if/when there’s someone around who’s far better at [activity X] than I am. Maybe that’s where I differ with a lot of people, I don’t know.
Posted: Wed 11 November, 2009 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Domestic, Introspective, Memory, Thoughts |
With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,
England mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free.
Solemn the drums thrill: Death august and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres.
There is music in the midst of desolation
And a glory that shines upon our tears.
They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
They mingle not with laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables of home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England’s foam.
But where our desires are and our hopes profound,
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
As the stars are known to the Night;
As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain,
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end, they remain.
“For the Fallen” by Laurence Binyon, originally published in The Times on 21 September 1914, and the source of the more common “Ode to Remembrance”
Posted: Mon 12 October, 2009 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: Introspective, Thoughts, Work-related |
As regular readers know, today is the start of the new ‘proper’ job.
As per usual on these things, I’ve no idea whether I’ll be able to write anything here during the day or not. Time will tell on this, as with most things. I’m given to understand that the first morning is going to be a combination of “Death by Powerpoint” and “Insanity by Paperwork”, so that should be a fun introduction to the place.
I still have my reservations about the entire thing, as my experiences with permanent roles have never been exactly positive. In fact, the one I started roughly this time last year (To be precise, a week tomorrow) was one of the most unremittingly negative experiences of recent years, for a number of reasons that I’ve never got round to writing about. Maybe one day.
So for now, I’m looking at it as being a six-month contract. That gets me through to March/April next year, and I’ll see how it goes. I think that’s the best way for me to handle it at the moment – six month chunks I can deal with, “permanent” still brings me out in the shivers. (And that’s a whole other post too, I know)
But for now, well, once more unto the breech, and all that jazz.