RIP Steve Jobs 1955-2011

I thought it only fair to say my peace on the passing of such a motivational and inspirational person.
Set in his ways, but determined for things to change, he had a vision for the future and followed it by any means necessary to achieve his goals and dreams. Often controversial, and always in the media for both good and bad, Steve Jobs is on the short list of the few people in the world who have set themselves a goal early on, and never deviated from their path. Occasionally adding more to his ideas, and raising the bar, Steve Jobs proved determination, and a whole bunch of money earned by previous success could make things happen.

Sadly as all families of cancer victims know, money cannot solve everything, and whilst being one of the wealthiest self made men around, none of his rich gains could cure the cancer which would finally take his life.

He has truly created a legacy that will live on for a long long time, and that's just his reputation. Then there is Apple, the company that has taken the world by storm, and motivated others to up their game, and move in the direction of the demands of the consumer market. Causing frenzy each time they launch a new product (ok maybe not the last one so much), and having the true definition of a loyal fan base. Almost a fanatical fan base in fact, but I guess in business that's not such a bad thing. Moving product is the name of the game here after all.

There is a huge gap in opinion between Apple users and users of other products, a void filled with arguments, and point proving, ego battles and some weird people who are FAR too involved in the companies and products for a mere consumer. But the sane ones in those groups will all agree that Steve Jobs was a key part in Apple, and Apple has at some point been a key part in moving the mobile phone market forwards in directions no one saw coming for a while yet.
That's not to say that others have not taken the ball and moved on with it, but there was definitely a line in the sand drawn by Apple at some point, there is no denying that.

So without taking sides, and without casting a shadow over an already dark day, I will end with R.I.P Steve Jobs.... Millions will miss you for a long time to come.

BPM show 2011 at the Birmingham NEC

So yesterday Noel convinced me to get up at an unearthly hour to go to the BPM show with him at the NEC in Birmingham.
The idea is to showcase all the latest DJ equipment, lighting, software, headphones etc.... You get the idea.

So here is a selection of pictures and videos I took while there.

The highlights of the day were without seeing Judge Jules do an interview (funny guy) and DJ Grandmaster Flash do a one hour set. Entertaining, ear battering, crowd pleasing tunes and performance.

Note to self, Aerial7 headphones WILL be bought.

More pictures can be found at http://www.bampson.com/


And now for the videos......










The VERY surpising and talented Alan Nicol








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Blackberry nightmares..

OK its not that bad really, but should be interesting. Last night I damaged my Blackberry 9700 on the way home from work, so today I will receive my replacement. But this could be the toughest device swap I have ever done... And here is why.
The new handset will be delivered with os5, my current one has been updated to os6.1... However os6.6 is available now, so when I update the new one before restoring my data, it will install 6.6 which is newer than the data on my current one was created on.... So there are all sorts of hiccups that could occur... Welcome to the world of a Blackberry nerd!

Fingers crossed it will all go ok, no contact should know a thing about it. If it all goes wrong, well then I guess my contact list will get a LOT shorter, quickly!

Will be nice to have a fresh phone to work with, although I'm hoping to get my 9900 shortly anyway :)
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Best picture of me ever!

Title says it all. I love this pic of me, thanks to Noel Amos @ bampson.com for taking the picture.
As a friend has just said, its one of the only pics of me smiling.
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Thank you Odeon cinema.

I thank you for your wonderful staff who prove they are not only incapable of dealing with a complaint in an unbiased manner, but also choose to pick out people from random, make allegations about them in a public domain, and represent the company in such a poor way.

I refer of course to the comment left on this blog... http://michaelsnasdell.blogspot.com/2010/10/re-guest-services-ref-bkg20102624.html

Unfounded allegations of abusive behaviour towards members of staff, allegations with no detail suggesting I am some sort of repeat offender at Odeon.

Thank you for providing employment for this 'special' kind of person.

And to the author of the comment..... You have a picture of me, email for me, my full name, my address is easy to find too, so lets have something from your emptiness now, maybe even some depth to your allegations.

Not for the squeemish

I thought I would add this to my catalogue of weird photos on here. My blood test from this morning.

Don't ask why, I don't know lol.
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Tense morning

With the conclusion of my disciplinary hearing for conduct due early this afternoon, the morning for me is just dragging on. That plus still feeling ill after a week. I have a UTI or kidney infection, so am currently knocked for six. Sleep is my friend, yawning my enemy.

So in the next few hours the last truly stressful thing left in my life will reveal itself, and I will see what the future holds there after... I will edit and update this entry as soon as I know.

But for now, I'm back in bed......

_____________________________________________

OK so I never got around to finishing this entry, so will cover everything in my next entry, coming very soon.

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Tattoo's on the brain!

No, I don't mean brain tattoo's, now that would just be sick. I mean its 2am and rather than worrying about bills, work, health etc.... I can't stop thinking about tattoo's!

With a large thigh piece unfinished, a small bit left on my right foot to do, I am already thinking miles ahead, I'm talking 3-4 years worth here lol. The next piece planned was my left foot in memory of Graeme, but since mum passed I'm torn. I have a piece planned for both of them, but can't decide what to do next. The foot piece is all but designed, mainly by me, but mums piece so far just has the centre piece sorted. A large lily.

Sadly while thinking about the whole piece that the lily is the centre of, I got thinking about going for a full sleeve too. So starting with a lily on my chest, it will evolve into an arm, back and shoulder piece. With that in mind, the foot piece will be more logical to start with.

Or I could get the lily, then do the foot, then return to the lily when better thought out....

See why I can't sleep now!

Lol, night.
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Ten years later.

The next 48 hours see the commemoration of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre. The world watched on live on television as almost three thousand people died right before our eyes. With the introduction on the flood of live feeds of media that surged to the forefront of news reporting, this was the first time the modern world would watch a truly dreadful disaster unfold, live around the world.

The murder of a single person alone is so very wrong, but to witness the murders of so many people in such a way changed the way the average person perceives and understands religious fanatics, terrorism, and the simple vulnerability of human life. People in the buildings, on the planes, on the ground, going about their daily business were wiped out in the blink of an eye. Not a single pedestrian hit by a speeding car, nor a cowardly robbery going wrong, but something unimaginable and far far worse.

Many people lived out their last 30-60 minutes being held captive on hijacked planes, not knowing or understanding the causes they were being held for, and certainly never expecting to be used a missile being smashed into a building full of innocent people. A brave few tried to take control of the planes back, other desperately tried to contact loved ones on the ground to find out what was happening.

The whole world so learned this story, tales of amazing escape, horrific death, and how fate controlled who died that day. People over sleeping, others getting to work early and so on. Look at it from any perspective and the outcome is the same, fanatical religious people making a statement reigned terror on a previously safe country, taking the lives of almost 3,000 people, and changing the way the world functions forever more. Airport security, cargo scanning, and the worlds understanding of the lengths a fanatic will go to to get their 'message' across.

The result.. A decade of war, thousands more dying, and in reality absolutely no change to the state of things, other than what I can only call a poorer quality of life for those tangled up in all of this. Muslims around the world looked at in a different way, negative light brought to the Islamic nations of the world, making the mass public believe they stand for terror and are fanatically religious, instability in society. Sweeping judgements made on people because they 'fit the description' and so on.

On Sept 11 2001, a group of cowardly individuals, believing themselves to be martyrs, messengers from their god, reigned terror on the western world. Instead of achieving what they felt they would, by terrorising the world, they actually called upon the world to rise up against them, and all those people of similar beliefs, and rage war against them. Was the declaration of war against themselves worth the 3,000 people who died in the attacks, of course it wasn't. But is the price for their actions finally being paid, I believe so.

A decade on Afghanistan stands strong, and as it has for decades of the past, it remains defiant and impenetrable, certainly to the western influences on it anyway. Russia, USA, NATO, UN.. And so on, no body has ever had a positive impact on the goings on inside the country. However on the grand scheme of things 9/11 didn't impact avery aspect of life in the USA either, but it made some changes that will last for ever. Looking at it this way, it is fair to say that the efforts in Afghanistan from the outside world have done the same. Reducing poppy crops, taking money away from the Taliban, and impacting their effectiveness. Changing the mindset of some of those in the country, slowly installing a greater change from within.

Ten years on I believe in a strange way, we are all somehow wiser. Continued television coverage of efforts inside the country, tales from both sides of the fences told openly have enriched the worlds understanding of so much.
We are better educated about the Koran. Ten years ago a lot of people could not even tell you what it was, let alone much about the muslim faith. Now we are wiser, intelligent in our decisions and understandings of what these other religions other than christianity are all about.
We now see the plight of the normal people within these countries, and what these people really want. Not the fanatical regimes who have brainwashed the world into believing the whole country wishes to rage war against the UK or USA, but the other 99.9% who just want a free life, to live the way their elders did, and to follow the peaceful beliefs they have.
Libya stands as a great example of this. For so many years standing before as a nation of terror, responsible for Lockerbie, threatening danger and attacks at any moment. Yet suddenly we see the majority of the countryman standing up, rising above the regime, and putting their lives on the line to fight for a free existence, and no longer be repressed by the regime which has stood stong for four decades, and threatened to be handed down through the ruling family.

Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, where next? As the world continues to evolve, as man continues to grow wiser, and become more interested and educated in how fragile the divide between cultures really is, we can only hope that more nations revolt under their own steam, rather than the example of Iraq, where many years later, due to our misunderstandings, and misguided expectations of another culture, prevent us from having the effect we always claimed we wanted to achieve.

So tomorrow, as the world falls silent once again in respect of the innocent people who died in the attacks on the USA on 9/11 ten years ago, and hopefully also remembering those of 7/7 who were used in such a sacrificial way, a little light inside of me will glow a little brighter. As we remember those who perished, for a short moment the world will unite, one single shared thought on our minds, proving that race, religion, ethnicity, social class and whatever other pigeon holes exist, have no baring on our ability to believe.
Unity makes the world a stronger place, and tomorrows example will hopefully be another step closer to man understanding just how precious life really is. Your culture may not be mine, but I respect all other cultures, and believe the one common goal of all cultures are religion is a full and worthwhile life for all.

Thank you for reading this somewhat epic entry.
I will never forget the day I spent watching Sky news for 24 hours, watching the world I knew change for ever.

RIP all those who died on this day, and in subsequent campaigns of both peace and terror.

Just as a footnote. With all this speak of peace I have just done, I would like to say anyone who preaches hatred on this day as other grieve and show their respects, deserves no mercy and should be punished to the full extent of the law.
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Having a low.

Not quite sure why, yesterday I went to St Christopher's to see the counsellor for the last time. If I want to speak to anyone after this I will have to speak to Bereavement Counselling, which I don't really think is much use to me. Instead when money balances out a little I will treat myself to return to private counselling. Just to keep the flow of things coming out of my brain, and make sure it has somewhere to go.

Since that meeting, with all the crap going on at work has added to the load too, along with some meds I'm on making me very tired, and suddenly I'm feeling just a little bit crappy about things. Mind over running at night making the sleep situation even more.

But the worst thing for me at the moment is a stomach pain/ache I get when I draw a long breath, like a yawn. It has become so bad over the past 48 hours that my body now reacts as soon as I start a yawn, making it shallow or stopping it totally. OK its not agony, but discomfort. Like you have eaten too much, a constant bloated feeling. There are a couple of tender spots there too. So if it is still there at the end of the week I will go and see my GP.

Last thing I need right now is more worry or stress but hey, what can you do eh.

Right, time to get on with the reality and day to day runnings of my life, and stop being distracted all the time.
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