Third of three PockeTwit video tests. This time using mobypic. Anna watching Teletubbies and Kara on the sofa http://moby.to/3gja2f
See the comment below. Embed code has silly resolution automatically placed. Can probably manually edit it to original video resolution, however hoping that posterous will have both an embed code easily accessible and also play the video in native resolution…
Nov 23 2010
Third of three PockeTwit video…
Nov 05 2010
Scanning Your Blog
This is it! The last WordPress plug-in review for a little while at least, as I have reached the end of the list of plug-ins I use across my different sites. If you don’t run a blog, apologies for this barrage of posts on a topic that doesn’t necessarily interest you. If you’ve come here expecting news about Kazakhstan, I’ll be trying to revive that category soon (though nothing controversial for about 6 months as I need to get my residency permit renewed next yet). If you have been waiting for more Amsterdam based posts, you’ll probably be waiting a few years for any personal reports from that city (see a post from earlier today). Finally, if the “Aware Or Conspiracy Nut” or book review categories were the reason you started coming here, I agree they’ve both been very neglected in recent years. I’ll try and revive them too some time.
Anyway, back to the reason for this post’s existence – WP Security Scan. It is a plug-in written by the same author as the All in One SEO Pack I mentioned a while back. Instead of trying to get you the best possible results in search engine rankings though, it scans through the files, folders and settings of your WordPress install, and draws your attention to any errors, lax security rules in place or other settings that need your attention. Some are automatically corrected, whilst others will require your manual intervention. If you want to ensure you reduce the likelihood of your blog being hacked, download it today, and make sure you follow the author’s advice when it comes to changing settings.
Comments Off on Scanning Your Blog
Nov 05 2010
No Subs Yet
However, here is the video I mentioned earlier in the week. I’ll see if we can get some sort of translation done by the weekend, but the basic idea is a discussion on whether black cats are lucky or unlucky. I’d personally be more inclined to say they are just cats. If you push me on the point, I’d agree some are black. However as the journalist was a friend, and she needed a foreigner to give her a nice quote on some interesting good luck omens we apparently have back in Britain, I was happy to oblige 🙂
You’ll see Karra and Muska in there, as well as Anna enjoying playing with the cats’ toy.
Nov 05 2010
Amsterdam Page Updated
Someone (who I assume wanted to remain anonymous) e-mailed me asking for my POI (Points Of Interest) files for Amsterdam. Although these still haven’t been tidied up (they were originally only intended for personal use), I had already put links up for the KML formatted versions of these files on the Amsterdam page here at this site. As this person wanted them for his TomTom, I have converted the latest versions to OV2 files, as well as GPX (as he requested), and added links to these on the page.
As ever, you are welcome to the files for personal use, however if they are to be used for profit in anyway, please do contact me for further discussion first.
Since Anna was born, trips to Amsterdam have been off the table, so any updates could take a while to get done. If anyone wants the files updated more quickly, and would like me to do it, please cover the cost of : flights (TSE<>AMS), accommodation, a full time nanny for Anna whilst I’m away and the biggest bunch of flowers, box of chocolates and a meal out to try and persuade Irina it is a good idea (99.5% joking) 🙂
If you plan to visit Amsterdam, and the number 420 means something to you, you may well want to visit sooner rather than later, as reports are coming in that the government over there is once again attempting to tighten controls on the grey area of selling something that is decriminalized for personal use, but still illegal to trade large amounts of. See here for a BBC article on the subject. There have been similar reports for years, but as the number of CS slowly decline, there may well come a day when my GPS files are of no use at all 🙁
Oh, and before I forget, I’ll be posting up the video that some kind soul has put on YouTube of Karra’s TV appearance, and also posting more Anna photos and videos very soon. If not tonight, then tomorrow.
Nov 03 2010
Karra And Others
This morning, while Anna and I were at her regular Wednesday kindergarten, Astana TV ran a piece on black cats that I mentioned previously. Someone somewhere recorded it via a camcorder hooked up to the RCA outputs on a cable box, and left me the tape.
Anna, Muska, Karra and I all make a brief appearance (given that she has black fur and is a cat, Karra was on screen for the longest 🙂 ). Now all I have to do is hope some kind soul with a disposable YouTube account uploads it soon, so I can embed the video here!
The journalist is obviously speaking in Russian, so I’ll hopefully find a version with English subtitles. On a related note, checking YouTube will be a faster experience for us from next month, as we have upgraded to MegaLine’s Turbo Plus account, meaning we will get our first 20Gb per month at a speed of 1 to 8 Mbit/sec. Again, as with our current 1Mbit account, after those 20Gb have been exceeded, the speed will be throttled down again.
Hooray for faster internet! Though I’ll have to be careful as we will soon be able to exceed our monthly limit within about three hours of the first day of the month!
Nov 03 2010
Rumours that Karra’s interview…
Rumours that Karra’s interview would appear on the Astana TV channel today between 7-10am have so far proved false. Watch this space 🙂
Comments Off on Rumours that Karra’s interview…
Oct 12 2010
Karra – soon to be star of the…
Karra – soon to be star of the Astana TV channel news programme! http://twitpic.com/2wz91l
Comments Off on Karra – soon to be star of the…
Oct 12 2010
Just shot this clip (#qik) htt…
Just shot this clip (#qik) http://qik.ly/C6wNq
Karra and Anna being filmed for a piece on black cats not being unlucky. Due for broadcast at some random point (I’m guessing on a slow news day?) on the Astana channel here in Kazakhstan.
Comments Off on Just shot this clip (#qik) htt…
Oct 12 2010
First-ish Faltering Footsteps
Another video shot on Irina’s birthday (31st of January), here we have a quick clip of Anna munching on some fruit, and continuing to practice walking around. There were definitely not her first steps, but you can see how the experience is still relatively new to her. Towards the end of the clip you can see Losha, Ira’s Dad, Zakhar, Rossita, Balzhan and Dr Natalya.
Which reminds me, no idea when it will be broadcast, but Karra will probably be filmed tonight for a piece in Astana’s (as in the TV channel, not the city itself) news program. Something to do with black cats not being unlucky! (The reminder being that Balzhan is the reporter involved).
Comments Off on First-ish Faltering Footsteps
Sep 13 2010
Back inside again. Karra wasn’…
Back inside again. Karra wasn’t v.happy w/being stuck in the cold.Anna just giggled @ us through the window! Smoking w/door ajar from now on
Comments Off on Back inside again. Karra wasn’…
Next Page »