March 2, 2025 – Hello Curns

Weeknotes #110: Github, Bond and man flu

A week of media, illness, and Bond-themed entertainment.

Week commencing Monday, 24 February 2025

The image shows two glass vessels in The Cozy Coqs cabaret lounge during the event "The Crazy Coqs Presents: The West End Sings... Bond, James Bond!" On the left is a stemmed glass filled with wine. On the right is a glass carafe or decanter partially filled with what rose wine. The scene is bathed in dramatic red lighting typical of cabaret venues, creating an atmospheric mood. — The West End Sings… Bond, James Bond!

Quantified Self

This week: Stand 3/7; Exercise 4/7 and Move 4/7. (52%). Morning walks: 0/4 (days in the office don’t count). Office days 1/5. Total steps: 44,527

Life

In world news: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told to leave the White House in a bad day for the world.
So, let’s think about something less important: if you use GitHub’s standard of minima for GitHub Pages, and you want to adjust some of the layout, then layout: default just may be what you’re looking for and not later versions which specify base.
Weblog was the answer to a question on this week’s Mastermind. I’m glad it wasn’t the only one I knew.
Thursday, after work, I decided to go home rather than go for drinks. I thought I was just feeling grumpy; turns out I was getting a three-day cold.
Related, my GP has appointments for next week on the app when I decided to talk to somebody about it.
It didn’t stop me going for lunch at Rovi on Saturday with family. Good food and very friendly staff. I was glad, however, when I got home for rest.
Sunday, and unrelated to last week’s announcement that Amazon has got creative control over the franchise, to James Bond night at The Crazy Coqs. Started with Licence to Kill, which is the best Bond theme of all.
After the show, all the pubs around were busy, so we went to The American Bar and spent too much on two drinks each.

Media

In my two-day man-flu state, I powered through the last few episodes in Series 1 of The Blacklist. Thoroughly enjoying the nonsense.
I never watched John Nettles as Jim Bergerac in the 80s TV series. This week, we just started watching Damien Molony playing the same role in the revival on the streaming service that’s bizarrely called U. We’re hooked enough to finish it next week.

Buttons In The Honesty Box

I’ve never met Jason Kottke but he makes me feel like a bad thief. The judge will send me down unless I do something about it.

You will know that Jason Kottke is a superstar blogger – and I don’t mean he wears a Seventies-style Adidas tracksuit (although he might, and it would be very retro) [click here if you don’t get the classic British TV reference and go bow at the altar of David Vine].

No, he’s been (Kottke, not Vine) writing a personal website (in the blog style) since sometime in 1998, which makes him – in web years – very, very old indeed (although he doesn’t look it in the pictures). If you haven’t read his site, you should because he’s good at this stuff, but now, in a nutshell (and the word nuts may be important), he’s given up a job to spend his days writing great content for his site in the hope that readers pay him (read his reasoning in more detail) for writing it.

Anyway, to cut a ramble short, I just went to read today’s postings (like this one) and have come away feeling like a dirty thief. I haven’t stumped up the cash, so I feel like the kind of person who walks out of WH Smith’s with The Independent under his arm and hasn’t paid (nor dropped a button in the honesty box to look like I am paying). The security guard hasn’t clocked me, but my toes are sweating in fear. Truthfully, I wouldn’t be a good shoplifter, which is why, mother, if you’re reading this, I am not a thief. And yet feel like one.

Damn, damn, damn .. I have to find a credit card sans dust.

What Did You Say?

A new site is launched that should tell us what the PM said. Or something like that.

If you have an interest in UK politics then this could be right up your street or, at least, somebody’s street. The design is a little crude but downingstreetsays.org has just joined my list a Bloglines. Somebody’s got to keep an eye on what Tony’s saying!

I was mighty impressed that the report highlighting downingstreetsays.org at BBC News didn’t feel the need to explain weblogs to anybody. Hoorah. Happy Tuesday!