I'm in the midst of 'stress testing' at work. Essentially, we make a bunch of computers pretend to a load of human users, and we point them at a load of computers we're actually trying to deliver. The idea is that we get to see how our systems perform when lots of people use them.

Anyway, no matter who does this, no matter how much they try, it always goes wrong. That's not to say it always goes badly, it just doesn't go according to plan. That's where we are right now, the plan's literally out the window, and we're making it up as we go. We're making progress, but it's long days and weekends at work. As such, it's not just the computers that get stressed.

On the plus side, a number of people in a company that my employer works for have told me what a great job I'm doing. That feels good - stuff like "we couldn't do it without him" reminds me just why I'm working all the hours and dealing with all the stress. Cheers!

Via HMV's website feedback facility:

Me: "Is there a way I can publish my wish list to my friends? Around birthday/christmas time, it would mean they could buy me something I actually want, and assuming you could knock items off the list if they buy them for me, could even avoid getting more than one of the same thing."
HMV: "I am sorry to inform you, that we cannot do this for you as the site does not allow this."

Oh HMV! You make it so hard for me to love you. Can you not return just a morsel the feelings I have for you?

How many blades does your razor have?

First, there was the single blade cut throat razor. Many people hurt themselves.
Then came the single bladed 'safety razor'. Many people had razor burn.
Then came the two bladed razor. Many people used these for many years.
Then came the three bladed razor. It was billed as being 50% better, but many people ignored it.
Then came the four bladed razor. Even less people thought it was a good idea.
At last, there's a five bladed razor, because apparently four blades can cause irritation.

It's not the number of blades that cause irritation - it's the advertising treadmill.

Update: Dan wrote in with a link to an Onion article - priceless!

An interesting article at the Register explains the perils of trying to mix up chemicals to make bombs.

Someone I used to know told me years ago about how to make this particular explosive. He also warned of the difficulty. In fact, I seem to remember the advice was "do it in your shed" and "if it's temperature rises above (something) - run like f*ck!".

So the questions remain: Is the threat real? Are our intelligence and security services inept? Why do our politicians understand as little about terrorism as we do?

Update: Liquid bombs are of course not new: See Flight 434

Someone I know sent me this. It's not safe for work; it's a video of some crazy Canadian magician proving she doesn't have anything up her sleeves.

http://www.bertrand-soulier.com/2006/08/04/magicienne-nue/

Just a short while after it's introduction, the UK security Threat Level has been raised to it's highest level, Critical. This is, of course, because the security services have foiled a plot to blow up planes flying between the UK and USA.

So once again, the terrorists win. The UK as a whole has just been disrupted, and whilst it may not be completely debilitating, in some small way, everyone has been impacted. Having a 'threat level' alone ensures this happens quickly and completely. It doesn't matter where you live, or what you do but you're invited to 'be prepared' none the less.

Instead of banning hand luggage, is it time to stop clinging to the mudflap of the US?

Well Cat Fans, Coofer Cat now runs on Drupal. I've converted the 2005 and 2006 blogs over, just got the Wiki to do, and then 2003/4. It's been quite a bit of work, but I think it's worth it.

The main Good Thing to come out of this is that when you comment, you get to leave your name. It's also dead easy for me to redesign the site and make other changes to the way content works. In other words, expect a new look and some new features in the near future.