That same virtual keyboard was giving me a bit of trouble at first - my fingers are too fat I assume - but after a couple of minutes I was getting quite used to it quickly. Even more impressed I was by the 5 megapixel camera that took excellent video and still shots. I looked up a video on youtube and had it play on the phone without any issues whatsoever. The wifi connection worked flawlessly and I think it won't really come as a surprise that I pre-ordered an urban brown HTC Hero.

I think it'll make it easier for me to stay into contact with others, using various means, going from text, call, video, twitter, facebook and all. More when I actually have the phone in possession and it's fully configured (probably in about a week, possibly two).

Off to work a night shift in a few hours, hope that it'll cool down tonight and stay like that tomorrow.

Time to let the images speak for themselves : chapter9photography.com - new 2009 summer site & portfolio

Yesterday, I received note from my employer that the two days off I had requested in December - Rammstein concert - were denied due to operational reasons. I don't think I have to explain that I was (and partially still am) pissed off. They are incapable of correctly assessing the operational needs for next week, how would they be able to do so 6 months in advance?

Anyway, when the field manager showed his face and asked me how things were, I threw the letter on the desk and told him that he'd probably could guess, since his name was one of the underwriters of the declined holiday request. He claimed it was the first he heard of it, maybe the other field manager handled it... Doesn't matter to me really, I won't be at work those two days for the following reasons :

• They waited too long to answer my request (+14 days)
• I was not scheduled to work those days anyway
• They have no case to claim operational needs 6 months from now if they can't even assess next months needs correctly.

Should they stick to their decision, fine by me. I'll claim operational needs at home every time they call on me to fill in for someone, work extra hours or come in early. Guess who'll run into trouble first? Karma can be a bitch... too bad she's riding with me, suckers.

update : I received a confirmation by mail that the decline has been reversed and that I'll be having those two days off in December anyway. (Goes to put Karma back in her cage... for now)

Based on a first oral interaction with our customer I think it's fairly safe to say that he was rather pleased, though he listed some issues that didn't really go as planned. A couple of those I also marked for improvement, which means I did my job as an observer well I suppose.

After getting home - aargh, hot car, hot sun, phone call while driving, sweaty - I took a nice cool bath and headed out for food. As I was walking home, I noticed a Muslima and her little daughter walking on the pavement towards me. The child was reaching for the flowers all the time but mom kept on telling her not to pick them. As I was about 2 meters away from them, I took a couple of steps to the left and picked a flower from our garden and gave it to the little girl when they were close by. Both mom and child thanked me, I smiled and wished them a very nice day.

Sometimes random acts of friendliness are excellent countermeasures against close minded racist propaganda - that unfortunately also decorates the street here. I hope they feel welcome in this neighborhood.

While I was finalizing updates and patches on that machine, I used mine to browse the exciting new Android phones a bit more. Sure, I still have my trusty Motorola RAZR V3 and it does what I expect it to do (make and accept phone calls and messages) but my geeky heart aches for something new : a smart phone.

They're relatively expensive when compared to a regular "make calls and no frills" phone, but then again they also keep you in touch all the time, which seems fun. On the shortlist for the time being are the Apple iPhone 3G S, the HTC Magic, the HTC Hero (expected in July) and the not yet released Samsung I7500.

I was able to toy around very briefly with an iPhone from a colleague a couple of days ago (older model) and was impressed with some of the features and widgets it had. I haven't been able to lay hands on any of the HTC handsets yet, but the Android platform appeals to my "open standards" belief.

I'll be keeping an eye on some of the online shops to see what the final cost of these phones will be, but I expect they'll all sell in a €0 to €400 range depending on provider and tariff plan you get stuck with. I'd most likely go for a simlock free phone as that doesn't tie me down to a specific provider.

2call.nl lists the HTC Hero (with Sense UI on top of Android) Urban Brown for "only" €443,- whereas PDAshop lists it for €479,- and Phoneshop lists it for €469,- all of them without being tied to a provider. Expansys lists it for €520,- so there seems to be quite a spread. Maybe prices will fall in line a bit more as it becomes available? If you are able to get your hands on an HTC Hero for a better price - definitely let me know. I'm not interested in stolen or misplaced phones though :)

I am very aware that it is possible to get the phone for "free" when signing up for a 2 year plan, but for the time being those options are still rather limited in Belgium. Check out HotGSM for some bundles though (they don't have the HTC Hero on the page yet).

One would lose all sense of time and place with a schedule like that, but the sheer excitement and sense of appreciation drives me for the time being. Goodbye world, goodbye readers : I'm off to bed!

I brought home the computer of a colleague because he wants me to check it out. I specifically asked him to bring everything with him and I must admit that all cables are there : screen, mouse, keyboard, power cable, the works. The one thing missing though are the account passwords. I could relatively easy just hack my way through or around that obstacle, but I won't. I'm gonna head off to bed and give the fool a call later today.

I haven't been an avid follower of her musical career as such, but over the past couple of years I came to appreciate her "easy listening" songs for the beauties they were. Most of her songs I found to contain multiple layers that you only started understanding when really listening to her music. Who takes the time to really listen to music anymore nowadays?

I'd recommend Pret-a-porter (1997) and Blauw (1999) in case you know nothing of her repertoire.

Yasmine official site.

Anyway, I hope it continues to prove useful to those that need/use it.

Back in the days my insurance company kindly offered me a settlement to get the whole room redone, but I decided to keep the cash and do the work myself. Sounded like a very good plan, but it has left me sleeping in a bedroom with a ruined wall for years. Not that I really minded, when you're asleep you don't really notice, do you?

Anyway, about a year or so ago, I picked up some new wallpaper and had set my mind to redoing that wall. It ended up in a corner where it sat... till now.

I've already washed down the bare wall - it's drying now - and am now collecting everything I need to get the job done. I know I own most of the tools, but where exactly they are seems to be another issue altogether, lol.

So I'll be spending an hour or two fighting with 2.5m long bands of heavy wallpaper next... or I could head off to the sauna and relax instead. Damn, why did I think of that just now?! Now I'm very tempted to just put the job aside and go do the fun thing instead :(

Note : I'm very well aware that a certain someone has offered to come give me a hand several times over the past years to get that redecorating job out of the way, for which I still am very grateful. However, if I can't even make myself do this simple thing, I ain't worthy of any help offered.

Update : I'm covered in wallpaper glue head to toe, but the result seems rather spiffy, if I say so myself. I'm not claiming to be a top of the bill decorator, but I'm pleased with my work so far. Hopping in the shower in a couple of moments, after cleaning up the room and tools.

Off to work, will keep you updated on news as it happens.

Sorry, I can't just put aside my character flaws and tell everyone to go fuck themselves (and risk not to show up at work).

Agree, Disagree? Discuss.

More importantly... does it work?

Being tattooed myself (about 12h in total) - not in my face though - let me set some things straight :

I can't imagine anyone falling asleep during a tattoo session. There's needles poking ink in your skin at a rates of up to a 100 punctures per second. Some describe it as the worst pain ever, others compare it to being scratched by a cat. Everyone is different and yes, the pain does fade a bit as endorphins are released and your body gets accustomed by the sensation of the stinging, but when another section of your skin is being worked on, it starts all over again.

(Update : Kimberly now claims that she didn't fall asleep, but that she passed out, caused by the tattooist putting the needles too deep into the skin on her head. Right...)

You don't fall asleep, unless you're drunk or under the influence of drugs or whatever. Should that have been the case - seriously, I don't know - the tattooist as well as the customer deserve to get shot. Don't take permanent decisions whilst under the influence. Don't tattoo on people that are not within their mind (which includes people being unconscious). Not too hard, is it?

Now Laurette Onkelinx (PS) wants to change current tattoo law following a number of questions/suggestions posed by Katia della Faille (open VLD) :

* The size of the tattoo must be documented in the contract between the tattooist and client beforehand.
* All tattoos should be thought through during a one (or more) day period in which the client can change their mind.

Sure enough, these new proposals sound balanced and not too ridiculous, don't they?

I've never visited a tattoo artist to get some "off the wall" flash art tattooed into my skin, so what I'm describing here is how things usually go for a unique piece of art, also referred to as "custom" pieces.

The customer walks into the tattoo shop, usually with a very detailed idea about what they want, and where they want it. A long conversation with the artist follows in which a couple of things are verified : is the idea technically possible? As an artist, am I capable of doing it? Is the customer certain about their idea and placement? Does the design (in case one is brought in) fit the intended placement? Does it need alterations? Etc...

Most of the time, the artist has nothing but a couple of rough sketches to work with, descriptions and ideas, and that's when the real work starts : not by picking up a tattoo gun and going to work, but by drawing out the full piece on paper, often over the course of several days after which the customer is contacted to come in to take a look. This may very well happen a couple of times before everyone involved is satisfied.

Once the drawing is approved, it is transferred to the skin and last minute changes may be done to make sure the lines and images flow properly with the body structure. Only once all that is done, the actual tattooing can commence.

I've always found that I need a bond with my artist in order to be able to work with them - I don't just walk into a random shop or artist asking for this or that tattoo.

All that taken into account, the new proposed laws won't change much for those who have thought things through and are getting custom work done.

The "I'm-on-vacation-and-the-sun-is-out-and-that-tattoo-looks-so cool/cute/sexy/hardcore/badass" kind of people though will be affected. No more walking in and out 30 minutes or an hour later.

Laws don't prevent stupidity, believe me. If an idiot wants to get tattooed, they'll find a way. If they find out that they'll have to wait and come back a day or two later to get that tough "Taz" tattooed on their butt, they won't come back at all. They'll end up at a shady scratcher that works in the living room in conditions that are far from sterile and whom doesn't care about the law. The idiots will just end up with worse tattoos, which in itself is a good thing : it makes them easier to spot.

Maybe I should support those new tattoo laws after all?