This page will be where I write about things I am interested in...
Books
Books I have recently read which I have enjoyed and want to mention...
Currently reading...Black Hawk Down, by Mark Bowden
Spearhead Assult, a personal account of the Falklands war by John Geddes
'Hard Rain' or 'Blood From Blood', the second in the John Rain series, by Barry Eisler
Maximum Impact by Jack Henderson. Brilliant!
State of Fear by Michael Crichton. Brilliant!
Also read all Chris Ryan and Andy McNab books.
More to come...
Computing
I enjoy many things to do with computing. I could spend all my waking time on a computer as there is just simply an unended source of information to absorb on the Internet, endless new skills to learn, a constantly growing wealth of software to play with.
I would like to be a lot more clever with computers than I actually am. I am really quite a basic user I think. The closest I get to programming is writing HTML, which I find quite satisfying though. I have written this site myself from scratch in HTML and CSS and just making things work this way, achieving HTML 4.0 strict validation, CSS Validation, gives me satisfaction. It is merely a hobby for me.
I do work with computers on a daily basis as part of my job. I am a design engineer, so I spend all day using CAD; Pro/Engineer Wildfire mainly. This is another pet interest of mine, getting good using the CAD, trying out different packages. I enjoy finding out useful and clever ways of using the tools available. CAD and also more animation style 3D software is something I would like to spend a lot more time experimenting with.
At home I am now a Linux user. I have gone 100% Linux and enjoy the freedom and experience of something very different to Microsoft. Using it really makes you see what the Linux supporters have been going on about for years about the Microsoft monopoly.
I have been using Ubuntu which is absolutely ideal for a newbie to Linux, as it is very graphics orientated, just like Windows, so getting started with it is a doddle.
This is one of its greatest strengths I think, the fact that it really is so easy to start using. You simply download and burn a CD. This CD you can actually boot from on your Windows machine and it will load the whole operating system into RAM so you can simply 'have a go'. It does not load anything permenantly onto your computer. So you can sit and play with Ubuntu for as long as you want, set it up how you like it, decide if you want to try it. If you like it and want to give it a go, you can choose to install it there and then, otherwise just eject the CD, reboot and it is if it was never there...LiveCD.
Installation takes about 15 mins. It is so easy compared to Windows. No messing about with keys, no sitting around waiting and then fiddling and updating for hours and hours just to get it up and running. You can mess about with linux and destroy it and not worry because reinstallation only take 15 mins. I set mine up so that my /home directory (like My Documents) is on a seperate partition, so all personal data and program settings will not need backing up each time you need to reinstall. Don't let me give you the impression that you need to reinstall often! I have only needed to reinstall once since I started using it and that was my own fault. Like any new user I wanted to play with everything and just ended up messing too many things about. It could have been fixed no doubt, but for me and my knowledge level, it was just easier to reinstall. Linux is very stable. It will runs for such a long time without the need for a reboot. I regularly don't shut my machine down. It just keeps on working. This is why a large portion of web servers use Linux.
Cars
I have a big interet in cars. I like anything to do with them, but mainly I am interested in the engines. I have worked on my own cars for years, not so much recently, but hope to rectify that at some point. New house and baby on the way kind of take priority.
I have done many things about the workon my cars as little reports on forums etc before, so may write about some of the more interesting things I have done. Maybe some useful guides for people with similar cars. Not sure yet.
Lifting
I have trained on and off for years, with varying degrees of success. Once or twice when I was young and just went and did anything that looked cool, with no routine or a clue. Then again later with someone else who already trained and learnt to be a bit more serious about it, especially the importance of routine, nutrition and rest. But even looking back at that I made many mistakes. The greatest clue to not doing things right was the lack of any particularly noticable change in physique.
Then a few years back decided to give it another go and in my true nerdy style, wanted to research and find out the best way to approach things. I came across a book that completely changed my way of thinking and within 6 months made a very visible different to my routine. Don't get me wrong, I am not much to look at right now (esp. as I have been out of training for over a year) but I used to be a lanky skinny rake!
The book I found was Beyond Brawn by Stuart McRobert. It really is an eye opener to the world of strength training and bodybuilding, enlightening you to all the BS and bad information circulating in the world of training today. As with anything, when something becomes popular and fashionable, there will always be swarms of people with different opinions leading to total confusion for people starting out.
Beyond Brawn is the best book I have read on this topic. I feel somehow smug(?) or as though I have knowledge that others don't for reading this book. I feel like when I train I know I am doing the right thing and can laugh at others who ignorantly and arrogantly say this way is wrong. All I can say is, if you find it hard to gain in the gym and feel you don't know what to do then READ THIS BOOK. It will change how you think and give you great confidence to proceed.
Currently (May 2008), I haven't trained for about 21 months, so feel very out of shape. This is mainly due to finishing off a degree in uni, getting a new job 200 miles away from home, so having to move temporarily for a while and then more permenantly about 6 months ago into a new house with my wife. Baby due any day (as of writing) so haven't had much opportunity to train for a long time. But I am currently building up some equipment so I can train at home. I have a garage I can use which is perfect and it means I don't have to go find a suitable gym plus more money plus, more importantly, more time. Time is very limited right now, so training at home is ideal.
