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Moving to WordPress

I've neglect my personal blog for a while as I've focusing on getting content on my tech blog but hopefully that will change when I make the move to WordPress. Blogger will stop ftp'ing come May 1st 2010, so I figured I'd move over to WordPress so that I can customise things a bit more and host it on my own site as well as being able to blog straight from my BlackBerry, so I can update posts a lot more frequently. 

It has been great being on Blogger but think it's time for a change, pastures new, so to speak. While I'm migrating, you can read my blogs over at www.thematrixfactor.com for some tech news.

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Finally got my BlackBerry Storm2

After months of deliberating on what to get for my next upgrade, I finally decided on the Storm2 as news spread that it was coming to O2 UK. So, after waiting for it to finally arrive in store I got my upgrade a couple of days ago.

I will be putting up a full review of my usage sometime during the week, which you'll find over on my Tech Blog. So far it's going okay, just getting used to the SurePress thing though. It's a very different touchscreen experience to the iPhone. So, watch this space for my review.

I was too excited to open it up and use it that I forgot to make an unboxing video. So, I'll just show my you my excited, cheesy photo instead.

 

Channel 4 saying goodbye to Friends in the UK

I heard some sad news a couple of days ago with the announcement of Channel 4 here in the UK that they will stop airing Friends on Channel 4 and C4's digital channel E4, the show that brought us Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Ross, Joey and Chandler, and the ever changing hairstyles. Even though the series ended almost six years ago, the series has been re-run seven days a week on E4, airing double episodes every night. 

I'm saddened as I am an avid fan of Friends right since the very beginning and watch it religiously, right through until the end. Somehow, it never gets old to me. I can sit there every night and still laugh out loud as if it's the first time I'm watching it. It will still air until autumn 2011, so I've still got over a year to enjoy my beloved 'Friends'. It's still sad to know that it will be ending though.

The official statement from C4 is: "After 15 years, 10 hit series and 236 terrific episodes it's time to say goodbye to old Friends and welcome new ones, in the form of more comedy, drama and entertainment from the US and UK.

"We are incredibly proud to have been the home of Friends for so long, but at a point when the channel is undergoing a period of creative renewal it felt like the right time to part company."

Got to get someone to buy the whole box set for me.

Dilemma sorted

You may remember my post last month about my dilemma over what my next phone was going to be. Well now I think I have sorted this out. 

On my list was the BlackBerry Storm2. But this was only available on Vodafone here in the UK. Or for a price way over what I can pull out of my pocket from Expansys. That is about to change though. The BlackBerry Storm2 is on its way to O2 UK, so that makes me a happy bunny as I have decided that it will be my next phone. I don't know any pricing information right now. But as of now I'm a very happy bunny as I think I'm loving BlackBerry too much to leave it behind just yet.

Okay, excitement shared. I shall go back to being overjoyed by myself.

Great British Railway Journeys

I have found myself currently hooked onto a BBC TV show called Great British Railway Journeys which sees Michael Portillo (former Policitian), journey through four railway lines as described in a guide by George Bradshaw, written around 170 years ago. I only stumbled across it as I was browsing through the BBC iPlayer one evening when I couldn't sleep. The first one that I came across was his journey from Carlisle to Glasgow. 


This journey intrigued me as it was the last leg of a journey I took many years ago to meet my, now, partner. Though I didn't take the detour trips that Michael Portillo took through his journey, it still interested me to find out bits of history along this route. 


Since that night I searched to the iPlayer to find other episodes and discovered that there were many other episodes to watch and catch up on. 


I am not really a railway buff but I think it's the fact that the railway was my mode of transport to get to my destination to meet my partner, whom I have been with for a great seven and a half years, that has given me a bit of interest on railways. Something I don't think I was aware of until now. Or maybe it's just interesting to see that a guidebook, written in the Victorian period, can still be followed in our modern world today.


It's given me a bigger insight into Great Britain and makes me want to follow the exact same route. Most especially to ride on an old steam train that goes over Ribblehead viaduct. The sight looks amazing just by watching it, heaven knows how amazing it would be to actually see it with your own eyes.


There are four railway journeys made each week following the Victorian guide book. I have more or less caught up now, thanks to the iPlayer. Michael is currently on the third journey from Swindon all the way down to Penzance. This long journey is then broken down into about five episodes as he passes through towns, taking stops to visit places or old trades mentioned in the Bradshaw's guidebook.


Bradshaw was a cartographer and he was the first man to make timetables of all the trains that ran throughout Britain in the Victorian period. 


The first railway journey taken goes across the country, coast to coast, starting at Liverpool going through to the seaside town of Scarborough.
The second sees Michael journey upwards from Preston going up passed the border into Scotland with his final destination Kirkcaldy, a place close to Michael's heart.
The third journey (which is currently on) goes south-west on the Great Western Railway (GWR), starting at Swindon, going through Cornwall, ending up in Penzance.
The fourth journey, I believe is from Buxton to London.


It has been a very interesting and educational series so far. I can't wait for the rest.


Why not have a look for yourself. Early episodes can still be watched on the BBC iPlayer. Let me know your thoughts on the show. A mini fansite, independent of the BBC was created for the series, check it out at www.greatbritishrailwayjourneys.com.


BBC iPlayer is only available in the UK.