Today is Sister Two's birthday, so we went out for lunch. I spent most of the meal discussing cars and macs with Rich and then came home to set up the Sister's new DVD player and digibox. Despite the easiness with which any modern device can be installed when you bother to look at the instruction manual, within my family I am the only person who is apparently qualified to touch anything with a plug on it (I got an 'A' at A-Level Electronics). It work's now anyway.

On Friday John hosted a BBQ for a few friends, and along with Becky (John's other half), Jonathan (her brother), Kath (a friend from uni) and Tom and Mike we had an incredibly civilised evening of over-dinner discussion. Being the only non-Oxbridge/Imperial student out of this set of friends makes me feel like a rebel, but I really enjoy the discussions we end up in. Where else could you have an hour long debate on the effect of religious fundamentalism or ruminate on the middle eastern crisis? Well, the Oxbridge student unions apparently, but as I miss out on that type of thing at uni it's probably good to have somewhere else to vent your personal opinion on foreign policy (I can't think of anything that backs that up).

As would be expected at any event hosted by John there was Batham's beer, pink gin and cous-cous. At times we could have been part of a Bremner, Bird and Fortune sketch.

Oh, I'm getting to grips with the Adobe Lightbox beta... I really need to get my Japan & Australia photos online...

I took my time getting back yesterday. Nick woke me at 10am and drove me to Leicester where I caught a train to Solihull. I had to update the stock system at Le Scarpe, and ended up spending much longer there than had been expected when we discovered some critical software was missing (I've spent part of today fixing that problem). I then went back into Brum and after a short wander, took the train back home.

I spoke to Davies for a while. Apparently now back from Cairns, he too was on a train, but heading down to Kent. Apparently the last two weeks in Australia were pretty good to him (apart from the weather), and now it's all just a question of the final photo swap before I can finally put them all up online.

In the evening I got a text from John and we met up down at The Crisp for a social. Also in attendance were Tom, Liam, Raj, Steve, Mike and Ian, who I haven't seen in bloody ages. The evening whiled away in the beer garden and it was good to find out what's on everyone's agenda now that most of us are graduates.

Today has been spent inside (which is a shame/sauna) trying to cut through the stack of work that needs clearing. I am not a chilled out bunny.

Sometimes you've just got to go somewhere to get something done, and the past two days have been spent in Loughborough working hard on some stuff for StudentXtra. Apologies to anyone up here now who is reading this and knows that I know you are up here (Jono) - I would have called if I had:

1. known that I was coming up and
2. got any time to socialise

The site revamp is shaping up nicely, but other client commitments mean that I have to speed of to Solihull tomorrow to meet with the people at Le Scarpe. Things to do, people to see...

Today is the launch day of a significant project that I've had the pleasure of working on with a few friends from the multipack.

Geek in the Park is a day-long get together, picnic, and discussion for anyone to do with the Internet (developers, designers, programmers... whatever!). This is a very informal affair so family and friends are very much welcome to attend too.

The big day is taking place in Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire. Split in to two main events, Geek in the Park starts with The Picnic during the day, followed by The Discussion in the evening. The event starts at noon and everything should wrap up by around 11pm.

All the information you need is online on the official GITP website. Attendance is totally free and we have the pleasure of playing host to Bruce Lawson and Patrick Lauke who will be speaking on the topic of pragmatic accessibility at the discussion in the evening. We also have been kindly sponsored by Friends of ED, who will be providing prizes for the evening event.

We would love to see anyone who has an interest in web development, and also your friends, family and kids come along to enjoy the picnic. Then in the evening you can benefit from the evening's events over a beer or two. Most of the regular multipackers will be there, plus many others and there will be plenty of opportunity to mingle during the afternoon and evening.

You might even get to meet me...

Ah, a Web two-point-oh post. Marvellous, as I think I'd be right in saying there are not enough of these about.

The shifting of my possessions around my room over the past few days had lifted some remarkable treasures (aside from themed slippers). One of the most intriguing was a invitation I received way back in February 2003. It was sent to my head of department for design and technology, asking for nominations of students to go off to a convention in Austin, Texas. I was asked whether I would be interested in being put forward, but unfortunately due to my involvement in another award final, I had to sacrifice the opportunity.

The invitation resurfaced yesterday, and I reread through what had been on offer. As well as having a chance to listen to some industry giants in the field of web and graphics (Mr TBL, chairman of IBM etc etc) I could have attended one talk intriguingly named "Internet, Version 2.0". Interesting concept. Now it's not exactly saying Web 2.0, but it's pretty close. infact some might even say it sounded like saying 'Web 2.0' in a 'Web 1.0' type of way (ooooh, it this suitably vague enough for a Web 2.0 post or what?). I can't guess what was actually said, and it probably would have been a little dumbed down as it was just a bunch of final year highschoolers, but it's a bit interesting to note that the time this was published was a full year and a half before the term Web 2.0 was ever readily banded about. Coincidence? Yes, probably.

Three years ago one of my Christmas presents was a pair of Space Invaders slippers. "Hell no!" I hear you cry, but alas, they have stayed with me for the past three years, and they saw some seasonal wear before the corresponding relatives went home stuffed with turkey and Christmas pud and I could remove them. Until now they have remained locked away, festering in my feet juices (pleasant), and when I uncovered them during a purge of undesirables, I decided they should go.

I put them in the bin. And then I put them in the bin. And then I put them in the bin again. Unfortunately I was fighting an uphill battle, as somewhere down the line before my rubbish gets anywhere near the bin outside, Mother spots anything of value and puts it somewhere noticeable so the appropriate family member can rescue it.

Today I confronted her about the slippers. I am not sure if it's the flashing LEDs on the left foot, or the "Pppeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeewwww" noise the right one makes with each step that really warrants these as valuable, but it was enough to have them removed from the top of the bag three times and placed on the side. I enquired after the third attempt. Mother explained that they had been put to one side to "be given away". I cringed at the thought of some poor African child opening their Christmas shoebox expecting to find it filled with sweets and toys, but be devastated to discover a pair of very smelly British boy's space invader slippers. I guessed it might very well damage diplomatic relations with that country as well as the poor boy's sense of smell, so have strategically placed them somewhere where no human will ever be subjected to them again, and think I have done the world a great service.

If you own a pair of space invaders themed slippers, I urge you to do the same.

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