Much like the bloke in the shed from The Fast Show, this week I have been mostly making a light tent. Well that’s not exactly true. Mostly I’ve been doing other things, but about one hour of my time has been dedicated to this little project which is meant to transform a free box into a £400 photographer’s light tent. I’ve not had time to test it yet, and I’m still missing a couple of critical parts (a high range bulb and a sheet of bristol board) but aside from those, it’s looking dapper.

Last weekend Will’s brother was back from France in time for his birthday (due to an skiing injury) and so we ended up in the bridge. George brought along some home-brew cider (always good) and Gwyz made a long awaited appearance and told us he’s going to become a solicitor.

I’ve also been back at the alma mater. Their annual careers convention took me back once again, and once again I made the most of the free buffet and time to catch up with some folk I’ve not seen in a while. For various other reasons I’ve been back over there probably four times in two weeks, which is more than I have for a couple of years.

I’m digging some newly-found music at the moment. Goldfrapp’s A&E wasn’t an immediate hit for me, but has grown (this is the second track with the same title that’s recently caught my attention… for the other, see Patrick Wolf’s fantastic album, The Magic Position). Also I’m very much liking The Cat Empire, who I’ve not come across before but as a fan of Fat Freddy and the Easy Star All Stars, I was assured I’d like their self-titled album (even if it is a few years old) and I did.

I’ve got tickets to see Rich Hall in a few weeks time, and hoping to sort out a couple of other stand up acts who I’ve been wanting to see for a while. My brain is going overtime on organising the bigger aspects of my life at the moment, and it’s exciting, just for want of some actual progress.

Gran’s finally reached the point where she’s had to go into a residential home, although she doesn’t really understand it. After a fall that put her in hospital a few weeks back, she’d pack up her belongings every day and sit and wait by the ward reception for Dad to arrive at visiting time, much to the amusement of the nurses who couldn’t persuade that she had to stay for a few more days. When he finally arrived, she’d offer him a drink and sandwiches from the bar, which was probably the most confusing part for all of them, as there isn’t one. Although she can think all right in the immediacy, it’s just context and remembering what’s happened that baffles her. I’ve always thought it but the closer to 95 she gets, the more she cuts the shape and temperament of the grandmother figure from the old Giles cartoons.

Tomorrow I buy some bristol board and a lightbulb.

Beyond Seven Years In Tibet: My life before, during and after has been the third book that I have read by Heinrich Harrer, and probably the last for sometime. Being his autobiography, it really is more than just an expansion upon his most famous work, Seven Years In Tibet, and the other book I recently finished, Return to Tibet.

It’s odd that I never showed any great interest in his writing before, or really had any knowledge of this man’s life. It wasn’t until after my time in Tibet, India and Nepal that I actually got around to reading any of it. Most of the volunteers who we met out there had already read the book, leaving me a little out of the loop until I got back home and started my way through some of it.

This version in English was only published in July, and it took me 6 months for a copy to arrive. I rarely use the local library, but it saved me £25 as ithey had to purchase it specially as there were no copies in the system when I first asked after it.

Harrer penned the original German copy of the book back in 2002, but his death at the age of 93 (this time two years ago) meant that he didn’t live to see the UK release.

The book is very much in the same distinctive literary style that all his writing takes. Incredibly matter of fact, with little in the way of emotion or ornamentation, it makes makes for text with exceptional clarity, although at times you do wish he would give away just a little more. I felt more satisfied with this book than with the previous two for a couple of reasons. Firstly, this book really does set the scene. His childhood life in Austria, his (Olympic) sporting career, and his successful first ascent of the famous Eigerwand mountain in the lead up to the second world war (which is interesting as it is from a German perspective). It also covers his time spent at Dehra Dun civilian prisoner of war camp in India, and then joins up with Seven Years as he makes his way deep into the Himylaya.

His time in Tibet provides an extraordinary account, and after visiting the place, and comparing it to the photographs and accounts of previous explorers, I can’t help but find the whole idea of pre-occupation Tibet as being a truly magical and romantic existence.

But of course that was all to end, and after returning home to meet his son for the first time, he then tells of the many expeditions and photographic assignments he undertook in the following 40 years. And this is where I became truly captivated with this book. I had read a lot about Tibet by the time I started this, and I’m glad he doesn’t dedicate more than he needs to the subject - if you want to read about that you clearly should read his 1957 book. But for all the details of his experience in the Belgium Congo, with the final days of the remote tribes of New Guinea, along the Amazon, Borneo, Africa, India and Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet once more, then you need this volume.

It amazes me that after his time in Tibet he spent so much time networking with the mountaineering/explorating elite - encounters with Sherpa Tenzing, Edmund Hillary, King Leopold III and others - and to think that all of this occurred in only the past forty years is astounding. Mainly because it’s hard enough to believe Pygmy tribes living in a practically Neolithic existence still survived well into the mid to late 20th century. His encounters with native inhabitants in still highly unchartered and often dangerous lands and times seem impossible now, and his love of the outdoors and for ethnological study really comes to the foreground as his passion - something I don’t think that is so easily picked up from his most famous, earlier writings.

Clearly he experienced some distress in the later part of his life when journalist started digging up his past, but as I can’t seem to find much discussion about this and it’s hard to draw any conclusions. If anything, this is one aspect of his life that I still am unsure I truly understand. By the time he got around to producing his memoirs he seems to have been content with his achievements, and I think I’m now content with my exploration of his life.

A truly remarkable man who led an extraordinary existence and never seemed to waste any of his 93 years.

This week I did a mass purge of content. I rarely touch my CD collection these days, but I decided to do a mass clean out and managed to rediscover a fistful of Now That’s What I Call Music discs and one Pepsi Chart CD. Yes I know, but I was young and naive, and it was right at the end of the last millennium (and that was ages ago).

I decided to hook them up and see whether in all this time I had missed any classics tchunes; the sort of thing that remind you of the summer days out on the grass, or drinks at the weekends with your mates, but a few years before you’re meant to be able to buy them.

We’ll I was in luck. While most of the double discs contained a mediocre paste of pap, I’ve discovered that even pap can disguise a few little memorable gems and hastily ripped these forgotten beauties into iTunes. Tracks include Heart of Asia, Toca’s Miracle, On The Beach, Fields of Love, Blood is Pumpin’ and a couple of other ones. They’ll never be considered greats, but while the sun has been out and things have been looking up, I’ve been lapping it up and enjoying my very own early 00’s revival.

Also victim to the clearout, about £300 worth of old Computer Arts magazines, some going back to 2001. It’s sad to see them all go, it’s sort of how I learnt my trade (if only I could have claimed them as expenses in those days) but there comes a point where they become a health and safety hazard due to their combined weight, so I made the decision to get rid of the lot, including about 60 trial CDs all containing trial versions of Dreamweaver 4 and tutorials on how to make a wicked website using frames.

I’m making my way through yet another Heinrich Harrer book, and soon will have a review for it I’m sure. It’s much thicker than the previous volumes, but it does cover a lot more and fills in some of the gaps. I’m keen to finish it.

This week I’ve got a slew of projects to kick start and I’m looking forward to it. It’s going to be a little manic, but I like it like that anyway.

What with Skins back on, the weather improving, some good comedy coming up, my swim routine getting back into shape and the hunt for more space all on track, I’m really enjoying watching the last few days of winter slip away.

Thanks Yahoo!

It’s like you read my mind… all I want it IMAP now…

And it now officially supports Safari 3 - even better - no more nag screens for Yahoo! Mail.

It’s very odd for me to be championing something that appears on the ITV schedules as in recent years I’ve found very little worth watching on the network. However, there appears to have been a coup de grace in the form of a new comedy improv show which is apparently an Australian import.

I spotted about 10 seconds of the show last weekend while getting ready for to go out, and mainly attracted by the presence of Paul Merton doing something different, I took the time to setup ITVs ridiculously complicated Catch Up system on Windows (Mac not supported) and watched all the back catalogue of episodes still on offer from this first series (I think I’ve only missed the first one).

The programme is called Thank God You’re Here and seems to me like a slightly more accessible and up-to-date successor to Who’s Line Is It Anyway?

Like I mentioned before, Merton was the big draw for me, and it’s really good to see him back in an impro role, even if it isn’t his performance that makes this show good. In fact, if you like to watch for new comedy talent, it supplies a really good selection (Michael Macintyre, Marcus Brigstocke, Rufus Hound, Lee Mack etc etc), although there have been one or two guests whose inclusion seemed a little strange (Corrie actors), but then again that’s probably just because I can’t help comparing it to the WLIIA? format.

So that’s my current recommendation if you want some good quality improvised TV comedy.

This was another Multipack Saturday and there was a good collection of familiar faces at the meet on the balcony of the Old Joint Stock. Good news from One Black Bear who have just won a very important contract and Paul’s stories from MacWorld gave some insight into the new Macbook Air.

Aside from the local geekery, I spent three days with Rattle this week working on a couple of projects and took some time to visit Chris whilst I was up there. I know some of my friends think it’s odd to insist on visiting people everytime you go anywhere out of your usual territory, but I can’t help it - surely it’s better to stay in touch anyway?

Rugby-wise, I’ve only seen the England games due to some poor scheduling, but can’t say I’m feeling particularly pleased with our current form. I mean, we’ve done the same thing two weeks running (luckily this time it didn’t have such strong repercussions) but how do we let our game play fall apart so easily in the space of 25 minutes? At least it looks like we’re consistent.

Finally, and probably most surprisingly from the past week, I noticed quite plainly that in the new series of Lost, Bromsgrove (yes, like the local Bromsgrove) gets a mention. There’s clearly nothing more mysterious than Bromsgrove.

I’m really pleased to write about some exciting changes for the Midlands based web group, The Multipack.

The ‘Pack have been going strong for over two years now, and being a collection of web developers it seemed only right that after all that time we might be able to muster up an update to the logo, website, forum and set out a new direction for 2008.

Kudos to Paul Lloyd & Gareth Brown for the artwork and Trevor Morris & Ross Riley for the hardstuff. The new site is really refreshing and looks fantastic.

There have been some other changes too. Our key venue is now the Victorian splendour of The Old Joint Stock on the edge of Birmingham’s St. Philip’s Square, right between (and no more than one minute walk from) Snow Hill and (3 minute walk from) New Street stations.

There will be some more opportunities to meet with us further out in the West Midlands, as we are hoping to start venturing outwards once more.

Meetings are (as they have always been) open and free to anyone who wants to informally discuss, learn or network with other local developers, designers, experts and non-experts. We meet on the second Saturday of every month at 2.00pm over a few beers and a even occasionally a late lunch.

For more details about Multipack events (including our next meeting on Saturday 9th February), check out our new website and forum, or feel free to ask questions of any of the regulars such as myself - we’re always looking forward to meet and join up with others who want to learn, share and engage with other web professionals.