Yamaha CD-R burner troubleshooting
Posted by Oli @ 7:53 PM · 05 May to Life
I’ve finally worked out that my Yamaha CD-R burner CRW8824FXZ has a hardware error. Here are some troubleshooting links
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Nightline’s ‘The Fallen’
Posted by Oli @ 7:23 PM · 05 May to Life
ABC’s current affairs show Nightline causes a stir with their program “The Fallen”. I can’t understand why.
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Eating Fugu・（河豚）
Posted by Oli @ 3:50 PM · 19 January to Japan · Life
I recently went to eat Fugu・（河豚） with Miwa and her parents — it’s always good to have potentially fatal experiences together ;-) Here’s a description, some photos and some information about blowfish.
Results; non-fatal (this time! phew ;-), interesting, but not as amazing as the price would suggest.
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The Patriot Act II; scary, and now law
Posted by Oli @ 6:53 PM · 02 January to Life
The USA becomes scarier and scarier; the Patriot Act II becomes law via underhanded means.
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Cheesecake is not fluffy
Posted by Oli @ 11:03 PM · 01 January to Japan · Life
In Japan cheesecake is a light, fluffy dessert that tends to flavourless. I wanted to remember what a cheesecake based on cookie crumbs, real fruit topping, and cheese tasted like. Behold, the Cherry Cheesecake! (warning: to be avoided by dieters everywhere ;-)
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Are we buying a new computer or what?
Posted by Oli @ 12:42 PM · 14 December to Apple · Life
After the price craziness with the Apple PowerMac G5/1.8 model, and it’s replacement with a G5/1.8 dual model, I’m now holding off again for more anticipated price drops in January. I can justify this with my waiting for a new line of (cheaper, G5-complementing) LCD monitors, but all this waiting is getting silly! I hope we can buy the new computer soon :-)
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USA doesn’t like Tourists?
Posted by Oli @ 12:43 PM · 31 October to Life
Going to the USA is becoming more and more like a trip to a prison, or maybe a war zone. While security is important, at what point does the price become not worth the result? My desire to visit as a tourist is decreasing every time I hear another US Customs horror story.
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Humidity and Moldy Camera Lenses
Posted by Oli @ 3:31 PM · 29 September to Life
Woe is me! One of my lenses has contracted mold in Japan’s ridiculously humid summer. I didn’t even realise mold could grow on glass?!Continued... (311 words)
Post-Punk Progression (short film)
Posted by Oli @ 1:06 PM · 14 September to Life
Matt Kowalyk has a short film online - Post-Punk Progression. Check it out - it’s funny.Continued... (84 words)
Nature, in all it’s glory
Posted by Oli @ 3:55 PM · 11 September to Diary · Japan · Life
Some interesting experiences I’ve had with nature recently; celestial, meteorological, predatory and aquatic.Continued... (276 words)
Are Some People Really This Silly?
Posted by Oli @ 7:39 PM · 29 August to Life
I am amazed about the reaction (and the press coverage) of the Ten Commandments monument being moved. Are some religious people really this silly, or is there something in the Alabama water?Continued... (279 words)
Electronic Dictionaries from Sharp
Posted by Oli @ 1:23 AM · 21 August to Japan · Life
Miwa and I have been doing some more electronic dictionary (denshi jisho) research, and we think that the best two are the Sharp PW-9800 and PW-9700, because of the screen clarity and size. We’re leaning towards the PW-9700.Continued... (413 words)
Shopping for a new Electronic Dictionary
Posted by Oli @ 2:30 PM · 19 August to Japan · Life
We’re going to buy a new electronic Japanese-English dictionary (denshi jisho).Continued... (349 words)
Bureaucracy and the Immigration Department
Posted by Oli @ 11:39 AM · 08 April to Japan · Life
Life in Japan is bureaucratic(-ly stupid) more than most places, but sometimes it’s just stupidly stupid. Case in point; the Immigration Department. I recently went to change my work visa to a ‘Spouse of Japanese national’ visa. Although my…Continued... (209 words)
