Jul 28: eSATA against USB2 on my new laptop
I'm using a new laptop with an eSATA connector, along with a hard disk docking station. I thought I'd run some hdparm tests to see what the difference in data transfer between the two methods would be.
root@ruby:/home/james# hdparm -Tt /dev/sda6
/dev/sda6:
Timing cached reads: 5798 MB in 2.00 seconds = 2899.53 MB/sec
Timing buffered disk reads: 222 MB in 3.01 seconds = 73.73 MB/sec
root@ruby:/home/james# hdparm -Tt /dev/sdb1
/dev/sdb1:
Timing cached reads: 5414 MB in 2.00 seconds = 2707.37 MB/sec
Timing buffered disk reads: 270 MB in 3.01 seconds = 89.82 MB/sec
root@ruby:/home/james# hdparm -Tt /dev/sdf1
/dev/sdf1:
Timing cached reads: 5314 MB in 2.00 seconds = 2658.02 MB/sec
Timing buffered disk reads: 94 MB in 3.06 seconds = 30.70 MB/sec
The first is the locally installed SATA 5400 RPM 640GB drive. The second is the external 1TB drive connected via eSATA. The last scoring is for the same drive connected via USB. That's quite a drop in throughput we're looking at there when the cache is taken out of the equation.
Mar 25: Nuisance marketing calls
Follow through with me here.
Marketing calls to individuals on the telephone preference service are illegal. Our fixed-line phone companies (BT, for example) know who just called us. Why, when we get a nuisance call can we not simply pick up the phone and dial a 5-digit code which allows us to report the last call as a nuisance? That would seem to work on a lot of levels: consumers often don't know where the caller is coming from, and shouldn't have to do a lot of work to report these cases. In addition, numbers are often withheld, or the message is recorded. I wouldn't even mind answering, say, three questions about the call by pressing keys on my keypad if it helped with the investigation of this callers.
Sadly, I suspect that phone companies want to make revenue whoever is making the call, whether it bothers the recipient or not.
Mar 25: Yes, I'm still an ENFP
Taken without permission, but with good faith, from Portrait of an ENFP
Portrait of an ENFP - Extraverted iNtuitive Feeling Perceiving
(Extraverted Intuition with Introverted Feeling)
The Inspirer
As an ENFP, your primary mode of living is focused externally, where you take things in primarily via your intuition. Your secondary mode is internal, where you deal with things according to how you feel about them, or how they fit in with your personal value system.
ENFPs are warm, enthusiastic people, typically very bright and full of potential. They live in the world of possibilities, and can become very passionate and excited about things. Their enthusiasm lends them the ability to inspire and motivate others, more so than we see in other types. They can talk their way in or out of anything. They love life, seeing it as a special gift, and strive to make the most out of it.
More after the jump. Read More
Jan 20: Reply from Empire Cinemas
This is what I got back in response to my complaint about the Avatar 3D showing I attended on Saturday.
Dear James,
Thank-you for your email regarding your visit to the Empire High Wycombe, which has been passed to me as General Manager of the site. I was very disappointed to hear of the experience you had.
Saturday evening, as I am sure you are aware was extremely busy, with Avatar, in fact, more popular on Saturday than any previous day since it’s opening in December. It was very clear from your comments that the number of staff working was not sufficient for this level of business, and this was further impacted by sickness.
Clearly this does not excuse the poor service on offer. I can state that everyone working at that time was doing their best to try to get everyone into the screen as quickly as possible, however, I take on board your comments that more effective communication would certainly have aided us.
I am not sure if you are a regular visitor to the cinema, but if you are, I hope you will agree that the issues you experienced on Saturday evening are not commonplace at the cinema.
If you would kindly reply to this email with details of your postal address, I would be happy to send you out some guest tickets so that you may visit the cinema again. I am confident that your next visit will be a much more enjoyable one, but would welcome any further comments you may have.
Yours sincerely
Paul Damms
General Manager
Jan 17: Complaint to Empire Cinemas for botched Avatar 3D foyer experience
Just sent the following complaint to Empire Cinemas after my disappointment in Wycombe when I went to see Avatar 3D. Utter madness, and all caused by cost-cutting and bad management.
I attended Empire High Wycombe today to find the place in complete chaos. Queues snaked slowly around the foyer, confused customers tried to find someone to answer their questions, staff were scarce. There appeared to be no effective management at all; no one taking responsibility.
The box office was shut this very busy Saturday night, presumably to keep costs down. There was a lot of unhappy conversation between customers. I suspect you will lose a great many.
These seemed to be the issues:
- too few staff, none of them in control
- no clear information about where booked tickets could be picked up - many did not realise that all desks could print tickets, not just the machines.
- only three machines, one of which developed a card-reader fault and would not print any more tickets.
- only one person checking tickets for the Avatar showing, and taking a long time about it.
- no announcement from staff to explain that the feature would be delayed to give everyone a chance to get in, so there was some concern that people would miss the beginning, and those that were already inside and seated were subjected to the advertising twice.
My irritation would have been salved somewhat if I had not paid an additional card handling fee for booking in advance in the first place. Where is the logic in that? You must also be paying for box office card purchases. Why pass this on separately to the customer?
I'm influential amongst my friends. Unless you can make amends in a satisfactory way, I won't attend an Empire again, and I'll discourage people I know from taking the risk. The excellent feature experience was marred by chaos, disorganisation and bad pre-planning by Empire. There is no excuse for being a victim of your own popularity when you have all the visitor data that you do. Today's jaunt was a disappointment.
Thanks for your time.
J.
I wonder what they say? If I get a response, I'll post it here.
Sep 26: Humanity and recognising it
Just read (and was touched by) this, a few words in someone's sig:
"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.
Plato"
That's so easy to forget. Why do we expect everyone (including ourselves) to be more than human? As Rob Bell says, we were designed to be neither angels or animals, but this odd, hybrid, blessed creature, reborn in the love of Jesus.
Sep 3: Tasteless coincidence: Jon Eydmann death
I received an e-mail from a band called "Show without Punch" today. I get their circulars, as does Clare, because we saw them once at a gig and signed up to stay in touch. Today, though, the news was sad. Their manager, Jon Eydmann passed away. A quick Google pulled up the Telegraph version of the story.
What I couldn't believe was (what I thought was) the accompanying image. It is of a man floating face-down in water. The significance of this cock-up cannot be overestimated, and is perfectly clear when you read the article and see how Jon died. I now realise that the tasteless picture is in some way "arty" and alerts readers to a review or critique. A shame no one bothered to look at the article in place on the website.

