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Sally's Journal Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in the "Sally" journal:

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January 26th, 2010
08:56 pm

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A thing which has not happened to me before happened when I was panicking about my Bardcamp packing.

A chap knocked on our door and said he was doing the Coventry Household Survey. Now, I'm sceptical about doorstep callers, but you'd have to be a really intense scammer to make up a list of quite so many odd and tedious questions, and as a government stato I feel I ought to support random slightly uninspired surveys. I can't complain there's never any data if I personally go out of my way to avoid giving them data.

I have a feeling that their survey of Coventry will be horribly skewed to 'Coventry people who are at home and bored enough to answer surveys at 10.30 in the morning', a subset who I don't think are very representative of the rest of us. Anyway, the survey is also on line here, so any Coventry citizens reading this might want to consider filling it in. It's very keen on finding out if you're happy / content / sleep deprived / stressed, so I think filling it in 4 hours before bardcamp, when I was about as joyfully over excited and as sleep deprived and anxious as I get also led to me being slightly unrepresentative...

The chap didn't at any point remark on the fact I was wearing a long rainbow striped waistcoat, of the sort one might have been in the middle of trying on if one was making a clown costume in a hurry. I hope it cheered him up...

(8 comments | Leave a comment)

December 17th, 2009
04:43 pm

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I'm skeptical about the 'LJ gives people a year's free paid account in order to get them signed up to an inertia marketting direct debit scheme'

http://community.livejournal.com/paidmembers/23977.html

However, if you're less skeptical and would like my $10 dollars, first 10 commenters can have them. And I won't be in the slightest bit offended if you then decide not to use it. I'm assuming that most people I know who want paid accounts have them already though...

(5 comments | Leave a comment)

December 9th, 2009
07:20 pm

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Hmm, I am failing to write my yuletide story, and at some point I will need a beta reader or two...

Poll #1496777
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 24

So yuletide...

View Answers

I'm doing yuletide!
4 (17.4%)

I'm not doing yuletide!
19 (82.6%)

And just so I don't get you to beta a story I'm writing for you...

View Answers

My yuletide name is my LJ name
4 (100.0%)

My yuletide name is not my LJ name, it is:

So beta-ing and general yuletide filter...

View Answers

I'm doing yuletide, and if it's not for me I'll beta your story!
2 (14.3%)

I'm not doing yuletide, but I'd beta your story.
12 (85.7%)



ETA: The 'I'll beta your story' tickybox is there to mean 'if you set up a filter to talk about your yuletide story in more detail and it sounds like there's a cat in hells chance I understand the fandom you're writing in, I might then volunteer to beta your story'. But that was a bit long for an LJ poll box.

(14 comments | Leave a comment)

October 18th, 2009
10:31 pm

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Automation of casting matrices
Hi all!

Readthroughs are generally better when people don't spend hours having conversations with themselves-as-different-characters because the person casting did it in a rush. In the past, I have read through scripts and made lots of semi-incoherant tally marks and a few vague assumptions. However, it strikes me this ought to be an easy thing to automate.

This is what I want to do )

So three questions:

1) Has anyone done anything like this before?

2) If you were going to do something like this, how would you do it technically? (ie program languages of choice, etc)

3) Does my algorithm for how to do it seem fairly sound? Where are the difficult bits I haven't spotted?

(22 comments | Leave a comment)

October 13th, 2009
10:39 am

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Laptops and things
I have a desktop computer, and I want a portable computer-type-thing.

As far as I can tell I have two options:

1) Get a laptop type thing

2) Get a really small cool eeeee-type thing.

Oh wise LJ, what do you think I should buy? Recommendations of particular products / packages particularly appreciated.

what I want / pros and cons )

(39 comments | Leave a comment)

October 4th, 2009
07:46 pm

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Lots of the stuff I keep I keep because it has memories. It's the mask I wore to Peterhouse May Ball, or it's the toy dog that was the most exciting thing I'd ever owned when I got it, (because you could put the puppies in its tummy and take them out again), or it is the rabbit my great nana knitted me. Now, sometimes it is nice to have the thing, as well as the memory of the thing, but I am not sure my life is enhanced by, eg having the Tufty Road Safety game, whereas I think it genuinely is enhanced by having a reminder that the Tufty Road Safety game existed. So I think I am going to blog about things, and then get rid of them, in the quest to have Less Stuff.

Poll #1466408 Blog-a-box!
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 74

So, where should I do this?

View Answers

In a text file somewhere
8 (11.3%)

In private LJ entries
8 (11.3%)

To a filter, on your real LJ
56 (78.9%)

In a new LJ / community
9 (12.7%)

...behind a cut
28 (39.4%)

Never!
2 (2.8%)

And if I filter?

View Answers

Count me in!
65 (91.5%)

Count me out!
0 (0.0%)

Shrug.
12 (16.9%)

House name

View Answers

Henneth Annun
12 (18.2%)

Durin's Door
8 (12.1%)

Anything that doesn't reference the damn door!
11 (16.7%)

No more gratuitous Tolkien references in housenames!
21 (31.8%)

Orcs killed my grandmother
12 (18.2%)

Doors killed my grandmother
14 (21.2%)

Tickydoor
42 (63.6%)

(29 comments | Leave a comment)

September 30th, 2009
08:01 am

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No email for the next three days due to house move.

Text me for urgent things, and I'll pick up comments here (comments screened) on Friday hopefully

(Leave a comment)

September 6th, 2009
09:28 pm

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For those of you that requested it, a map of the norfolk holiday. Apologies for the image quality - when I'm rich I'll buy a scanner, but it's amazing what you can do with a camera!

(9 comments | Leave a comment)

August 6th, 2009
06:06 pm

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NEVER EVER EVER OPEN A PLAIN TEXT HTML FILE THAT YOU ARE WORKING ON IN WORD.

EVER.

No, not even if you just _open_ it, and don't tell it to save in the slightest. It will still trash your wonderful simple code and replace everything with hugely over prescriptive garbage.

Damn you, microsoft!

(10 comments | Leave a comment)

June 6th, 2009
03:20 am

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Robert BS said this* was fabulous. It is. Apologies to the 99% of the internet to whom this isn't news, but the other 1% desperately need to know

*Literal video total eclipse of the heart.

(9 comments | Leave a comment)

May 27th, 2009
10:19 pm

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3 things I am currently interested in...

Poll #1406746
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: None, participants: 118

Anti-depressants

I am currently using prescribed anti-depressants
18 (15.3%)

I have previously used prescribed anti-depressants
36 (30.5%)

I have never used prescribed anti-depressants
72 (61.0%)

How many people die walking in the mountains in England annually?



What is there to do in New Orleans other than drink chartreuse and avoid vampires? What have I forgotten to take to America? Plane tickets, passport, money, ESTA application, fingers for fingerprints... Help me, LJ, you're my only help!

(44 comments | Leave a comment)

May 26th, 2009
09:36 am

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What do you eat for lunch during the week? Are you bored sick of it too?

(51 comments | Leave a comment)

May 25th, 2009
10:51 pm

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Well, it's not really LJ if I don't post bad poetry occassionally ;-) )

(6 comments | Leave a comment)

April 1st, 2009
09:05 pm

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I don't know why some people go out of their way to make other people happy. Often people they don't know very well, or who they don't owe anything to. But they do, and time and time again in my life I find myself enriched by the kindness of strangers, or acquaintances, or people I feel blessed and privileged to be able to call friends.

So thank you everyone, because I know lots of you do this. And a big thankyou to [info]aiwendel, who has today made a dream of 20 years come true. (Although me finally acquiring a viola may be the stuff of Matthew's nightmares, but we'll elide that for the sake of a gushing post ;-) )

Now all I have to do is make sure I follow the good example of wonderful people and help others when I have the opportunity. And put in the time and effort to make the most of the gifts I have been given.

(7 comments | Leave a comment)

March 3rd, 2009
08:20 pm

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Poll #1359034
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 62

Which is healthier

View Answers

Black pudding
51 (86.4%)

Chicken nuggets
8 (13.6%)

How many unique props are there in a Buffy season 2 readthrough (eg if a stake is mentioned in 2 separate scenes, it counts as 1, but if two stakes are on stage at the same time, they count as 2)

(16 comments | Leave a comment)

February 25th, 2009
10:22 pm

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We did a poll like this last year, and then ran off and did Easter back in Cambridge anyway. But I am quite tempted by the idea of being in Coventry for Holy Week, so I thought that once again I would investigate who, if anyone, was interested in joining me.

This is a fluffy preliminary sort of post. I reserve the right to not do any of the below if not enough people are interested. And I reserve the right to randomly choose a subset of people to invite if too many people are interested. And I may just choose to go back to LSM like I do evey year.

Poll #1355561
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: None, participants: 57

A herd of ticky-boxen, mostly aimed at those we usually spend Easter with, but open to all expressions of interest from people of all faiths or none.

I am interested in Easter in Coventry
12 (32.4%)

I am planning on being somewhere else for Easter
22 (59.5%)

...and I think Sally and Matthew should join me!
6 (16.2%)

I would be interested in staying on the night of Maundy Thursday
3 (8.1%)

I would be interested in staying on the night of Good Friday
4 (10.8%)

I would be interested in staying on the night of Holy Saturday
5 (13.5%)

I would be interested in staying on the night of Easter Sunday
7 (18.9%)

I would like to go to Mass lots
10 (27.0%)

I would like to eat large Easter lunches.
16 (43.2%)

I would like to drink champagne
17 (45.9%)

... but I won't mind if you only provide Cava
14 (37.8%)

I would like a sing through of something Passion related (St Matthew's?)
7 (18.9%)

I would like a readthrough of something Passion related (passion plays?)
8 (21.6%)

I would like to sit in contemplative silence
9 (24.3%)

I would like to avoid all the religious bits
9 (24.3%)

...and some straggling ticky-boxen

I am not a Christian and don't want to spend Easter in Coventry, but like having a tickeybox all of my own
27 (77.1%)

I am a special snowflake and do not fit in your poll boxes, but will leave a comment
6 (17.1%)

Resurrections un-killed my grandmother, you insensitive clod!
8 (22.9%)

(28 comments | Leave a comment)

January 19th, 2009
03:39 pm

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I feel happier than I have done for months :-)

Proper post about the weekend might follow, but I just wanted a placeholder to say thank you to all the people who made it so.

*smiles*

[I'm sure eventually I'll realise it's over and the crash will come, but I am far too closely wrapped in happy memories for that to start yet...]

(8 comments | Leave a comment)

December 31st, 2008
10:34 am

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I am having a big New Year, New Efforts to stay in touch with people. As such, I am taking the miriad of different places I have people's addresses jotted down, and trying to compile them into a System.

Even if you are 100% certain I already have your contact details, I would be very grateful if* you would either leave them (or a link to where they live) in a comment to this post (all comments screened) or email me***

Thanks!

2009, the year of excessive organisation!**

*Assuming that is that you want me to have your address. No offence if not!

** Oh how I will look back on that and laugh

***LJ email should reach me. My contact details are here, if I've put you on the right filter for my real email address.

(14 comments | Leave a comment)

December 28th, 2008
12:21 pm

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Poll #1321742
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 115

Liquor chocolates

View Answers

One of the most tasty food substances in the world
13 (11.3%)

Very Yummy
37 (32.2%)

Nice enough
28 (24.3%)

I'll eat them if I'm offered them, but won't buy them
36 (31.3%)

Not Nice
21 (18.3%)

Alphabatising things

View Answers

Yes, everything, even pets and spouses
16 (13.9%)

Yes, all the obvious things like books and CDs and herbs
48 (41.7%)

Occassionally
51 (44.3%)

No
15 (13.0%)

Buying violas for beginners

View Answers

I know lots about this
0 (0.0%)

I know a bit about this
12 (10.7%)

I don't know anything about this
99 (88.4%)

I would come with you and help you if you bought me dinner
11 (9.8%)

(36 comments | Leave a comment)

December 15th, 2008
12:00 pm

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Please can you make the ping pong song stop?
Please can you make the ping pong song stop?
Please can you make the ping pong song stop?
Make it stop! Please can you make it stop.
Please can you stop it this ping pong ping pong ping pong ping pong make it stop
Please can you stop it this ping pong ping pong ping pong make it stop
Make it stop! Please make this ping pong stop.

And for those who have not heard the whole of Milton's Paradise Lost to the tune of the William Tell Ovature, here it is:

Paradise Lost )

(14 comments | Leave a comment)

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