davidmn.org

Music League is the best game ever

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 12:00:00 +0000

I’m way behind on posting. I’ve got two book reviews to go up but I’ve not been motivated to write them. Instead I have spent nearly all my free time think about and playing Music League.

Gav mentioned it on Regular Features ep 614. Beehind Honemy Lines made a league and we were off.

The game is simple. Each round has a theme, you submit songs for that theme, everyone listens to the playlist then votes on their favs. There’s a leader board and such but the joy is reading everyone’s reviews and finding new music. Also inflicting Leperous on unsuspecting bees.

2026 Aims

Sun, 04 Jan 2026 10:30:00 +0000

The Ritual must continue. How did I stack up against my 2025 aims?

Health ✅
Reading ✅
Painting ✅✅✅
Guitar ❌
Films ✅

Smashed it mate. What next for 2026? More of the same I think. I start a new fully remote job tomorrow and starting well will be the focus. I’d like to build a better routine around going for daily walks in daylight rather than waiting for the evening.

Xenos

Sun, 04 Jan 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Xenos by Dan Abnett was a cheeky comfort reread over Christmas. I first read it in the first year of university and it was already old then and now it’s 25 years old. Old enough to have opinions on amasec vintages.

Do I recommend it? Hell yes. It’s the way to get into 40K fiction, you could probably just read the Eisenhorn series and leave the rest of the 40K extended universe. I’ve got a couple of other books on the go at the moment to might hold off on starting the sequel for a bit.

Albums (Music) of 2025

Mon, 29 Dec 2025 10:00:00 +0000

It’s time for the annual tradition where I write about the music I have enjoyed this year. This time around the links are to Qobuz because if you’ve not hard, Qobuz is having a moment.

I kicked off the year attempting a Queen full-listen. I gave it a fair whack but didn’t finish the project. In terms of albums I really enjoyed Queen I and Sheer Heart Attack. My top two tracks from the experience were Brighton Rock and Breakthru. I think those two tracks highlighted the range that Queen had.

Halo and Modern Software Engineering

Thu, 13 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Two books to report this time. First is Halo: The Flood which is the second book to be published in the Halo Extended Universe. It’s a retelling of the events of Halo and oh boy it is sure a retelling of the events of Halo. This was a real struggle to finish. It’s like a someone in another room describing what’s happening in the game. You can skip this one but I didn’t.

Halo: The Fall of Reach

Fri, 24 Oct 2025 20:00:00 +0000

I bought a lot of Halo extended universe books for very cheap. The first in the series is The Fall of Reach which is a prequel to the first Halo game. It’s a fun military sci fi romp and I enjoyed it a lot. Much like Warhammer fiction, all of the interesting stuff happens away from the battlefield.

I think I’ve got the first 10 books (in publication order) which may way make the blog very very boring. I’m halfway through book 2, The Flood, which is a bland novelisation of the first game. I’m going to finish it though.

Summer Roundup

Sun, 28 Sep 2025 10:00:00 +0000

I finished a couple of books over the summer.

Queens of the Abyss: Lost Stories From The Women Of The Weird

A lovely collection of sixteen horror stories from women authors from the 19th and early 20th century. There’s a little forward before each story from the editor. Published by the British Library under their Tales of the Weird line. It’s very out of my wheelhouse but I loved it and recommend it without reservation.

Tank: The 10 War Machines That Changed the World and the Remarkable Men Behind Them

Thu, 24 Jul 2025 07:00:00 +0000

If you pre-ordered a hardback about 10 tanks you’re going to love it and that’s exactly what happened with Mark Urban’s latest book.

Urban has written a superb whistle stop tour of tank history. I’ve watched documentaries about most of the machines covered but there was still loads more in here for me. He also answers the question “are tanks dead yet?” very well.

If you’re at all interested in military history I’d say this is a must read.

Blood and Treasure: The Economics of Conflict from the Vikings to Ukraine

Sun, 15 Jun 2025 08:00:00 +0000

A cracking book that takes you on the a whistle stop tour of conflict over the last millennium, looking at it through an economic lens. Duncan Weldon explains the economic conflict really well, such that a total novice such as myself can follow with ease. Duncan also gets a few well aimed jabs in at economists.

I recommend it but be warned every chapter is going to have to adding new topics to your To Read list.

We Are Legion (We are Bob)

Tue, 03 Jun 2025 08:00:00 +0000

Another series where the main guy is called Bob, works in IT, and is thrust into a new sci-fi situation? What are the chances. Turns out like The Laundry Files, I really enjoy the Bobiverse.

I’ve had friends recommend this series to me for close to a decade and I don’t know what put me off for so long. The cover and premise probably felt a little too zany? Appealing too much to nerd culture? I don’t know. Either way it’s a breezy laugh and I finished it the other.

The Unaccountability Machine: Why Big Systems Make Terrible Decisions - and How The World Lost its Mind

Sat, 24 May 2025 08:00:00 +0000

Stafford Beer is a very interesting guy and the and once you learn about the Viable System Model you start to see it (and aspects of it) everywhere.

The Unaccountability Machine goes on a lovely long dive into Stafford Beer with the rest on the way the world is broken at the moment. There’s a lot here that aligns with my experience, reading, and general vibes. I enjoy Dan Davies’ writing style which meant even the very dry stuff on the VSM flew by. I’d recommend giving it a go.

Conclave & Our Wives Under the Sea

Mon, 05 May 2025 08:00:00 +0000

Conclave

I’ve seen the film twice and now read the book and all instances have felt oddly cosy and chill. The ramifications of the decision is objectively huge but when you’re in the cloistered space it feels quite small.

The film changes a few things but I’m very happy with the adaption. The film trims some of the Papal admin but I’m kinda here for it. The repetition of the voting procedures create a good rhythm.

Holiday Bonanza

Mon, 07 Apr 2025 08:00:00 +0000

We recently went on holiday to Scotland and I managed to finish three books that have been in progress for a while.

Crab and Bee’s Matter of Britain, by Helen Billinghurst and Phil Smith. Not entirely sure what this is. I got it through a Dan Sumption kick starter, which describes it as

An anarchic retelling of the folk tales of Albion, by noted artists and mythogeographers Crab & Bee. A banishing spell for nostalgia!

State of the Podcasts March 2025

Thu, 20 Mar 2025 21:00:00 +0000

In what is now a randomly celebrated tradition it’s time to talk about what my current podcast rotation.

Regular Features - They’re almost at episode 600 and it still cracks me up all the time. Easily the longest time I’ve been actively following a pod. Their Discord is great too.

BudPod - A new entry to the rotation. Phil and Pierre are very funny and have a good vibe. This has replaced the gone but not forgotten Enjoy An Album in the rotation.

The Anglo-Saxons: A History of the Beginnings of England

Thu, 06 Mar 2025 08:00:00 +0000

A tough but ultimately enjoyable read. Marc Morris covers over 600 years of history in about 500 pages. It’s very dense and people’s names refuse to stick in my head, both of which meant I had to do a lot of back tracking when I lost the thread. It pairs nicely with David Mitchell’s book as a deeper dive into those early rulers.

Probably not the main thing I should have taken away from it but the amount of time people spent going on pilgrimages or popping off to the Vatican to get an argument sorted is mind blowing. Some of these folk spent not insignificant portions of their lives on the road to argue a point. They probably did have a laugh on the way though.

Goodbye Instagram

Fri, 31 Jan 2025 12:00:00 +0000

I marked my account as dormant and uninstalled the Instagram app on the 20th of Jan.

I’ve been thinking about removing myself from the service for ages. I am very weak to the infinite scrolling video format and knowing all the memes. It’s fun in the moment but a total waste of my time. The most reasonable justification to stay was that independent businesses use it a lot, I wanted to keep abreast of the goings on of the Stirchley high street.

Blind Man's Bluff

Sun, 19 Jan 2025 16:00:00 +0000

Man I love learning about submarines. They’re terrifying bits of kit and I couldn’t and wouldn’t get on one. A friend recommended Blind Man’s Bluff and I devoured it in a few days. It’s full of anonymous tales from the USA’s submarine spying programme during The Cold war. I’m pretty sure I’ve watched documentaries about most of the stuff here but I think there are new-to-me details that are anecdotal which didn’t make it into the docs, but such is a book on secret submarines publish in the 90s. It meshes really nicely with Command and Control from last year but is more chest beating and jingoistic. Tom Clancy fans would love this book entirely unironically.

2024 Stragglers

Sat, 18 Jan 2025 16:00:00 +0000

Here are some books that I started in 2024, put down for months, and have now “boshed out”. Bosh.

Perilous Times

This came recommended from a friend describing it as “Immortal Arthurian knights are also spies” which is a great premise to be fair. It’s generally really good but I found the themes of climate collapse & rampant privatisation just a bit too bleak at some times. That’s why I bounced over to Fellowship of the Ring. Definitely give this a go & try to get a copy with the US cover which is far superior to the UK one.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Thu, 09 Jan 2025 20:00:00 +0000

What can I say? It’s great.

This is my first re-read of LotR in quite a while. I think in at least a decade. I have always been nostalgic for the time I spent with my gran reading LotR and that’s only getting stronger. Reading it is like being in a cozy duvet. The prose is verbose, ‘old fashioned’ and a fatherly. I wouldn’t put up with it in a modern book but I will for something so genre defining, so Dave defining.

2025 Aims

Mon, 30 Dec 2024 12:30:00 +0000

The idea of Time Compression in memory really hit this year. It feels like yesterday when I wrote my 2024 post. Work was really busy and full of changes. We lost Iolo. Had some nice breaks. We got Enzo. Lots of stuff but it’s all just flown by in a blur.

So how did I do against last years goals?

Painting. Didn’t achieve the specific projects listed but I painted loads of models. ✅
Reading. Just shy of the 25 target (as measured by blog posts). I read the odd thing that I didn’t post about which would probably tick me over the target. Very pleased with how I did there. ✅
Health? Stuffed it. When things got busy this one went out the window. ❌
Music practice. A mixed bunch. I have practised regularly but mostly the same stuff over and over. 🤷

A tad over 50% which isn’t bad. 2025 goals will be similar:

Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety

Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:00:00 +0000

A good follow up to Nuclear War. It’s a bleak read in a subtly different way to Nuclear War. It’s also very long and some might say rambling but I think the tangents about various people’s histories. If you did GCSE history in the 00s it fills in a lot of gaps between and around SALT and START. Unlike Nuclear war I had to put this book down a lot, it really did take a month or so to get through the 600-odd pages.

Albums (Music) of 2024

Sun, 22 Dec 2024 22:00:00 +0000

Here we go again. As usual this the highlights of the music I’ve enjoyed this year, not just music release in 2024.

Iron Maiden’s Brave New World has been on heavy rotation. It came out in 2000 which means, to my shame, I’ve never really listened to it properly when I started listening to Maiden with A Matter of Life and Death. Wall to wall bangers. My top track is Dream of Mirrors with The Thin Line Between Love and Hate at a really close second.

Killing Thatcher

Sun, 10 Nov 2024 19:00:00 +0000

Killing Thatcher by Rory Carroll came recommended from at least two podcasters/comedians (Christopher Macarthur-Boyd and Elis James) and it’s superb. Not as un-put-downable as Nuclear War was but I still devoured it. I love a book that tells events in detail. Carroll also has a wonderful turn of phrase, for example describing Scotland as a “Celtic Ho Chi Minh trail”.

Carroll follows the threads of many players very closely whilst avoiding Space Opera style “who the hell is this guy and why have we had three chapters on him?”. He also covers all sides with an even hand, even Thatcher herself.

Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout

Mon, 04 Nov 2024 15:00:00 +0000

A friend posted on Twitter that they’d started reading Slow Productivity and just the title piqued my interest.

It’s a short book which builds on the idea of Bullshit Jobs, pseudo productivity, and presenteeism by putting forward an idea of a more humane way of working in the current economic system. Newport uses many examples where people (scientists, authors, musicians, etc) were able to spend lots of time on their projects which allowed them to create great works. Newport argues that the pandemic accelerated the way the work day for many is filled with meetings and interruptions which makes it harder to actually deliver value from Deep Work.

SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome

Mon, 04 Nov 2024 07:00:00 +0000

I love the meme that men are always thinking about Rome. For a guy who reads non fiction I barely think about Rome. For example it took me far too long to see the obvious inspiration in Arkady Martine’s A Memory Called Empire. I’ve tried to fix this obvious character flaw by reading Mary Beard’s tome SPQR. Now, after finishing it, I think about Rome a lot more.

SPQR is incredibly dense, in a good way, and required me to create a timeline of key people and events because the scale and detail is fast. I will go back and re-read it as I’m sure I’ve only scratched the surface.

Nuclear War: A Scenario

Fri, 25 Oct 2024 13:00:00 +0000

You can’t look away from this page turning book which imagines one way a nuclear war could play out.

I devoured it in two sittings. This future is so bleak you just can’t look away. My only complaint is with the writing style. I can live with the short punchy sentences, but I can do without the long lists of details that seem to go on and on without adding value. The descriptions of fires and detonations are also excessive. I get it, nuclear war is bad, now please get back to the discussions of strategy and cold logic.

97 Things Every Cloud Engineer Should Know

Mon, 14 Oct 2024 13:00:00 +0000

This is another one from Book Club at work. It’s 97 short essays/blog posts that cover a wide variety of topics related to The Cloud. It’s really hit and miss. There are really specific articles on the nuances of AWS which contrasted with some quite vague articles. Thankfully the titles are very descriptive. The essays on monitoring and alerting are very solid.

I wouldn’t not recommend it but I think you should have a flick through the titles to see if anything piques your interest.

River Kings: A New History of the Vikings from Scandinavia to the Silk Road

Sun, 06 Oct 2024 18:00:00 +0000

Cat Jarman did a cracking job on this. It’s a superb way to catch up on the modern understanding of who the Vikings were, what they did, and where they ended up. At times it’s quite academic and I liked that. There’s cool stuff about how eating fish affects radiocarbon dating your remains.

Red Devils: The Trailblazers of the Parachute Regiment in World War Two

Sun, 22 Sep 2024 15:00:00 +0000

I have had a copy of Red Devils since its release in 2022. I took a while to start, and a while to finish. That might normally indicate a lack of quality, but just shows my Book Butterfly nature and distractability.

Red Devils by Mark Urban is superb. It follows the founding of the Regiment through to the end of the war (and a little beyond). As I settle into my 30s I am sure you have noticed I love reading history and particularly the Second World War, like some sort of wargaming stereotype. To that I say: fair play, you have got me there. I have read broad histories of events, books focusing on specific campaigns, but I have not read the history of a specific group of individuals like this. Urban follows the regiment in a broad chronological sense but also weaves the stories of a individuals in. The result is informative and page turning. Urban’s prose sits well with me and I will be sure to pick up another of his book soon, The Tank War looks to be my jam.

Space Marine 2

Mon, 16 Sep 2024 21:00:00 +0000

I finished Space Marine 2 this evening and these are my raw thoughts. Expect SPOILERS

I have incredibly fond memories of 2011’s Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine. I was just about to move to Sheffield for university. I was weeks away from getting fully back into Warhammer after years away. Space Marine hit at exactly the right time. I kept the purity seal from the collectors edition for a decade. I have such love for a perfect 7/10 game.

Book Review: Sidesplitter

Mon, 16 Sep 2024 20:00:00 +0000

Am I an autobiography guy now? I’ve read four in the last two years. My previous thirty odd years had a running total of exactly zero.

As a BudPod enjoyer I thought it was only fair to read Phil Wang’s book after raving Pierre’s. It’s a really entertaining read that has very well thought out and explained takes on life. Much like Phil’s stand-up this book talks a lot about rac. Here he focuses on his British Malaysian heritage, how his experiences differed in the two countries. Phil has a wonderful turn of phrase and sense of comedic timing which he brings to bear when touching on some very serious topics.

Book Review: Warhammer 6th Edition Rulebook & High Elves Army Book

Mon, 26 Aug 2024 09:02:00 +0000

What a vibe!!! You might have noticed I’m on a big nostalgia kick at the moment. Part of that has been finally looking into Warhammer Fantasy. Not the Old World that launched recently but the real Old World published in 2000. So specifically 6th edition. Why? Well from some conversations I’m led to believe it’s a golden era for Warhammer Fantasy. Plus all that Blancheian goodness from that time.

I’ve never given Fantasy the time of day, thinking it’s some weirded up Tolkien nonsense. After reading the rulebook cover to cover I think I finally understand the appeal, it is weirded up Tolkien but that’s actually good. Safe to say I’ve fallen head over heels for the setting. I’m almost tempted to pick up some Black Library books set in the world. Almost.

Book Review: Eavy Metal: The complete guide to painting Citadel Miniatures

Mon, 26 Aug 2024 09:01:00 +0000

This was an absolute joy to read. I’ve been watching some of Filmdeg Miniatures interviews with various former Games Workshop employees. After one with Mike McVey I knew I had to pick up a copy of this book.

It was published in 1993 so is as old as me but the advice contained within is still as relevant as ever, just like me. It teaches the house style of GW from the early 90s which has an incredibly vibrant colour palette with a focus on making photos from that era look good on boxes and in magazines.

Book Review: Twelve Percent Dread

Mon, 26 Aug 2024 09:00:00 +0000

I read this as part of a book exchange with my partner.

I’ve tried writing about my thoughts and feelings but it’s all been a more verbose way of saying “it’s fine”. It’s fine, I don’t regret my time with it but I won’t be revisiting it. I think the blurb is the perfect way for you to decide if it’s for you.

Book Review: Head First Software Architecture

Mon, 05 Aug 2024 11:00:00 +0000

Skip it. Mark Richards & Neal Ford wrote a much better version called Fundamentals of Software Architecture.

Book Review: Why Can't I Just Enjoy Things?: A Comedian's Guide to Autism

Sat, 03 Aug 2024 14:00:00 +0000

Reader, I did not in fact finish Mark Urban’s book on the paratroopers. Instead I was recommended this book by Pierre Novellie which I devoured almost instantly.

Somehow I’d not come across Pierre despite him being exactly my jam and moving in the same circles as other comedians I enjoy. He’s just published this book on his experience with his Autism (ASD). It’s not just his experiences but also a history of the condition, where Asperger Syndrome went, a thoughtful examination of how the nomenclature affects and might affect people with ASD, and the ethics of classifying how “functioning” a person is.

Assassin’s Creed: Mirage

Mon, 15 Jul 2024 11:00:00 +0000

Mirage came out at the end of last year and I got the vibe that it was fine. I finished it over the weekend and it is indeed fine. Perfectly fine.

Given the playable character and at least one other main character, there wasn’t a huge amount possible with the story. It feels like a lot of Horus Heresy books where it’s just filling background lore for some characters who can’t die because we’ve already seen them in the future. There’s no modern day playable character with minimal the Isu stuff. It’s fine.

Book Review: Beyond the Wall

Mon, 01 Jul 2024 18:00:00 +0000

I bought Beyond the Wall by Katja Hoyer entirely because of the cover. Some striking design and photography.

It’s the history of the German Democratic Republic. Hoyer goes into what I think is a reasonable level of detail given it’s covering the entire history and ideology of the GDR. That works well for my entry level knowledge of the country.

If you have a poke around online there are lots of positive reviews but also a a fair chunk of people unhappy with the often rosy picture the book renders life in the GDR to be. I think I agree with the latter stance but there’s a decent argument towards the end that the nostalgia some people have for life in the GDR is not a desire to see it return but just happy memories of youth.

I Am Alive

Sat, 15 Jun 2024 20:55:00 +0000

I’ve pre-empted my last few posts with how long it’s been since the previous post. Well it’s been another two months and I’ve not finished much, and yet I am alive.

I have been continuing the path of the Retro Oner. I’ve made it through the XFM days and miss Vin a lot. I just finished the Self Assessment Tax Deadline episode in 2022. Hundreds of hours down and yet there’s more. I find Shame Wells really hard but it’s a very fun project, seeing the last decade compressed into a few months has been wild.

Book Review: Boy In A China Shop: Life, Clay and Everything

Thu, 18 Apr 2024 18:00:00 +0000

Has it really been a month since I finished a book? Not good form. Not good.

I finished the breezy Keith Brymer Jones autobiography yesterday. I knew a little about the star of the Pottery Throwdown but his life before going global was totally new to me. If you’re at all interested in pottery I think this is a must read.

I’ve done a little bit of throwing recently and this book makes me want to do a lot more.

Book Review: Dune

Mon, 18 Mar 2024 18:00:00 +0000

It’s been a while. I’ve been reading but not finishing anything. With the release of Dune Part 2 I picked up Dune again for a rare seconding reading. I finished it on a 4 hour train back from Glasgow.

Dune is flawed but I love it. There’s not a lot to say that hasn’t been said over the last 59 years. It’s very prog rock and waistcoat coded. I started Dune Messiah moments after finishing it.

Book Review: Tidy First?: A Personal Exercise in Empirical Software Design

Mon, 15 Jan 2024 12:00:00 +0000

I’m a big Kent Beck fan. Big fan of Extreme Programming ideas. Tidy First is his latest book and I wish it was around when I started working on software.

Kent details some tidyings (refactorings) and then talks about when to use them. He discusses the tension between delivering changes vs having options for change in the future. There’s a really nice aside on coupling and how it only makes sense with respect to changing the code. Coupling is fine if you don’t need to change stuff.

Book Review: Discipline Is Destiny: The Power of Self-Control

Mon, 15 Jan 2024 08:00:00 +0000

TLDR: skip.

This was on a big list of books someone enjoyed last year. There were some bangers on the list as well as this book. I gave it a go and got half way through. It’s a vague intro to Stoicism using the Great man theory, and I never want to hear about Lou Gehrig again. A lot of the Great man examples directly contradict each other which is annoying. If you managed to create a coherent set of routines from this I don’t think you’d have any time to do anything else.

Book Review: Elis and John Present the Holy Vible: The Book The Bible Could Have Been

Sun, 07 Jan 2024 19:00:00 +0000

2023 was the year I was awoken to Elis James via The Socially Distant Sports Bar podcast. I’m now on my way to become a Retro Oner (listening to all of Elis and John’s podcasts).

I have been sharing my Retro Oner journey with a friend and I said “Wouldn’t it be great if John Robins had written a book?”. Turns out Elis and John already wrote a book and it’s good fun. Especially in January 2024 while they’re on a short break.

Book Review: Miniature Terrain Making Volume 1

Mon, 01 Jan 2024 16:00:00 +0000

I Kickstarted this back in April 2021, it arrived last month and I’ve given it a thorough read but haven’t made anything from it yet.

A beautiful hardback with that Games Workshop rulebook smell. Utterly fantastic production values. So many incredible photographs of finished terrain and excellent step-by-step ones too.

I’m not sure you can get this any more but I’d recommend it to anyone wanting some inspiration. It really gets back to the core principles of making models from random crap you might put in recycling.

2024 Aims

Sun, 31 Dec 2023 16:30:00 +0000

How did I do on last years goals?

Paint more. Smashed it. Painted a lot of stuff I wanted to play with. Boshed out an infinity army and a bunch of 15mm historicals.
Play more games with said painted miniatures. Pretty good. I did some Lard events and played with the Sheffield crew. I didn’t make it to the local club.
Read more. Smashed it. 20 books which I mostly enjoyed. Non fiction is my jam.

Albums (Music) of 2023

Fri, 22 Dec 2023 21:00:00 +0000

As always, I’ve listened to a lot of music this year. Some old. Some new.

Bang Camaro dropped a new single (and then an album) this year. Bang Camaro dropped a new single in 2023? Bang Camaro? I heard about them back in 2007/08 when Alex or Bryn did an interview on a gaming podcast called Massively Online Gamer (MOG Army forever). I acquired their first album (Bang Camaro) right away and when Bang Camaro II came out I imported the CDs from America. It’s difficult to express how much their music dominated my adolescence.

Book Review: 26.2 Miles to Happiness

Mon, 06 Nov 2023 21:00:00 +0000

As I get older more people around me are taking up running. I’d like to understand that, when The Socially Distant Sports Bar podcast recommended Paul Tonkinson’s book on running a marathon I thought I’d give it a spin.

It’s autobiographical, covering his decision to push for a sub 3 hour marathon, as well as covering more biographical stuff. He covers the light and the dark of his life and how running has helped him.

Book Review: Unruly

Sat, 04 Nov 2023 19:05:00 +0000

It’s been a very long time since I’ve seen, heard, or read anything by David Mitchell. In my teens I was really into the Mitchell and Webb Sound and Look, and Peep Show. Since then he exited my orbit. That was until I saw an interview where he talked about Unruly. It sounded fun and I was reminded of how much I enjoyed the character he plays, now he’s writing popular history books I think the real David and the character are truly merging into one.

Book Review: Summerland

Sat, 28 Oct 2023 13:17:00 +0100

The afterlife is real because of mathematics and Brits got their first. Queen Victoria is still in charge in the 1930s. Also there are so many spies? Sounds like exactly my kind of nonsense. Very reminiscent of The Laundry Files. There’s even a quote from Charles Stross on the cover it.

The afterlife exists in the 4th dimension. Rajaniemi has created some wonderful constructs that exist in with 4D space. Really neat and consistent set of mechanics to play by. There’s only one section where I think he goes off the deep end with the Physics chat.

Book Review: Normandy '44: D-Day and the Battle for France

Fri, 20 Oct 2023 13:00:00 +0100

On my military history book, I’ve not read a James Holland book before this one. Which is quite difficult given how many books he’s written.

Very much a Ronseal book. It covers the planning and build up to D-Day to the to the end of August 1944. Holland’s style seems to be telling the broad story by using the stories of individuals. I can see this being very appealing to people who are very interested in specific actions. I’m really reading this stuff for the broad arcs. Which is a little silly because I did pick a 700-page book on the subject.

Book Review: How to Listen to Jazz

Mon, 25 Sep 2023 19:00:00 +0100

How to Listen to Jazz by Ted Gioia has given me so much homework. Hours and hours of listening to go. So I’m not really done with the book but I have finished the reading portion.

I’ve had a passing interest in Jazz for a while but never really ventured beyond the odd playlist on Spotify. Turns out the stuff I’ve been listening to is Nu-Jazz (Bill Laurence, GoGo Penguin, Too Many Zooz, Get the Blessing).

Replacing Postman with Rider

Fri, 08 Sep 2023 22:00:00 +0000

As you might have read Postman is deprecating the Scratchpad feature. At work we have been using this feature to create and share collections of requests that are useful for manually driving APIs in non prod environments. We commit the collections and environments to repos for posterity. Well now that’s going away we’ve been looking for alternatives. There are other apps like Insomnia which look nice but seem ripe for enshittification. We could write some custom code but that’s a lot of effort for a thing we’re doing rapidly.

Book Review: Exercised

Wed, 06 Sep 2023 21:30:00 +0100

“There is more than health to not being dead”

The Socially Distanced Sports Bar recommended this a while back. Their chat about how schools destroy people’s interest in physical activity resonated with me so I thought I’d give this a spin.

I love a book that isn’t afraid to say that things are complicated. In every chapter Daniel Lieberman comes to this conclusion. Lieberman frames the science by busting some myths, I don’t think that works particularly well but the discussion of the anthropology, biology, evolution, etc is excellent. The science is very easy to follow (even for someone who last took Biology in 2010 at AS). There is a pretty strong narrative going from definitions, to evolution, to modern medicalised exercise, unfortunately it sort of peters out at the end. I think he could have cut the idea of myths.

Book Review: XTL

Wed, 06 Sep 2023 08:00:00 +0100

Hands in the air, I did a module at university based on this book for my BSc. Simon Goodwin writes and lectures in a style that I enjoy, retain, and understand. At a charity lecture I “cosplayed” as Simon, frankly our styles of metal t-shirts under collard shirts weren’t that dissimilar anyway. Long live Epica.

XLT covers the possibility and search for Extra Terrestrial Life and was written in 2001. There are some wonderful sentences that hope for progress in the field of exo-biology in the following decades. Lady Luck hasn’t delivered but the science in this book remains incredibly interesting and very well described (even to the layperson I am today).

Book Review: Human Compatible

Sun, 27 Aug 2023 21:00:00 +0100

I’m not optimistic about the future of Artificial Intelligence. This book reinforced that despite a quite optimistic outlook on AI. It describes flaws with current AI and how we might change tack to create beneficial artificial intelligence. Unfortunately I must refer to one of my favourite memes:

Book Review: Blücher

Sun, 20 Aug 2023 22:00:58 +0100

A bit of a change. On holiday I read the rule book for Blücher. It’s a scale agnostic Napoleonic big battle game. Some friends got into it and I must join them.

It’s been a long time since I read a rule book from cover to cover. Blücher seems great. A real geometric puzzle to out manoeuvre your opponent.

I’ve ordered the funky looking bases and some 6mm Austrians (Brits and French are already accounted for in the wargaming group).

Book Review: Dead Silence

Thu, 10 Aug 2023 16:25:26 +0100

This one was a recommendation from a colleague. I picked it up as an audio book.

It’s a very fun sci fi horror. The twist sticks the landing well and the ending is satisfying. It’s got the right amount of joking about corporations being evil, more like Alien rather than The Outer Worlds.

My one criticism is with the audiobook (from Audible, sorry). It’s read by one person who brings more performance to the reading than I’d like. There are moments where your POV character is having a bad time and is panicking, their internal monologue is also breathless/panicking in a way just feels off for statements of fact. Other characters as well very much play up to horror archetypes which, if I were reading, would be skimmed over rather than have full dramatic performances. There are moments of me thinking: “yeah, yeah, yeah, you’re seeing stuff that doesn’t make sense and is spooky. Get on with it an attack the mystery head on please”.

State of the Podcasts August 2023

Tue, 01 Aug 2023 20:53:37 +0100

Back in 2017 I wrote about the podcasts I was listening to. Five years later here’s an update. I’m embedded in the Apple ecosystem so now my podcatcher is Apple Podcasts. This year’s choice cuts are as follows.

2 Good Boys is a classic Friends Chatting podcast.

AvTalk. I’ve been listening to this since just before the pandemic. It’s all about commercial aviation and is dead interesting.

Doctor Who: Too Hot For TV is my top pick for DW podcasts. It’s about spin off material, think Big Finish, Books, Comics, etc.

Book Review: The Premonitions Bureau

Sat, 29 Jul 2023 22:58:58 +0100

To quote CMB “It’s so sad man”

I am led to believe this is a book about real events. That makes it all the more sad. Having read The Demon Haunted World as a teen it’s obvious that that this would rile me up.

I’d like to have had a premonition to not bother with it. Why didn’t The Bureau let me know, was I not in the (generous) 3% success rate?

Book Review: The Spy Who Came in From the Cold

Sat, 01 Jul 2023 10:48:37 +0100

I finished book 3 of the George Smiley series a week or so ago. It’s not got a lot of George here and I missed him.

The broad story was enjoyable but is felt like a drag. It takes a while establishing the key spy shit. Then there’s a large repetition in an interrogation then trial.

I had a cheeky peek at the reviews of the next in the series. Might have a little break and have another go at The Culture series.

Agile 2023

Tue, 27 Jun 2023 17:33:14 +0100

Nearly three years ago I wrote about my ideas on Agile. Those ideas have evolved a little since then. It’s honestly just getting closer to Extreme Programming (XP).

I’m back to using Kanban at work and I can’t imagine going back to Scrum. At least for the ongoing maintenance combined with feature work I am doing currently.

What do I think now?

Just bin sprint reviews. Opt for just talking to people about what you’re working on. Maybe have a periodic session for knowledge sharing but only present stuff you think will be interesting or useful to other teams. Not just a list of tickets you’ve finished.

ASOS Tech Podcast

Thu, 15 Jun 2023 16:38:50 +0100

I was on my first podcast in years! The ASOS Tech Podcast.

I was interviewed about Tech Develops which ASOS’ monthly professional development time. Give it a listen, it’s a breezy half an hour.

Warhammer 40k 10th Edition

Thu, 15 Jun 2023 11:00:00 +0000

A new edition of Warhammer 40,000 is out. To continue the tradition (8th 9th) here’s a post about it.

Since WarhammerFest my thoughts have solidified. I just don’t care for GW stuff at the moment[0] and that’s fine. The models in the Leviathan box look nice but I know I’d never paint them. In fact I’ve put all my Warhammer in the loft to make space for 15mm Second World War stuff. If you’re hyped and enjoying 10th, more power to you. I’m interested to see how the rules refresh plays out. I just don’t want to find out for myself 😂.

Book Review: A Murder of Quality

Thu, 08 Jun 2023 21:00:00 +0000

Another John le Carré (I’ve started the next one before posting this) and it’s another banger. The Yikes-O-Meter got going a few times but I expect this will be true for all of them.

Man, I fucking hate Carne and everyone from the Gown. It’s not difficult for me to dislike such establishments but JlC renders an odious place.

It’d be great to know if Smiley ever goes back to pick up the dog. That’d be very nice. Seems like he could do with a dog.

Book Review: Call For The Dead

Wed, 07 Jun 2023 13:00:00 +0000

I had the urge to read some John le Carré so I picked up the first book featuring George Smiley. It’s actually great. A breezy 170 odd pages. A nice tight mystery that’s resolved very well. It’s definitely from a different age. At one point Smiley pops into a pub for a whisky and then goes off in his car.

I really appreciate that era of technology for a mystery. There’s no need to remove mobile phones arbitrarily. Post cards can become key plot points. It’s just very cool.

7 Things I Wish I Could Tell My Younger Guitarist Self

Thu, 01 Jun 2023 21:00:00 +0000

I played guitar for a while as a child and teenager. From 8 to 18 I had classical then contemporary lessons. I was alright at it. Teachers wanted me to practice more. I just wanted to be good enough to play Joe Satriani songs.

I didn’t take a guitar to university. When I went back to my parents I’d noodle around but my skill was fading. In the years after I sold my guitars.

Book Review: Arnhem

Sat, 27 May 2023 21:00:00 +0000

Still on the military history kick. This time another Antony Beevor. Once again something I had a vague idea about but no details. Very good.

I’ve picked up another Beevor so expect that post in a few weeks.

Book Review: The Great War

Sat, 06 May 2023 08:00:00 +0000

I’ve been watching a lot of Storm of Steel for TooFatLardies related content. Alex does a lot of First World War scenarios which led me to realise I didn’t actually know much about the period. Secondary school history covered some of the lead up and the aftermath (knowing Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points were definitely worth a few marks in exams) but not a lot else.

There’s a lot of chat about Lions Led By Donkeys which is a position I’d been aware of but not held because frankly I didn’t know enough to have a stance. The Great War by Peter Hart puts a lot of evidence forward to dissuade you from such a position.

I didn't win a Golden Demon & WarhammerFest 2023 Review

Mon, 01 May 2023 12:00:00 +0000

Golden Demon

As predicted in the previous post I didn’t win a Golden Demon. I made a good go of it despite losing enthusiasm fairly quickly.

I “finished” Fire Support the day before submitting it. After a crunchy fortnight beforehand. Photos below:

Under the nice lighting of the Golden Demon display case I thought it looked quite good. I didn’t feel like I had let myself down.

Book 'Review': Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful

Sun, 30 Apr 2023 12:00:00 +0000

I read Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful by Arwen Elys Dayton after reading Terence Eden’s review of it.

I thought it was fine. Probably a really good intro to this sort of speculative fiction about tinkering with biology with a nice change of perspective for the protagonists.

Glad I’ve read it but I doubt I’ll re-read it. The ultimate fence sitting review. Just holding myself accountable to posting when I’ve wrangled my brain to pay attention to an entire book.

Everdell

Sun, 09 Apr 2023 21:55:00 +0000

I’ve just played Everdell. It’s a pretty breezy worker placement game with a very cute forest animal theme.

You are tasked with building a city of cards in your tableau over the course of a year. You’ll be placing workers to gather resources and play cards from you hand as well as from a communal pool (called The Meadow). What’s different is that playing cards (which you do by spending resources) does not consume resources. So as long as your engine can create resources your season doesn’t end.

Book Review: The Last Battle

Mon, 03 Apr 2023 08:00:00 +0000

The Last Battle by Stephen Harding was a total impulse purchase. A different Stephen recommended it and I picked up the audio with an Audible credit.

For those who’ve not listened to the Sabaton track with the same name. It’s the siege of Schloss Itter in the Tyrols. Essentially there are some VIP French prisoners held in a castle during WW2. They manage to get help from a variety of sources. Initially relieved by a small contingent US and Wehrmacht troops but are then besieged by SS troops until an armoured column of US troops completed their rescue.

Herts of Lard 2023

Tue, 28 Mar 2023 19:00:00 +0000

Two weeks ago I went to my first Lardy Game Day at Herts of Lard 2023. It was absolutely brilliant. Many thanks to @Joe_Wargamer for running it.

If you aren’t familiar, Too Fat Lardies are a company that produce wargames which are mostly historical in setting. Their motto is “Play the period, not the game” which is very much my jam. At a Lardy Game Day volunteers host games by providing a scenario, armies, a table full of terrain, and GM in some fashion. You don’t need to know the rules before playing and you don’t have to bring anything (though a packed lunch and a mug for tea is recommended).

Book Review: Second City

Thu, 16 Mar 2023 19:00:00 +0000

Book two of 2023 is Second City by Richard Vinen.

I picked it up on a whim from The Heath bookshop in Kings Heath (which is lovely).

It’s an incredibly in-depth history of Birmingham from its geography & mythic Anglo Saxon origins, through The Enlightenment, its rise as an industrial city, the role it played in the British Empire, then onto the Second World War, its transition into the car centre of Britain (and decline there of), finally the 21st century.

Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla

Thu, 16 Mar 2023 12:30:00 +0000

A year after my last post on Assassins Creed I have “finished” Valhalla. It didn’t take an entire year because I took a huge break after playing the first couple of hours.

Why the break? Going straight from endgame Odyssey, Eivor feels so sluggish. Valhalla’s combat feels much more brutal and parry focused than the way I built Kassandra in Odyssey. Kassandra would cut about care free slashing everyone into ribbons but Eivor stands waiting to parry and do stun attacks. I no longer had fall damage mitigation and the crouched movement buff so traversal felt slow. Secondly, Eivor starts out so boring in comparison to Kassandra. Remember the Vikings TV show that started in 2013? Eivor would fit right in there. The tone feels overdone in 2023. This resulted in me never leaving Norway.

Book Review: How Music Works

Mon, 06 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Aim 3 of 2023 is to read more. I’m going to post reviews as I go. March is still Q1 but this does feel like a very late start.

I’ve picked up the guitar again after 12 years away. I wanted a refresher on the things I’d forgotten. So I picked up How Music Works by John Powell.

It tells a very neat story from the foundations of “what is sound” all the way to selecting a key for your composition and thoughts on audiophiles.

About

Fri, 10 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000

I mostly post about books, board games, and wargames. I review stuff I’ve read, played, and write guides on building/painting models.

Sometimes I post about music. This tends towards heavy/progressive metal but don’t hold that against me. A pretty effective segment of my totality can be found in a brain dump of a Spotify playlist. There’s more Welsh Male Voice Choirs than you’d expect.

Once in a blue moon I post super specific technical things.

ARM to Bicep

Fri, 10 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000

At work we use Azure for infrastructure and Azure Resource Manager (ARM) templates to define it as code. Microsoft released Bicep as a nicer way to write your templates.

We’ve recently finished porting a service to use Bicep. It took a lot longer than I’d hoped but we got there. Here are some of the things I learnt along the way.

Decompiling

You can decompile your existing templates with the Azure cli:

KATA: Full English Time

Wed, 01 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000

At work, we have a weekly Code Gym. Someone will bring a kata/problem along and we’ll split up to tackle it. Usually pairing across normal team boundaries. Pretty normal stuff. We have been doing this for two years now and feel like we’ve run out of kata. So we’ve been trying to invent new ones. I am going to post ones I’ve created which should hopefully be useful to someone.

Will this pan change my life?

Mon, 02 Jan 2023 07:00:00 +0000

Non stick pans annoy me. When you buy them they’re incredibly effective. Then slowly degrade until they’re more stick than the alternatives. The prime example is my last pan which had a weird wavy texture that when the non stick coating failed, food would get stuck in the valleys. Awful experience, terrible design.

So I’m trying stainless steel. I’m not sure I have the discipline for seasoning cast iron pans yet. For Christmas I asked for a pan from Samuel Groves who make cookware here in Birmingham. As well as being local they will also service your pan which is very appealing when you’re considering purchases with a Built To Last mentality.

2023 Aims

Sat, 31 Dec 2022 07:00:00 +0000

Rather than resolutions, here are my aims for 2023:

Paint more miniatures. I had a very good summer of painting miniatures but flagged in the final third of 2022.
Play more games with said painted miniatures. I’ll be giving a local club a go soon which should hopefully make this one easy.
Read more. It’s not difficult to read more than me. In 2023 I’d like to find a way around my inability to read at home.

Albums (Music) of 2022

Fri, 23 Dec 2022 07:00:00 +0000

As always, I’ve listened to a lot of music this year. Some old. Some new.

My most anticipated release this year was Ridge and Furrow EP from Dark Forest. DF were my favourite discovery last year and I just love them. The new EP is excellent, Skylark being my favourite track. I hope they put out a full album again soon.

A blast from the past is Jethro Tull’s Heavy Horses. Originally released in 1978, I’ve been listening to the 2003 remaster on Spotify. I listened to Original Masters growing up but never investigate JT’s back catalogue. I heard Acres Wild somewhere (Planet Rock maybe?) which put me onto this cracking album.

I'm not going to win a Golden Demon

Sun, 13 Nov 2022 12:00:00 +0000

I’ve been in Army Bosh Mode for a while now. The French Napoleonics, DAK, and 30k Space Wolves have taken up all my hobby time. I need to mix it up.

Tickets for Warhammer Fest 2023 went on sale and I picked up a Golden Demon ticket too. I’m going to do a diorama. It’s been a while since my last diorama but I think I have a good idea. I’m planning on documenting the process here.

Mastodon

Tue, 08 Nov 2022 17:30:00 +0000

I’ve signed up for a Mastodon account. I had a poke around there a few years ago but it was almost entirely people talking about how great Mastodon is. Now there seems to be a (sub)critical mass of people where you can just have a conversation about stuff that isn’t Mastodon. It’s got a bit of the quiet pub vibe that Ideni.ca did back in 2010ish. So far it’s nice.

Ghost to Hugo

Wed, 02 Nov 2022 18:20:00 +0000

As per my previous post, I destroyed my Ghost installation. Nginx was shafted, networking in general was shafted, node was shafted. It was a mess. So I gave up and decided to go with a nice static site. Just like I always should have.

I managed to fix the networking enough to SSH into it. From their I dumped the mysql database into a file using a little bash

mysqldump -u root -p ghost_production > ~/mysqldump

From there back to my local machine where I used rsync to get the files downloaded with the classic:

Hello World

Tue, 01 Nov 2022 17:20:00 +0000

It’s alive! It’s static! It’s a complete rebuild.

To cut a long story short I utterly ruined the VM my site was running on. This has given me the push to redo the site using a static site builder. I’ve chosen Hugo because I quite like Go.

I’ll slowly put my old posts up. Right now it’s a manual process but I’ll try to automate it.

Sabaton: The War to End All Wars: Review

Sat, 09 Apr 2022 20:10:38 +0000

It’s wild how it’s been 3 years since the last Sabaton album. Pandemic adjusted it’s ~1 year I guess. In between we’ve had a few singles in which have been somewhere between Fine and This Has Aged Poorly.

On first listen I wasn’t impressed so I’ve given it a lot more time before committing opinions to the blog, listening to it a lot.

First I’ll break down what I think of each track, then the album as a whole, and finally something about what I want from Sabaton these days.

Consumerism 2021/22

Sat, 12 Feb 2022 12:00:00 +0000

Last year I wrote about useful stuff to buy/use. This will cover some useful stuff I found this year.

Order your coffee beans from a good roaster. Previously I’ve either had a Pact subscription or picked up random bags from cafes I’ve visited. Obviously with the Pando that’s been hard. I’ve taken to alternately ordering from Quarter Horse or Square Mile. I’ve been getting the filter roasts generally, always in bean form.

Smart Heating

Fri, 11 Feb 2022 12:30:00 +0000

About 4 years ago I bemoanedthe heating in our house. It turns out that providing you’re willing to connect things to the internet it’s super easy. It was probably possible the time I wrote the post if you’re okay with the internet[0].

Simply use Tado°! Replace your thermostat with theirs, connect the internet bridge to your network and you’ve a minimal setup. At this point through the app you can define arbitrarily complicated heating schedules, have it adapt to the weather, detect open windows by drops in temperature, reduce the heating if you leave the house.

Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey & Valhalla

Fri, 11 Feb 2022 10:33:22 +0000

I managed to source an Xbox Series X late last year. I’ve been playing a lot of Assassins Creed since then.

There was a sale and picked up Odyssey for really cheap and proceeded to put 70+ hours into it. It’s brilliant. After not playing an AC game since 3 it was great to see the series improved the formula quite a bit. Combat felt better than I remember. The story was fun and Kassandra was incredibly likeable. Getting the “Good” ending is worth it I feel. The segments set in the future are always jarring but the payoff is very cool.

Warhammer 40k 9th Edition

Wed, 22 Dec 2021 20:00:00 +0000

I think it’s fair to say that my interest in Warhammer 40k 8th edition peaked early and dropped off a cliff after playing a few games. I don’t think I really gave it a fair whack, something I think I’ve at least started to do better with with 9th edition (and Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game).

I have played exactly one game of 9th (and MESBG) this year and both were brilliant. As is my want I’ve spent more time analysing why I think that than actually playing the games.

Albums of 2021

Tue, 21 Dec 2021 19:27:46 +0000

Some of the albums I have enjoyed in 2021. In no order and not all from 2021.

Thatcher’s Techbase OST - Barry “Epoch” Topping

My GOTY has such a ripping soundtrack. Barry knocks it out of the park.

Oak, Ash & Thorn - Dark Forest

Wow. Just wow. I found these guys via Sayem’s excellent metal playlist. The sound of drinking a pint of warm bitter and shooting a longbow.

Ellipsism - Ba’al

Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser

Tue, 30 Nov 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Hotel Chocolat make this device called a Velvetiser. It’s some where between a kettle and a blender. You put some milk and chocolate in and it heats up the milk while mixing it quickly to make it frothy (Velvetised). It makes one cup, in a short amount of time, very quietly, and is easy to clean. What’s more is that it’s really well designed and pleasant to use.

The mixing paddle attaches via a magnet and magically is spun through that coupling. This makes attaching & detaching the paddle really easy. It also leaves the bottom of the mixing compartment smooth and therefore easy to clean.

Apple TV

Tue, 08 Jun 2021 11:30:00 +0000

I bought a 64GB 4K Apple TV recently and it’s magic.

It replaces a combination of Fire and NowTV sticks. Both of which are old and were cheap at the time. Their UIs are slow, remotes feels cheap, and clutter up the place.

My immediate reaction is that tvOS is buttery smooth. Zero complaints. Moving between apps (and having it remember positions) is perfect. Starting streams is super fast, especially NowTV!

Clojure REPL in VS Code

Fri, 14 May 2021 21:10:52 +0000

I’m tinkering around with Clojure at the moment and have found the tooling to be quite nice.

My setup is:

VS Code running on my Windows 10 machine
WSL 2 running Ubuntu 20.04
Installed leiningen on Ubuntu
Open VS Code and connect to the Ubuntu machine with the Remote - WSL plugin installed on Windows
Install Calva on the Ubuntu side[0]
Open up your clojure project and then “jack in” to the repl with “Calva: Start A Project REPL and Connect” which you can find in the standard CTRL+SHIFT+P menu, select leiningen and you’re away.

The Warm Embrace of Apple

Tue, 02 Mar 2021 09:46:38 +0000

I recently dropped my Pixel 3a perfectly flat on the bathroom floor and utterly shattered the screen. This broke the OLED too. I tried to repair but it failed[0]. I took this opportunity to shake up my tech stack and buy an iPhone.

Here are my observations so far:

Everything is just buttery from a UI perspective. It’s hard to describe but it animations feel smoother.
Password manager integration is amazing. Autofill has worked every time on iOS where as on Android I’d constantly be copying and pasting stuff around like an idiot.
FaceID, just wow! I’m late to the party here and was fairly critical of it in the past but it’s utterly frictionless. Much more reliable than the finger print reader on the Pixel 3a.
Apps take longer to install. I think iOS apps are larger on disc so just take longer to download
OS updates take much longer than Android.
My bank has Apple Pay integration where they didn’t have Google Pay. Nice.
The MagSafe charger is lovely, no fumbling around with cables.
It’s annoying that the damn thing has a Lightning cable rather than USB C (which is at the other end of the charging cable!!!) but I suspect that the charging port will be going away soon anyway.
The cameras are solid but I miss the Google AI magic that makes things pop with no effort on my part.
The camera app applies some sort of sharpening that sometimes makes things like miniatures look quite different.
Apps cost money, which I think is nice? I’m happy to pay a few quid to have ad free experience.
Google apps look nicer and feel smoother on iOS which feels weird.
All my images (photos, memes, rando stuff from pals) go to one big folder? This is terrible.
The first time I connected it to a car via Bluetooth it clearly asked if I’d like to turn off notifications while driving in a way I don’t remember Android ever doing. Nice.

[0] I replaced the screen but it wouldn’t lie flat no matter how much I cleaned the glue or wiggled things. I also managed to ruin the speaker grille removing the old screen. Once I booted it up I noticed that the touch response was all kinds of messed up. At this point I’d spent as much as the phone was worth so I gave up.

Supine Sourdough Redux

Sat, 09 Jan 2021 21:25:32 +0000

I’ve continued making sourdough and have been tinkering with the recipe:

The flour mix now will always have granary in. Around 30% of the 500g.
More salt (2 spoons). Salt is great.
Mixing the flour, water, and salt together first before adding the starter. I’ve found it easier to feel when it’s thoroughly mixed. As soon as it’s mixed whack the starter in and give it a little knead together then autolyse.
A little more water than previous
I now take the new starter out just before the final shaping. It’s one fewer time to come back to the dough.
The number of stretch and folds has come down to about 3 from the original 5.
The banneton has been put away. Absolutely pointless and if your dough decides to stick to it then you’re in a world of pain.
Don’t bother scoring it, let it crack naturally.
Bake for 2 hours with the lid on, don’t bother taking it off for a bit.

These tweaks mean I’ve been putting in less work and getting better results. A recent loaf was what I’d call my best yet.

My Clever Dripper Brew Recipe

Sat, 09 Jan 2021 21:09:30 +0000

I’ve bought a Clever Dripper and put the Aeropress and cafetière in the loft. Whilst the Clever can’t do the volumes a large cafetière can, it makes great coffee with no sludge and easy clean-up (that’s compostable).

The brew method for two cups is:

Fold the edges of your unbleached size 4 filter and put it in the Clever Dripper
Rinse out the filter with warm water from the tap
Grind 20g of beans to a little finer than a cafetière grind and boil your water
Add 300g of water to the Clever Dripper, careful here because that’s very full
Add coffee to water, do not stir
Add 200g of water, it’ll be very full
Leave for 5min as the coffee grounds create a crust
Stir the crust in
Leave for 5min
Draw down into a carafe/thermos

Agile

Mon, 24 Aug 2020 13:31:49 +0000

Everywhere I’ve seen agile used it seems to stutter and fail as people get tied up in process and bike shedding. That led me to think about how I’d like to run agile sprints.

So here it is:

There’s a ranked and ready backlog of tasks going into sprint planning. This will be a persons full time job. They’ll gather test data, acceptance criteria, and work with stakeholders to get the priorities sorted.
You’ll have short refinement sessions where the team helps with breaking tasks down and pointing them. Having some archetypal tasks to point against is useful.
Don’t split hairs when pointing stories. If in doubt use the higher score.
Only commit to as many points during a sprint as your velocity indicates you can complete[0].
During the sprint you’re allowed to bring in extra tasks if you’ve finished everything already or you are reasonably sure it will get finished in the sprint.
At the end of the sprint update your sprint velocity and reflect on how well you pointed.

And on the subject of agile ceremonies:

Supine Sourdough

Fri, 08 May 2020 13:34:14 +0000

I’m a white white cishet software engineer who’s growing a man bun and trying to eat less meat so it must follow that I also make sourdough. I’ve been making it for a year and it’s great. It’s also incredibly simple. You don’t need all the ceremony you see online.

First you need your starter. Get this from a friend because it’s easier. I summoned my own but you don’t have to[1]. I store mine in a modified Kilner jar as below.

Sabaton Open Air 2018

Thu, 23 Aug 2018 14:34:50 +0000

As mentioned on various social media, podcasts, and documented on a damn wiki I went to the Sabaton Open Air festival in Falun! It was fantastic.

I wont bore you with the details. I’ll just highlight the most interesting bits.

Thursday’s highlight was Svartsot. I’ve listened to them for a few years and enjoyed them. A friend described them as “penny whistle metal” which isn’t technically correct but definitely gets across their folky and slightly repetitive theme. Glad I saw them.

Eufy RoboVac 11

Thu, 26 Jul 2018 14:36:48 +0000

We got a Roomba-like. The Eufy RoboVac 11. The idea has always appealed because I know I should vacuum more but I’m really lazy. In the new house we’ve got a white kitchen floor which could be a pain to keep clean. So we got the Eufy.

Why not just use a vacuum cleaner? But how often do you actually get it out of the cupboard and use it? Not as often as you’d like? … Exactly. I wanted to be able to press a button/set a timer and just have the thing run. That way the floor gets cleaned far more than it ever would previously.

3 Months With Todoist

Thu, 28 Jun 2018 10:18:47 +0000

TLDR: I’m still using Todoist but a bit less extremely.

I’ve almost finished my free trial of Todoist so I figured I’d dump my thoughts about it again.

It’s still the best TODO service I’ve seen. All my tasks still go in it and I still refer to it daily. Which is better than previous attempts at stuff like that.

Recurring tasks don’t seem to work as I’d like. For example I’d like to set up a recurring task to change the sheets on the bed. However I find if I miss the day and do it later, it seems to mess up the scheduling which sucks. I’ve not managed to reproduce it exactly so I’ve not submitted a bug report.

Food Chain Magnate: First Thoughts

Sun, 17 Jun 2018 18:36:23 +0000

Since the SU&SD review of Food Chain Magnate (FCM) back in February 2016 I’ve wanted to play it. Earlier this year there as a reprint/people found some spare stock/someone made bootleg copies of it. Jen said it was worth the price tag so I got a copy and just played it.

It took a good while to get to the table. It’s very complicated and needs a lot of space. The space issue meant that we waited until we got a bigger table. The complexity meant that Ele and I would play it first before inflicting a potential negative gameplay experience on friends. We actually got the game out a few weeks ago but ended up just reading the rules because we had to go out 2 hours later.

VS Code, pylint, virtualenv, pytest shenanigans!

Fri, 25 May 2018 18:43:41 +0000

Imagine you’re writing some code. Maybe you’re putting your recipes in git and doing CI/CD on them. Imagine you’ve got tests written in python using pytest. You’re not a complete scrub and you’re using a virtualenv. You’ve got pylint to lint your code. Your tests run. VS Code is highlighting import pytest and saying that pylint cant find the module. WAT?

You’ll spend a while Googling but you wont find anything. Then you thing “hey, what interpreter am I using?”. You click the interpreter in the bottom left of VS Code and see a list:

Using Todoist

Tue, 01 May 2018 11:23:38 +0000

About a month ago Niklas from the Sixgun Discord sent me an invite to this service called Todist. Little did I know how much I needed it!

Imagine a Project Tracking system like Jira but designed for life as well as being not terrible. You can make tasks, assign them to people[0], give a deadline, add some comments, and put them in projects. Pretty simple CRUD right? Well yes but the execution is where the magic is.

An Actual Smart Thermometer

Wed, 25 Apr 2018 16:36:32 +0000

We’ve recently moved to a house rather than a flat[0]. I’ve noticed that adjusting radiators to get equal temperatures in various rooms is an art not a science. I know the Nest exists but it’s not smart enough. Here’s what I want:

Firstly just ditch the cloud. The small use case of turning your boiler on/off remotely are vastly outweighed by the internet of shit.

Our thermostat is positioned in the hall which has no radiator so there’s quite a delayed response. The front door is very close to the thermostat which is going to effect the reading. I’d like thermometers in every room so counteract this. Little device just pinging temperatures would be pretty low power so could conceivably be battery powered.

1500 Points of Death Company

Wed, 04 Apr 2018 07:26:01 +0000

As part of #4feldherren I committed to 1000 points of Blood Angels. Well that’s going to get turned into an army and for that I’d like 1500 points. So I’m making a little adjustment to my 1000 points.

Roughly 1000 points in:

143pts - HQ - Astorath
117pts - HQ - Captain with Jump Pack and Thunderhammer
 
239pts - Elite - 10 Marine Death Company with jump packs, power weapons, flamers, and inferno pistol.
239pts - Elite - 10 Marine Death Company with jump packs, power weapons, flamers, and inferno pistol.
239pts - Elite - 10 Marine Death Company with jump packs, power weapons, flamers, and inferno pistol.

That’ll be what I try to paint for #4feldherren. On top of that I’m going to add an extra 500pts(ish):

.NET Core (2.0) Travis Setup

Mon, 26 Mar 2018 21:58:26 +0000

It took me about 2 hours but this is what you need to put in your .travis.yml

language: csharp
solution: dot-net-core-on-linux.sln
mono: none
dotnet: 2.1.4

install:
 - dotnet restore

script:
 - dotnet build
 - dotnet test HelloWorld.Tests/HelloWorld.Tests.csproj

Why is this this good?

Well you don’t need build.sh to set the permissions on. That was the first issue. You don’t install mono at all which speeds this up no end. Honestly I was testing this with a Hello World application and it was taking 3min to fail which is shite. Without mono it’s 90 seconds which is still terrible but I guess you get what you pay for.

Pixel C in a Post 2 World

Sun, 18 Mar 2018 13:41:37 +0000

As it tradition here, I write about the latest expensive big of Google kit I’ve bought. As we know I bought the Pixel C so fill the gap betwixt phone and computer. At the end of last year I bought the Pixel 2 to replace my One Plus X.

How are the two playing ball? Well it’s not good for the Pixel C. I barely ever use it. The last two times I found it useful we’re at EVE Manchester where it provided the music for the event (but that was just Spotify and it was useful because it meant I could have my phone on me) and when my better half wants to watch TV while I’m podcasting (the flat is small ok).

GOTY 1993-2017

Wed, 24 Jan 2018 09:00:29 +0000

Superuser on the Discord has requested I participate in this meme/chain letter. Superuser’s is here. The idea is that you pick the Game of the Year for every year you’ve been around.

Mine are as follows:

1993: Probably crying
1994: Same as last year
1995: Sand pit
1996: Drawing things
1997: Still probably drawing things
1998: Pretty sure I was building stuff using Lego
1999: Jane’s USAF (games were discovered in 1999)
2000: The Sims
2001: Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game (Dave discovers miniatures)
2002: Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
2003: Need for Speed: Underground
2004: The Sims 2
2005: Civilization IV
2006: Half Life 2: Episode One
2007: Team Fortress 2
2008: Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
2009: Assassin’s Creed II
2010: Civilization V
2011: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
2012: Warhammer 40k 6th Edition
2013: Grand Theft Auto V
2014: Mario Kart 8
2015: Rocket League
2016: Stardew Valley
2017: Warhammer 40k 8th Edition

Viticulture

Mon, 15 Jan 2018 16:30:00 +0000

It’s like Scythe but older and better.

Viticulture came out in 2013 and it was developed by Stonemaier Games. That’s the same company behind the hit diesel punk game Scythe! Viticulture sees you being in charge of a vineyard in Italy as you try to amass 20 abstract victory points.

You’re going to be planting vines, harvesting grapes, and turning them into a variety of wines. You’re going to be upgrading your vineyard too; adding a tasting room to increase the effectiveness of the tours you give to visitors, building a yoke, or irrigating your fields.

Fire TV Stick

Wed, 10 Jan 2018 17:00:00 +0000

I bought a Fire TV Stick. Despite the adverts featuring one Jeremy Clarkson (if Amazon could stop marketing towards centrist dads that’d be amazing).

Why though? Well we’ve been using the Xbox One as the media center/hub/platform for ages now. I bought the Xbone with my first real pay cheque back in 2015 but I’ve not played games on it for months! I don’t have the time to play games on it and any time I do have would be better spent painting Warhammer[0].

Warhammer 40K 8th Edition GOTY 2017

Thu, 07 Dec 2017 22:26:51 +0000

I guess I’m being contrarian this year by picking the latest incarnation of 40K to be my Game of the Year. Especially as the only people who seem to take GOTY seriously are video games people.

2017 has been a big year for 40K. The game has changed a lot. 6th edition was probably the upper limit for complexity that I was willing to bother with. By many accounts 7th was more faff that it’s worth. 8th has really simplified things to a point where I think I actually understand the game I’m playing. Even if charging and the fight phase remain a big foggy[0].

The End of Netrunner

Tue, 05 Dec 2017 17:23:49 +0000

Well at least for me[0].

February 2014 to September 2015 was maybe the best time I’ve had with board games. I’d picked up the Netrunner core set in July 2013 but bounced off it. My pals and I just couldn’t grasp the rules like we did with Magic. Over Christmas 2013 I finally grokked it and as a house we got into Netrunner big time.

We played a lot of Netrunner. Netrunner in the kitchen, the game store, and the pub. We forged our own meta as we explored new Datapacks. I read the novels, listened to the podcasts, and wrote words about it here[1]. I posted my decklists on GitHub. We went to tournaments and we taught it to everyone who’d listen.

2017x52

Thu, 23 Nov 2017 17:30:12 +0000

It’s coming to the end of the year and I’m reflecting on some predictions I made on GNR episode 30. We’ll do a wrap up of it later but I thought I’d write a little bit about my failed experiment 2017x52.

I was aiming to post at least one photo on Flickr every week this year. One photo that I liked and was taken that week (roughly).

I failed monumentally. In fact I only made it a few weeks into 2017.

Pixel 2

Thu, 23 Nov 2017 10:12:03 +0000

I post about two things here, games and Google products. I bought a Pixel 2 (non XL 64GB) and it arrived yesterday. My oh my is this a lovely device.

No weird issues with keyboards like the Pixel C. Just a beautiful device with rock solid software (so far).

We’ll see how it goes from here.

State of the Podcasts September 2017

Mon, 11 Sep 2017 10:27:13 +0000

x1101 sent a question to the podcast a few weeks back about what we’re listening to these days. At this moment I’ve got 29 feeds in my podcatcher (I still use Pocket Casts, recently it got SONOS support). I wont bore you with the full list but I’ll go through some of the choice cuts.

All Units is Sean McTiernan’s two year project to dissect the Thriller movie. I don’t know anything about films and I learn stuff from this. I also really dig Sean’s humour.

Game of the Year 2016

Thu, 05 Jan 2017 09:50:25 +0000

It’s not EVE. It’s not Netrunner.

“You’re not on brand” I hear you scream.

The canonical best game of 2016 is Stardew Valley.

NaGatL Episode 4

Sun, 11 Dec 2016 11:01:01 +0000

We’re back for episode 4! We chat about Ben crashing his car, going to Black Library Live, Blood Bowl, Netrunner, and field some questions from our most excellent listeners.

Ben’s post is here with the feed available here.

Pixel C Ten Months On

Thu, 17 Nov 2016 22:21:24 +0000

It’s been almost ten months since I got the Pixel C so I think it’s about time I got around to writing more about it. I think I promised I would “finalise” my thoughts on it on an episode of GNR.

If you’re looking for a mid review turn around you aren’t going to find it. This little thing has been a joy to use! Things only got better once android Nougat turned up and we got the split screen features. I can type this and have watch YouTube at the same time! THE FUTURE. Or at least feature parity with a laptop.

NaGatL - Episode 3

Wed, 09 Nov 2016 18:46:17 +0000

Fab used the remote kill switch he installed in my PC to prevent me recording episode 3 of Not as Grumpy they Look a few weeks back.

We managed to sneak a recording in without Fab noticing and here it is!

We chat a lot about LCGs and party games. Then we fawn over some bits of plastic.

Not as Grumpy as they Look

Wed, 09 Nov 2016 18:44:16 +0000

My good friend Icarus has started a podcast! A spin-off if you will, from his blog Not as Grumpy as He Looks.

More importantly, I’m on the first episode! We talk about board games, randomised combat mechanics, I attempt to talk about EVE after a couple of glasses of wine and, we discuss how perfect the latest Sabaton album is. You can find it over at Soundcloud.

Not Your Dad's Sky

Wed, 09 Nov 2016 18:42:31 +0000

I played No Man’s Sky for the first time today. It’s alright. I can hear the internet scream “BUT DAVE! WHERE’S THE HOT TAKE? WHAT ABOUT THE BRAND?” Deal with it.

I came into NMS knowing pretty much nothing about how it all works or really what it is. So if you want to watch the first 40 minutes of me faffing about and being awful at computer games, see the video below (Note to the reader from a more recent Dave: as of 2024 that video no longer exists).

Halo 5

Wed, 09 Nov 2016 18:41:46 +0000

I’ve got a love hate hate relationship with Halo 5. I am inexplicably invested in a series where the main character emotes less than a block of cheese. Since Halo 3 I’ve been hooked. The teenage power fantasy of being that power armoured super soldier still appeals and probably always will. I’ve played all the games to some extent and 10 months after Halo 5 was release it’s about time I wrote some words about it.

Another Attempt At Organising My Life

Wed, 09 Nov 2016 18:41:02 +0000

It’s that time again (just over a year in fact), I’m attempting to be organised. Well at least have a plan about what I’m doing. I probably should look back at what worked and what didn’t from the last attempt.

Pomodoro timers? Well that depends on what you’re doing really doesn’t it? I started using them as part of finishing my dissertation and they rocket. The app on my Pebble watch really helped me stay on track even if I did have a lot of waiting for calculations to run. I think this is primarily because writing my dissertation was an entirely solitary process. I wasn’t marching to anyone else’s drum so I could take those regular breaks. They don’t gel well with working at a company (yeah I do that now). Meetings get in the way, getting/giving help, not appearing to slack off. So that isn’t continuing.

A Week with the Pixel C

Wed, 09 Nov 2016 18:39:42 +0000

I’m keeping it. I’m not sure I need to say more really. It’s an excellent device with some flaws in the software that fingers crossed will get fixed.

In the last week I’ve been using it as much as I think I used my laptop and tablet beforehand. Writing these posts, Chromecasting stuff to the TV, tweaking and updating servers. It’s handled everything very well. The battery life is great. Especially as I’m using it more like a laptop and my Lenovo has about 2 hours of light use in it.

3 Days with the Pixel C

Wed, 09 Nov 2016 18:39:12 +0000

I’ve had the Pixel C for three days and I have to say I love it! I’ve done all my non gaming “computing” on it. It’s handled it really well!

Browsing the web has been really nice. Obviously some websites are just intrinsically shit like Tesco but everything else has worked well. On occasion I’ve accidentally clicked a link when I meant to scroll which was quite annoying but it just takes a bit of time to get used to touching a tabtop screen. A very nice surprise was that CTRL+T opens a new tab in Chrome.

Pixel C Gut Reactions

Wed, 09 Nov 2016 18:38:41 +0000

The Pixel C arrived today. I read a new review that was quite disparaging about it this morning (before I had mine). Like most reviews it complained about flaky keyboard and WiFi connections, poor app experiences and general poor performance.

Well, I’ve been playing with it for two and a half hours so far and as far as I can tell these problems don’t exist! Or at least I’ve got the magic Pixel C that doesn’t suffer from the problems reviewers seem to find.

Pixel C Preamble

Wed, 09 Nov 2016 18:37:36 +0000

I’ve wanted to replace my laptop for some time now. It’s a Lenovo U300s from 2012 and it has done a valiant job. I’ve tried countless Linux distros on it, done mountains of University work on it and lugged it all over the place.

These days my usage has changed. I don’t code on it. I don’t need to take it to University to do work. I use it to browse the web and to administer the few servers I’ve got running. I can do all of this from my tablet, at least in theory.

Running Patriot's Nets

Wed, 09 Nov 2016 18:35:47 +0000

On Saturday I finally went to a tournament at Patriot Games in Sheffield. I double booked myself so missed the Regionals there early this year.

I took a bog standard Pre-Paid Kate deck and a HB:EtF Mega Server deck which ultimately was there to score out but hoped to pull of a Marcus Batty and NEXT Gold combo. I took Kate because she’s so damn reliable! Up until the morning of the tournament I was going to take a connections Andromeda deck but changed back to my Kate deck purely because she gets set up faster. Kate is even better when you remember to trigger her ability.

Quinns' Netrunner Tournament For Beginners!

Wed, 09 Nov 2016 18:32:07 +0000

My friend Ben and I went to our very first Netrunner tournament on Saturday. It was being run by Quinns (the one from Shut Up and Sit Down) in the Loading Bar in Dalston.

The day started off at 06:30 and getting a 08:29 train from Sheffield to LONDON. That went swimmingly. A lovely woman sat next to us and was fairly interested in Ben’s last minute deck building. We got some food and headed to Dalston. We foolishly didn’t check the engineering works and the tube took us one stop before we had to walk.

Into the Meta

Wed, 09 Nov 2016 18:30:28 +0000

I finally did it! I played Netrunner with people who I don’t live with (Ben basically lives here) and it was great!

Ben, Jon and I spent a couple of hours running at Patriot Games last night. We had a great time and I think we’ll all go again, probably making it a weekly event.

I’ve got a few observations on why it was such an enjoyable evening.

It was chilled. No one there was playing super bullshit NBN Fast Advance decks. No one got tilted and grumpy. No one was a cock.

Pagoda

Wed, 09 Nov 2016 18:28:33 +0000

I’ve been sitting on this review for about a month but haven’t published it because I wanted to get some nice photos of the game in action. Looks like that’s not going to happen any time soon so fuck it, you can probably look up some images on Google or Board Game Geek.

I fairly impulsively bought Pagoda after hearing about it on the Shut Up and Sit Down podcast and I am pretty sure it was a good idea.

Skull

Wed, 09 Nov 2016 18:27:51 +0000

Skull* is probably the perfect game. It’s certainly perfect to play in pubs. You don’t even need to buy it because you can make it with a pen and some beer mats.

Each player has four cards/tiles/beer mats. Three cards have roses on them, the other has a skull. The cards are played face down. The aim of the game is to flip over roses whilst avoiding skulls. The first person to win two rounds wins the game.

Trains

Wed, 09 Nov 2016 18:27:35 +0000

I like trains. I like the look of trains. I like the sound of trains. I like travelling on trains. I sometimes want to build my own railway network. So I obviously like games about trains. Therefore I own Ticket To Ride and have played it a fair bit. If you’re not familiar with Ticket To Ride, it’s a board game based on collecting sets of cards which you use to build a rail network across the USA. It’s quite fun. But recently I picked up a new game about trains. It’s called Trains.

Relic

Wed, 09 Nov 2016 18:27:17 +0000

The end of March is drawing near and it has been pretty disappointing, I’ve not managed to get in any hobbying at all. I have however managed to read the bulk of the Dark Angels Codex and about half of the Daemons read. Those are quite good, I can see how the Daemons will compliment the Chaos Space Marines using the 6th edition ally system. I’m not sure that I would want to build/play a Dark Angels army but the fluff is good and man the art in it is pretty.