In the pipeline some more

Still exceptionally busy working on a certain next gen title involving a very fast hedgehog and an Iblis Trigger. For those who care, here's a quick update from the last time I gave a quick update.

• Newsweek Feature Still none the wiser, though I have it on the highest authority (perhaps the King's Lead Hat itself) that it will come, it will come, it will surely come.


• The Japanese Tradition Satomi actually blogged about this earlier in the month, so here's a link to hers. Needless to say the name dropping this allows me raises my coolness profile by a whole 5 shirts. Just 200 shirts shy of making the Amazon much wider.


• Buying a House Bought. Grabbed the key this morning, but had to hand one to the refurbishers so they can get an early start to finish by Obon. Went to the house literally as soon as I was done at the bank and the guy was already inside gleefully ripping out the floorboards with a crowbar. As long as no bananas are drawn on the bathroom wall I shall be happy.


• The Other Thing No longer much of a secret really. Since 7th July, I am officially Mr and Mrs Coal. As it turns out, 7th July is Tanabata (Google it) and about the most popular day of the year to get married on, so we (she) was stuck at the city hall for hours trying to get it registered. Luckily as we're both citizens of the same country, this was much easier than it potentially could have been. Actual wedding ceremony isn't until 23rd September - we're going for Shinzenshiki (a Shinto shrine based wedding) cos that one has free booze that you have to offer to the deity (though neither in Hong Kong nor New Delhi).

And now back to work.

Sofa for Sale!!

Designed and built by me, this aesthetically pleasing furniture item comes complete with a generous Free To Enjoy™ End User Licence Agreement. As the registered owner, you may:

• Place the sofa in any room at the registered address facing in any direction you please.
• The registered owner and up to an additional five registered guests may sit on the sofa at any time they please for as long as they please.
• Whilst sitting on the sofa, you may talk amongst friends/family, watch the television, or read a book. Please note that eating, sleeping, or talking on a telephone are not permitted while using this sofa.
• May be used in combination with any approved armchair and footrest. Please note that use with non-approved furniture is in violation of the EULA and punishable by law.
• You may photograph the sofa without restriction. This sofa is not compatible with modern digital/video cameras. Please respect our intellectual property.
• When you move house, the sofa moves with you! Simply contact myself or an agent to change the electronically registered address. Please note that the electronic receipt is protected by a rot13 encryption system, and any attempts to tamper or decode this is a violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and will result in legal action being instigated without delay.

Sale and disposal prohibited. Sofa contains watermark to prevent photography - digital cameras and video cameras will automatically shut-off when the sofa is in frame. May subject property to damage by termites and/or explosion. Sofa remains my property. By purchasing this sofa you agree to these conditions. Conditions may be changed at any time. DO NOT MAKE ILLEGAL USE OF THIS SOFA.

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Hmmm. Doesn't sound like a very convincing deal to me, yet people are making these kind of purchases in droves! Every time you buy a DVD, a copy protected CD, or download music from one of the many online music stores employing DRM to "protect" their copyright (i.e. strip you of your fair use rights, then sell them back to you) you are basically saying "Here! Have my rights and my dignity! I have no use for them. Here, break my computer and my music player as you please, because by purchasing your contents, my devices belong to you."

This wonderfully illustrated story makes the same point much better.