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July 2005

Vanishing logos and images
Off all the dumbest, stupidest filter rules, Symantec's Norton Internet Suite takes the biscuit - and it's not the first time I've seen this from them…
It seems images of this size: [ width="120" height="80" ] are a security risk and are stripped out of web pages on delivery.
The larger and more ferocious [ width="121" height="81" ] are however allowed through.
Thanks very much, Symantec! Not!
*Mutter*

Thursday 14th

Rough couple of weeks but I'm back in the chair, so to speak. My condition(s) tend to have my consultants foisting medications on me. Venlafaxine for the manic depression, painkillers as needed and now Baclofen as a muscle relaxant. Really dubious about the last one and refused to take it last time. Doesn't help that I never remember to take it. Not something to mess with the doses over, it seems.

Anyway, not that I'm aware, being asleep and all, but apparently certain medicines … can increase snoring by causing extreme relaxation of the muscles (in the soft muscles of the oropharynx and hypopharynx). Age and being overweight add to the problem. … I'm a good 40 pound overweight, not getting any younger and taking muscles relaxants for a neural disorder.

I'm sure millions of wives out there are nodding and muttering, Tell me about it when I admit my wife is of the opinion I now keep her awake half the night snoring like a pig and that no amount of kicking, thumping. pinching and elbowing is going to wake me up and disturb my rest.

Sooo, I take muscle relaxants, then look at throat sprays to firm up or lubricate my throat muscles. Have to say, I'm in agreement with Louise that the two aren't destined to work together. Loosing weight is a slow business when you can't really exercise, but I'm getting there slowly. For you frustrated ladies out there, I'm going to wean off the Baclofen and try various methods to combat by snoring, and I'll let you know how it goes. There are things called 'bite guards' available from dentists which help in some cases, but do nothing for me.



Getting Creative…
On a far more positive note, I finally treated myself to a set of Creative Labs GigaWorks S750 THX speakers. I haven't set them up yet, but I'll let you know how it goes.

First impressions:

Wife: What have you ordered now!? You're not cluttering up my front room, no way!

Me: Jeez, that's heavy …
Me, later: OK, didn't THAT big on the product shots, and look at that spaghetti of cabling!

The box it comes in weighs in at over 56lb (25kg) and most of that is taken up by the subwoofer, a roughly 13 inch black box with an impressively solid cooling block to the rear.

Now to find the energy to photograph it and wire it all up. Woot!

I'll do a proper review another day, and probably move this entry to it, but here's the specifications from the box.

At this junction I will point out that I have exceptionally good hearing and I intend to keep it that way by not turning the volume up on these things when I've wired it all up. I know some reviewers boast of rattling the walls (and neighbours) testing these on some Doom fest, but I'm more interested in the clarity of the sound.

When creative finally release the upcoming X-Fi soundcard my life will be nearer completion - at least until the next big toy!