Tabs' Blog

Fix for slow texting on the Apple iPhone

Tabs — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 14:34:00 GMT

Recently got my second generation Apple iPhone, and while it's a great little bit of kit there is a wee niggle that I'm not happy with. Every now and then, when I enter the texting application to reply to a message the springboard (on screen keyboard...(read more)

Finally! Charlie Chuck videos from GTI International

Tabs — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 11:16:00 GMT

Big thanks to Josh Murrary for upping these to Youtube. We booked Charlie Chuck (Dave) to do a short gig on the uk-mkivs.net club at this years GTI International show. The show, held at Bruntingthorpe in near Northampton, is one of the biggest VW shows in the UK and is held annually each year. Given this was the shows 20th Anniversary we really wanted to make an impact and what better way to do it than putting on the genius that is Charlie Chuck....(read more)

Charlie Chuck performing at the Montreal Comedy Festival

Tabs — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 14:36:00 GMT

Forgot to post this after Dave (Charlie) told a group of us about it after his performance at GTI International. He'll be performing at the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal for a week in July. His performance will form part of the Brachetti Dragone; The Gala! - which runs from July 13th to the 22nd and then the 24th to the 26th, at two separate venues in Montreal, Canada....(read more)

UK Tax on Bio Fuels Simplified

Tabs — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 09:08:00 GMT

This one had been kept pretty quiet. From July onwards if you're producing 2,500L or less of fuel you now don't have to pay fuel duty. The HMRC website confirms this: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/briefs/excise-duty/brief4307.htm In effect, if you can source your own spent cooking oil, refine it and use it you've got pretty much free fuel. Of course you need a car that will take SVO / Bio but this is still a big step forward in terms enticing people over to using alternative renewable fuels. ...(read more)

Charlie Chuck will be performing at GTI Internationl 2007

Tabs — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 12:55:00 GMT

Yes folks - the one and only Charlie Chuck will be appearing on the uk-mkivs club stand at this years GTI International show! Charlie will be doing an hour long stand up set on Sunday at 1pm on the uk-mkivs stand. The set will include some of the best and current Charlie Chuck classics. For those that don't know who Charlie Chuck is you can catch a quick video of him here on Youtube. You may also remember Charlie appearing in the Smell of Reeves and Mortimer as the mad capped 'Uncle Peter'. Either way the bloke is a comedy legend and this is not to be missed. ...(read more)

Charlie Chuck at the Liverpool Comedy Festival!

Tabs — Thu, 31 May 2007 15:05:00 GMT

Just been informed he's playing at the Baby Blue Bar in Liverpool's Albert Dock. Show starts at 8PM and tickets at the door are £8. I'm there, with as many friends I can muster!...(read more)

Using Community Server to track email newsletter campaigns

Tabs — Thu, 24 May 2007 17:58:00 GMT

I've been sending out email newsletters for about 8 months now. I find them highly effective at keeping uk-mkivs members in touch with the latest news and developments from the world of VW and uk-mkivs. The newsletters are sent using a piece of software called Email Marketing Director, which is installed on the same server uk-mkivs runs. The software has all the features I need when it comes to email marketing- like bounce and subscription management, multiple lists and campaigns. It even has campaign queuing and throttling which is great for hosted environments - after all the last thing you want is to have your wrists slapped by your hosting company!...(read more)

Quite possibly the worst movies ever!

Tabs — Mon, 14 May 2007 16:50:00 GMT

Just stumbled on this via Reddit. Had me in stitches (and I can't even operate), the Indian movie clip of the guy riding a horse is a reet' gem. The special effects on Shark Attack 3 leave a lot to be desired, too. Also, see if you can catch the future Torch Wood actor in this compilation of clips (see this IMDB entry for confirmation). I bet he wants to forget that film ever saw the light of day!...(read more)

Upgrade to Community Server 2007 and new blog theme

Tabs — Fri, 11 May 2007 12:04:00 GMT

Spent a few hours on Wednesday evening upgrading Tabsy.net to Community Server 2007 (CS 2007). The upgrade was hassle free and to give myself a challenge I decided to install the previous add ons before testing the site for the first time. A bit risky I know but I was confident they would all work! First up I added the Alabaster CSMVP's module - haven't actually activated any of the features yet but may do in the future. Then I added Scott Watermasysk's excellent Share It module which adds quick handy bookmark links to the footer of blog posts, and then his Youtube module which enables me to embed youtube content within a post....(read more)

Charlie Chuck Videos

Tabs — Thu, 10 May 2007 08:54:00 GMT

Charlie Chuck has been one my favourite stand up comedians for some time. Despite never seeing him live I've always kept an eye out for performances or TV spots. It's not surprising the amount of people that haven't come across this gem of British Comedy yet, which is probably why his humor is kept within a close circle of fans. It could also be down to the smaller gigs he does, or lack of TV appearances over the past 10 years so, who knows, but I do know more people need to experience the total confusion that surrounds his act....(read more)

Bososoku Parade Lap Video

Tabs — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 12:56:00 GMT

We all know the Japanese have an eye for detail and these wild and wacky styled cars do not dissapoint. These cars, known to the scene as 'Bosozuko' style, or sometimes 'Yanki' or 'Ameko', are the handcraft of Japanese enthusiasts who have formed attention-grabbing car and bike gangs. Their aim? Simple, to 'rub up' as many people as they can and pevert as many laws as possible. Those exhausts pipes must really get up jacksy of the Japanese equivalent to John Prescott!...(read more)

BBC Top Gear: The Stig talks on camera!

Tabs — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 14:21:00 GMT

Could this be the first time Top gears' Stig has been caught on camera giving an interview? The video comes from a Dutch TV channel who gained backstage access to the Top Gear show. The show itself airs all over the world, probably earning the BBC quite a lot of money in resale rights which could probably the reason why they've been allowed to get away with so much over the years!...(read more)

Your posture while driving?

Tabs — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 16:03:00 GMT

Thinking the other day while driving into work about the different types of posture people use while driving....(read more)

The New Golf RSI?

Tabs — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 14:17:00 GMT

Noting the number plate RS branding - could this be a hint to the next installment of the performance orientated approach VW seem to be taking? Sporting the same front bumper and side skirt design as the excellently titled "Thunderbunny" concept (see...(read more)

Use of 'text speak' on forums and blogs (Rant post!)

Tabs — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 16:09:00 GMT

It's on the increase, no doubt about it.

Countless threads on forums, and posts on blogs are cropping up now and its really starting to get on my wick! I think its lazy, hard to read and just plain daft. It is becoming socially acceptable to use, as it seems more and more people these days are using it. I'll freely admit to using it on mobile phones... text messages cost me 10p a go, so it's prudent to be economical with your words! But on t'internet! Never.

What gets me is give the person a pen and paper and would they write in text speak? Probably not, so how does the use of a keyboard change their use of language? I accept that shortened forms of written words have been used in the past - graffiti is the biggest example. How many times have you noticed the 'Woz' and recognised its meaning? Quite a bit I would think. But with the advent of the internet, the ability to make yourself heard is so more widespread - is it really that important to distinguish yourself from others by typing differently.

Some argue that its a way of expressing informality and helps communities to grow and bond. Yes it does, but at what cost? Do those outsiders to the community, who prefer to use good old structured English feel its a good thing? I can only guess that it will be off pitting to these potential readers. On a similar note, I wonder how avid 'txt' users view forums and blogs that contain a good use of English. Is it with the same confusion that their grammatic counterparts do? Probably not...

We could blame the wide spread use of this type of communication solely on Short Messaging System (SMS) and online chat services (iRC, MSN, Yahoo etc.). Trying to cram an SMS message into a limit of 160 characters, or typing a live reply to someone can be a critical thing for some, so I can see why the need has developed. I just wish it would stop there. The time taken to write a forum or blog post isn't that critical most of the time.It seems age is at the heart of this debate. The biggest users of txt speak seem to the younger generation, people who it seems are getting to grips with the English language and choosing to discard it in favour of some looney incoherent babble.

The two biggest purveyors of services used by txt speakers are probably Myspace and Bebo. I'm not even going to link to examples as I'll probably burst a blood vessel - but you've no doubt come across profiles that make you reach for the 'x' or back buttons on your browser faster than you can say (or, should that be type) 'cuz'.

I ran a poll over on uk-mkivs to gauge reaction to what the members felt - the results speak for themselves.

Also worrying to note, they're now allowing txt speak to be used by students during exams in NZ. I dearly hope the same acceptance for students isn't adopted in the UK - I'm sure it will help to speed up the already growing erosion of our language.