techno joy and techno fear

After the PC probs of the last week or so, this cheered me up no end!

(CAUTION - Strong language on occasion)

It works! But learn to practice what you preach…

A new motherboard later, the machine is finally working. Windows & Office installed, Email Addresses, contacts and diary retrieved from the SPV M3100. Took 2 days to discover that the problem was a short in the motherboard caused by something dislodging when it was moved from room to room.

Whenever one of the congregation comes to me for computer advice I tell them that the most important (and useful) thing to do is to make frequent back-ups of all their data. Sometimes I need to listen to myself - why is it I never seem to take my own advice? The last backup I made to the external hard drive was 10 months ago, and that (I discovered this morning) was accidentally overwritten by the PVR. So thats 6 years of work down the loo - sermons, adapted liturgies, artwork, music, edited movies. All of it. Including the stuff I had prepared for the baptism this weekend and the wedding I have in 2 weeks time. One of these days I will learn to listen to myself!

Anyone know how to retrieve data from 2 apparently corrupted SATA drives in a RAID configuration?

Continuing PC woes

It doesnt seem to have been the power supply after all and I’m stumped.  We’ve managed to get it to power-up at least to enter the BIOS, but it cant seem to find windows  boot information. Imany need to re-install.  Hopefuly a windows reinstall is all it will take, rather than new hardware.  Luckily I have all my work and art stuff on a separate physical hard drive, not the same one on which windows is installed.   Email addresses are all backed up to my phone, but emails aren’t. 

Reinstalling windows is something I’m used to - I do it around once a year anyway to make  sure my machine runs at its best.  I usually like to do a full back-up first though. Not this time, unfortunately.

I need geekish help…

for my PC has died. 

Firstly - the machine:  its a Gigabyte GA-965-s3 motherboard with an intel core2 6300CPU (1.86GHz), 3GBram (DDR2 dual channel), 2x 250GB HDD’s, running WinXPpro, with a NvidiaGeForce 7900GS graphics card with 500mb ram.

And now the problem:  the machine (which was built by my own hands and had been working perfectly for a windows machine) was moved to another room whilst the study gets a makeover. Alan set it up and turned it on.  It didn’t like that.  For the tecchies amongst you, I got a continuous short-beep POST,  the machine powered down and re-powered independant of any action by me. 

What I’ve done: checked all cables are properly connected; removed, cleaned and reseated all pci cards; attempted bootup with minimal setup.  All to no avail - same short-beep continuous POST and powerdown before self-powering to do the same again. (I havent found any information on the Gigabyte website regarding the POST codes.)

I’m thinking that the problem lies with the Power Supply - a Blue Storm.  Its 6 months old, replacing the last one (same model) which died.  But before I fork out on another power supply I’d appreciate a 2nd opionion from someone more geeky than me.

UPDATE  continuous short beeps is a power issue - finally managed to find the relevant information (only took 2 hours!)  Given that I built this machine 10 months ago and that this is the 2nd Blue Storm that’s died, I think I’ll be getting a different power supply this time…

I read the news today, oh boy…

The news has been released this afternoon that the Human fertilisation and Embryology Association has approved, under strict regulation, the creation of human-animal embryos for stem cell research. Read the BBC story here.

Im not a scientist, just an interested observer, but if I understand the science correctly, (with my 16+ grade c Human Biology) the host egg cell will have its nucleus removed, and will be injected with human dna, probably in the form of a skin cell. It will then be allowed to divide and grow, with the resultant embryo being 99.9% human. Embryonic stem cells can then be used for experimentation, presumably in the hope that such cells can be implanted in people with serious degenerative illnesses. Currently it is illegal to implant it in a surrogate mother, the embryonic cell cluster should be destroyed at 14 days.

I understand the desire for such work - if it helps in finding cures for degenerative and ultimately fatal illnesses such as Parkinsons, but I am also concerned. Maybe its the “eugh” factor; maybe its that all human life, however created is valuable and precious. Maybe its concern at the genetic impact that 0.1% will have - after all, genes do not work in isolation from each other - different combinations work together to provide different information for the growth and development of an organism. Humans and animals - especially mammals - share a huge amount of genetic material. Its how those genes work together which make the difference. Maybe its that this seems to be a “clone by any other name”.

Maybe part of my concern comes from living in a time when we are facing the consequences of progress: worldwide division, global warming, political oppression and powermongering, yet continuing to push the boundaries of that progress without an understanding of the impacts we will have on our world and on people for generations to come.

35 years ago, there was an outcry at human fertility experiments and creation of embryos in labs. Then Louise Brown was born in 1978. IVF is now relatively common, and a necessary part of life for many. That we have the technology and ability to provide a way for infertile adults to conceive is to be celebrated.

But I wonder how long before this becomes normal, accepted and part of everyday life? How long before someone “just wonders what would happen if” one of these embryos was implanted, even carried full term?

I have no answers, just an uneasiness. WWJD? WWJ say?

I’m engaged in illegal activity…apparently

I have discovered that I may be a criminal, according to one campaign to ban Mozilla Firefox. Why? Because I choose to use Adblock plus, an extension that allows me to browse websites without being overwhelmed with advertising. I am, and have been for several years now a Mozilla Firefox user, initially because of security concerns with Internet Explorer, and more recently because it is familiar and I know how to use it. It is adaptable, friendly and reliable. On the odd occasion where a page cannot be viewed in Firefox, I use IEtab - an extension that mimics Internet Explorer without the security concerns.

I’m stealing the information on the websites I visit because I’m not always viewing the ads which pay for it, according to this site. I could even be breaching international copyright law, as apparently I am creating an edited version of the site, rather than viewing the original.

I have no problem with websites using advertising to pay in part for their site costs. But it is my right to choose not to be subject to their ad everytime I visit their page. It is my right to speed through the ads on a DVD or video, to go and make a cup of coffee whilst the programme I am watching is taking a break, or to turn up at the cinema at the last possible minute to avoid being subject to adverts I choose not to watch. Apparently not. Is it just me, or does this all seem slightly bonkers? I shall continue using adblock plus, to make my own decisions regarding the advertising I do wish to take advantage of and that I don’t wish to be subjected to, and await the police raid with anticipation.

I’m such a rebel.

white goods and games…

Not sure how other clergy manage to spend their days off, but for me it usually entails catching up on those household jobs which are left undone during the week.  Or shopping.  On rotten days, when the housework’s done, I play games: board games, card games, computer games, it doesnt matter.   Alan is the same, and on a rotten bank holiday (the few days off in the year Alan and I actually get together), we play games together. Often we can be found spending free time playing games online with friends, chatting over teamspeak and spending time with people we dont see very often. Ocasionally, Alan will be dragged kicking and screaming to the shops for some important or large purchase.

Alan’s off work, so yesterday we headed off to Glasgow’s cathedral of commerce (AKA Braehead) to purchase a large white box to sit in the kitchen, replacing  the one that died last week.  Once we’d chosen the item in question, he took a wander around the store, as I sorted delivery dates and recycling of the dead machine with the sales assistant.  He bought a Wii.

To be fair, we had talked about the possibility of its purchase.  We had listened to pals raving about the madness. It wasn’t completely an impulse buy.  When it launched last year, we watched on in amazement as it was demonstrated on Five’s Gadget Show.

And it really is FUN! We got home, unpacked it and spent the next several hours jumping around the lounge like manic teenagers, waving the little white controller at the screen and laughing hysterically at each other.  Never let it be said that the gaming generation sits on its rear end all day and never does anything energetic. If you’re ever thinking of buying a games console for yourself or a family member, you need a Wii.

stopping now - my arms are sore…

renewing vows, making new friends, and a fantastic use of technology in church

Just back from Antrim, where I was visiting friends as they renewed their wedding vows and had their marriage blessed by the Roman Catholic Church. Having come to faith at the age of 19 in a very ecumenical church (it was a united Anglican and Baptist church), I have never really understood the divisiveness of church tradition, and the willingness of people to hate others simply because of the church they are affiliated with. Yes I know (as much as an English exile can) the historical context, the pains, battles and oppression of both sides of the Catholic/Protestant divide. I understand the arguments of both sides in the current fights and tensions within my own Anglican tradition, and my sympathies, much like the church, are divided. Jesus prayed that the church “may be one, as I and the Father are one”, he taught us to pray that we may forgive those who hurt us, called us to love our enemies. So we vilify them, dehumanise them and claim their faith is less than ours, so that we may feel more Godly, more superior, more holy. Or rather than engage with those we don’t understand or have disagreements with, we pity them, look down on them, or simply ignore them. That is what I dont understand.

Yes, I’m oversimplifying - the pain on all sides of the debates in the multitudinous divisions within the worldwide church is deep-seated, deep-rooted. It takes courage and commitment for all to deal with in a realistic fashion, that we may grow and move forward in life and in faith.

Anyway, I digress. The renewal of vows for Bob & Tory was a fantastic event, and my first trip to NI. Father Tony Devlin, the RC parish priest conducting the service, kindly and generously invited me to take part. To be honest, I was expecting to do a reading at the most so didn’t take robes, only a collar and a clean shirt. I got to the church, which was beautiful, airy and light despite its exterior (very dark) and its nickname within Antrim as the Black Chapel (or Grey chapel since the black tower was pulled down). Fr Devlin split the service between us: the readings, the prayers, the nuptial blessing were mine to adapt and lead, giving me my homework at the rehearsal. He lent me a priest’s cassock-alb and a beautiful golden stole, and welcomed me as a fellow priest in his church without worrying about my tradition or gender, even allowing me to import a little piece of our own Wedding Rite into the service. In a Northern Ireland recovering from the turmoils of a lifetime, he showed himself to be a Godly and courageous man, as do many of the Clergy in NI. My prayers are with him and his congregation as they continue to grow together.

St Comgall’s itself has a couple of fantastic technological ministries which deserve mention. They, like many other churches in the UK, have members from all over the world - Eastern European workers, foreign students and others who have moved into the area. A webcam is installed in the church, and Mass is broadcast to all who have access. For those special events and occasional offices, family unable to attend can log onto the church website and still be a part of the service, in their own home, wherever in the world that may be. For others a radio is provided (pretuned, with batteries) so that congregants suffering illness or the frailites of age can still be a part of the Mass. The full service is broadcast each Sunday over a 4 mile radius. The radios are free for all who need them, for however long they need them. Visit St Comgall’s for more info or the webcasts and Mass times. Its a fantastic ministry to members both worldwide and local, and one which I wish my 2 small congregations could afford…