The Tiniest Computer Mice Ever

So - we finally got our new laptops at work after 3 months of hassles with Dell. The next job was to get some mice. The best bet seemed to be these - mice with retractable usb cords so we wouldn't have to deal with masses of cable when we moved out laptops around. When they arrived, it was hard to believe they aren't actually toys.


The first photo shows one of them in the palm of my hand - you have to grip them between thumb and ring finger and unsurprisingly, can't rest your palm on them.
What is surprising is how easy they are to use - we got used to them within 5 minutes and the response and scroll wheel is very acurate. Of course, the one we ordered for our supervisor was denounced as being "too small" for him - but when you compare these mice to a regular sized one (see right) I think we can accept that they aren't for everyone.


The best bit is that they come with their own tiny carry case that is no biger than 10x6cm and which contains a sub pocket for the usb connector - very cute and certainly draw cries of awwwwww from most of the group. The extending cable had us foxed until we actually read the instructions (!) Hopefully they'll last us a good while...

Busy day - but hardly any work

Wow - it's been a pretty hectic day. Got up early and went for breakfast (this only happens on Wednesdays). After that I went to help stock the bar then got a shower and headed down to work for 90 minutes before a group meeting (where someone presents their work). This was followed by a power walk back up the hill to meet the rest of the SSC (Senior Server Committee) to go over to Grey College for a manual handling course. I'm sorry to say it was 90 minutes of tedium and pointlessness - everyone already knew how to life boxes and we didn't even learn anything about the barrels that we needed the training for - I managed to get a couple of pictures of our trainer, Paul Zeland, giving some pointers and the tediousness of watching everyone lift a crate or empty cardboard box (!) in turn...

After this it was straight back to Trevs for a cocktail making course - but the rep only talked about his own brands so we got the product history of Jack Daniels, Southern Comfort, Bacardi and Bombay Sapphire. All the cocktails were pretty good but they all involved just a spirit and mixer.

Next was the rush to dinner before a long SSC meeting based around the problem of how to pay for taxis when we don't have access to any petty cash followed immediately by an MCR meeting where I found out just how badly the refurb was put together in the final mad dash...

Treat for the Night

Tonight, whilst we were out at Tesco, we happened across this individual sporting a pink striped shirt, trainers and a very naughty all-denim suit. Needles to say we pursued him and I managed to get this snap as he reached for some Tesco Value brand lemonade. Perhaps it loses something in the photo, but I'm sure you can imagine just how special an all-denim suit would look in the flesh...

Freshers' Week Over For Another Year

Well the time has come for the students to buckle down and do some work. This year's freshers' week has been a very successful one. I worked the bar as senior on both the first and second nights and we took well over £1000 each night - and that's with no 3^rd years and a lot less freshers than previous years. Thursday saw us take over £1700 - almost unheard of on a non-ball night.

It's always weird to wonder if freshers' week is as good as it gets during your time at uni: you have a great time, but don't really know what's going on. Strangely, at the completely opposite end of the scale is Graduands' week. If the first week in Durham is great, surely your last one (with all the friends you've made since those first few nights) should be even better. Graduands' dinner sets it up well - a late licence at the bar and landing parties that go on until morning, but somehow, without fail it just falls away. The arrival of parents and sad news that is friends leaving without a chance to say goodbye always make Graduands' week a very quiet affair.

Of course - it's even worse for postgrads - we just slip away one by one at during September.

Anyone Can Play Guitar? Not as Well as This Guy

Those of you who play guitar will surely have heard of Yngwie Malmsteen. In addition to his crazy name he is one of the best technical guitarists in the world. This is a video of a guitarist playing along to the Malmsteen song Far Byond the Sun. To say he's rather good is an understatement...