Ewan's blog

I have been looking at creating and improving this site's POV-Ray generated graphics.

I have already added an alpha channel. Next, in order to display the favicon better in higher definition displays, I will need to store multiple resolutions in the icon file. Also, use of jitter and radiosity may improve the result.

This is probably old now, but I have started (once again) to look at embedding an animation with an alpha channel (transparency) into a web page. I really need to use the PNG format, but need something that is cross-platform, mobile, and friendly in the absence of JavaScript.

According to Slashdot you may soon be able to develop software for your Ford or Vauxhall/Opel car. This could be exciting news but as yet it is not known what constraints will be in place or whether you are permitted to independently develop software for your own vehicle.

The dates have been set for the Chelmsford winter beer festival 2013. It starts at 5pm on Wednesday 20th of February and finishes at 11pm on Saturday 23rd February. This year the event will be held at King Edward VI Grammar School, Broomfield Road, Chelmsford, Essex CM1 3SX.

Please read on or see the official CAMRA site for further information.

Following a further security certificate breach, is it time to accept that the SSL ecosystem is broken?
SSL is responsible for many things such as to

• encrypt information to prevent snooping;
• prevent the replay of packets;
• authenticate the server, and
• authenticate the client.

Canonical's Ubuntu is widely reported to be releasing a new mobile cell phone.
Ubuntu now fits your phone
Introducing the superphone that’s also a full PC
And why not run standard PC software on a phone? The hardware is becoming fast enough. In fact my existing phone's processor and memory have a significantly greater specification than my core router which runs Debian GNU/Linux.

According to Slashdot, Debian have overcome issues with the GNU tool chains and so will be able to get the m68k port of GNU/Linux up to date. The full summary from Slashdot follows.

I have just received a gift of a 60% Merino Wool and 40% Possum Fur hat and scarf. These can be found at The Tin Shed where there are hundreds of similar Kiwi items for sale (think sheep). The hat and scarf were manufactured by Weft Knitting Co Ltd (warning: not a real web site, full of Flash content).

Both items are a lovely snug and warm fit and are soft enough to be worn against bare skin. If previous purchases are anything to go by, these will last for years to come.

It's Saturday afternoon and I have been working out-of-hours on production databases. Over the last couple of days I have been migrating the www.ewan.cc web site from a mixture of hand-edited HTML, SHTML, JSPs, Servlets, PHP and CGI, into a new Drupal 6 system. Well, here it is! Please comment! The old system will eventually go online at [URL to be decided] and please report any broken links.