James D. Stallardblog

We're having some friends over tonight for chilli.

My wife just came into the office in a fluster and said "Do you know why we've never had anyone over for chilli before?"

"No", said I, intrigued...

"Because we don’t have 4 matching chilli bowls"

She then stomped off to the kitchen, to the echos of my laughter, muttering about her reputation being ruined!

It's nice to see that Google is still theming it's logos for occasions, and nicer still that they aren't too corporate to make a mistake. The usual Google logo looks like this:



However, the one posted yesterday to celebrate Valentine's day seems to be missing the "L":



Nice!

Of course, there are those claiming that the stem on the strawberry is supposed to be the L, but really, who are they fooling

Well, I managed a whole 2 days unemployment. Not quite a personal best, but not bad at all.

I'm lucky enough that I have never had trouble picking up the next contract. Since we first came to the UK in 1998 I've averaged less than 2 weeks a year out of work - including all holidays and time off for the occasional broken bone

This latest contract is a whole change of direction and pace, and while urgent, is not frenetic, or frustratingly diffused by popular opinion. Vive la difference, as i'm told they say.

Instead of the usual big corporate, I've taken another stab at the public sector. Even the first three months promises to be interesting, and positively bristling with technology I have not had the pleasure of designing before.

Phase I is a few quick wins and some essential upgrades. If we get the funding for Phase II, then we will be one of the most technologically advanced public sector organisations in the UK. It's quite a big if though.

I've seen a few Discovery channel shows on these guys and what they do has so many possibilities and applications, that it actually keeps me awake at night. I haven't had a buzz like that since Brooklands and it's nice to remember the reasons why I do this for a living.