You know it's November when

Nothing much happens.

The temperature seems to be beginning to take that late autumn tumble when it goes from being cool to being cold. Our gradual shift to winter seems to be being a little more benign here. Two years ago, we had snow on the 1st of November and winter lasted until late April with rare bouts of pleasantness that were false dawns on each occasion. Last year the shift to winter was less dramatic, but it’s been awhile since one of those years when the weather has been reasonably tolerable to the end of December before the winter freeze in January.

It’s been a day of new stuff. New version of Freegate, which I’ll use from home while I can; new version of Firefox, but I’m inclining to Chrome; updates for Windows; and a new version of Font Creator. Thanks to the first of these I was able to watch the Need for Speed: The Run videos on gamespot, which are otherwise blocked. (“I was f_ckin’ rubbish at Hot Pursuit,” admitted Emperor Jintao, “which is why I had those f_ckers blocked. F_ck you, bitches! I am da Emperor!”) Most of the videos on gamespot are viewable, but often slow to appear. I had to get the trailers at school.

I’m fed up with the crappy connection from home. As I’ve said in another blog entry, ten years ago when I was trapped in a world of modems, I accepted that my connection speed wasn’t good enough. Ten years later, I still see “Watch the video” and because I expect that it’ll 2.5 minute or so for one second of video to appear (I kid you not), I don’t bother. That’s not how it ought to be, but you live in a Third World country with 19th century mores and a medieval attitude to the rest of the planet, and you get the same sort of connection speeds which St Bede had to put up with in the 8th century. (“The bloody Irish have broadband,” complained Bede one evening.)

Well, time to make tea.