wakeman.dk

Note to anyone who was expecting a far more interesting post: No news yet

In the olden days, one figured out the score difference in a snooker game with a calculator or by playing the game a lot.

Then came the Perl CGI Snooker Score Calculator.

I now present the Calculator implemented in the Java Programming language with an exciting new graphical user interface.

Launch Snooker Score Calculator

Requires Java Runtime Environment 5 or later. Get Java free:

Well, ten years ago, Michael Hutchence did something stupid, two years ago the Canadian JD Fortune won top prize on a US reality TV show to be the new frontman of INXS, eight months ago INXS cancelled their European tour because Tim Farriss needed knee surgery and one night ago, INXS finally played the Paradiso in Amsterdam.  Wayne and a very pregnant Lis were sitting up in the balcony for our last rock concert for a few years.

For an hour and a half, the old church rocked with some classic 80s hits and a handful of new stuff, even a Johnny Cash cover.  While you sometimes realized how much you wished it was Michael on the stage instead of this young whippersnapper, it didn’t hinder the evening at all and you felt good for the guys getting out and playing their music again.

Bottom line on the new guy:  Looks like Dave Navarro, sounds like Peter Murphy, filling the shoes of Michael Hutchence.  Weird, but effective.

Setlist:  Suicide Blonde, Devil’s Party, Mystify, Disappear, Taste It, By My Side, Afterglow, Hungry, Never Let You Go, Folsom Prison Blues, Need You Tonight, What You Need, Devil Inside, Pretty Vegas.  Encore:  New Sensation, Never Tear Us Apart, Don’t Change

It is easy to call internationally but when I try to explain it to someone, it sounds very difficult.  So, here is my quick and easy guide to dialing phone numbers around the world.

The United States uses 011 as the international dialing prefix.  The rest of the world uses 00.  So, to dial a foreign telephone number, enter any numbers specific to the telephone that you are using, such as 9 or 0 to get an outside line if you are in an office or a hotel room.  Then dial the the international dialing prefix (011 in USA, 00 anywhere else) and then dial the country code for the country that you are calling and the telephone number.

A short list of country codes:
1   USA
31  Netherlands
45  Denmark
44  United Kingdom
Examples:
Calling Holland from the US:  011-31-12-345-6789
Calling Denmark from Holland:  00-45-1234-5678
Calling US from Denmark:  00-1-123-456-7890

The gotcha is that for calling within a European country, a zero is often added to the telephone number.  In the first example above, the number that would be dialed from within the Netherlands would be:  012-345-3789 .  Telephone numbers may be given in this form or in the form of (0)12-345-6789 so remember to use the zero when calling within that same country and don’t use when calling from another country.

If I am traveling, I often use an AT&T calling card to make my calls because it is SO much cheaper than direct calls from a hotel.  Here are the toll-free AT&T International access codes for some countries I visit
(current as of 10 June 2007; find a code at http://www.att.com/traveler )

USA:  1-800-225-5288 (1-800-CALL-ATT)
Netherlands:  0800-022-9111
Denmark:  800-100-10
UK: 0-800-89-0011 or 0-500-89-0011
Germany:  0800-225-5288
France:  0800-99-0011
Belgium:  0-800-100-10
Luxembourg:  800-201-11
Switzerland: 0-800-89-0011
Israel: 1-80-949-4949 (or to place calls using Bezeq Telecom: 1-80-922-2222)
Italy:  800-172-444

The website http://www.countrycallingcodes.com can also be used to figure out which buttons to press to make that call.

For years I maintained a web page by writing HTML code, hand-editing the source code files or writing a script when I wanted to change something.  All that has changed now.  The first step is using new blogging software that automatically generates all the code to show the page that you are looking at now.  I just produce the content, press the right buttons and everything is done for me.

The next step is a better way to distribute that content.  For months, I have heard about Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds but never bothered to investigate it further.  All that changed this week and I have to report that it is pretty cool.  Most blogs (this one included) provide a simple way for you to view new posts without opening your web browser and navigating to the site.  New posts from any blog or website that you sign up for are delivered directly to your RSS reader - another program that is easy to install and freely available on the web.  This makes it easy to keep tabs on any number of blogs and news sources.  It also makes it easy to stop following a source (unlike some e-mail mailing lists).

This website allows you to view new posts by adding the URL http://wakeman.dk/feed to your RSS reader (A link is at the ’RSS’ button in the  sidebar).  You can also  choose to get new posts delivered to your e-mail inbox just by entering your e-mail address and clicking on ’Subscribe Me’.

Go on, try it :)
Information overload?  You ain’t seen nothin’ yet…

A standalone RSS reader:  http://www.feedreader.com
A reader integrated into a good web browser:  http://www.opera.com
Or use Google Reader if you have a Google account:  http://www.google.com/ig?hl=en

The addresses for some feeds that I am subscribing to:
Wayne’s blog:  http://wakeman.dk/feed
Wendy’s blog:  http://www.wendypeatross.typepad.com/fromtheheart/index.rdf
Ardith’s blog:  http://ardithsmusings.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default
BBC World News:  http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk/rss/newsonline_world_edition/front_page/rss.xml
Business blog:  http://feeds.feedburner.com/guykawasaki/Gypm
Science blog: http://omicsomics.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

They didn’t do it the easy way but Ajax has qualified for the preliminary round of the Champion’s League.  No more soccer until August :( 

09 May: sc Heerenveen - Ajax  1-0
13 May: Ajax - sc Heerenveen  4-0
Aggregate: Ajax 4 - 1 sc Heerenveen

20 May: AZ - Ajax   2-1
27 May: Ajax - AZ   3-0
Aggregate:  Ajax 4 - 2 AZ

Match Report:  http://www.ajax-usa.com/matches/m06-07/at-last-champions-league-for-victorious-ajax.html

AMSTERDAM - The Amsterdam-based American cyclist Wayne Wakeman has shattered the course record for the Amsterdam Marathon. 

Wakeman, 34, finished the 26.2 mile (42.2 km) race in one hour and 58 minutes, breaking the previous course record by over eight minutes.  The previous best was 2:06:20, set on October 16, 2005 by the Ethiopian runner Haile Gebrselassie.

The cyclist set a blistering pace of 4 minutes, 30 seconds per mile (2:48 per kilometer) on the flat course that wound throughout the medieval European city and surrounding environs.

Asked to comment on his feat, Wakeman remarked “I’m beat.  I’m going home to take a nap.”

*bicycle-assisted

Satellite generated map of the cyclist’s course:

Ajax wins the Dutch FA cup after 120 minutes of play and 16 penalty kicks.  A small consolation for losing the league.

Match Report:  http://www.ajax-usa.com/matches/m06-07/ajax-claim-knvb-cup-after-120-minutes-and-16-penalties-1.html

One goal.  IF ONLY Ajax had scored one more goal.  IF ONLY Vitesse had scored one more goal.  Or IF ONLY PSV had scored one less goal.

They didn’t.

PSV wins the eredivisie.  Ajax plays Heerenveen in a playoff for the remaining Champion’s League spot.

Willem II Tilburg  0-2  Ajax Amsterdam

PSV Eindhoven  5-1  Vitesse Arnhem

Excelsior Rotterdam  3-2  AZ Alkmaar

Match Report:  http://www.ajax-usa.com/matches/m06-07/unbelievable-ajax-drop-championship-shield-on-finish-line.html

Final Table: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/tables?league=ned.1

 You can’t make up this drama.  No less than three teams tied for the Dutch championship with one game remaining in the season.  The winner will take the title and a spot in the Champion’s League.  The losers will play a couple more playoff games for another chance at the Champion’s League.  The finale starts Sunday at 14:30.

Match Report:  http://www.ajax-usa.com/matches/m06-07/ajax-beat-sparta-as-eredivisie-heads-for-photo-finish.html

Table:  http://soccernet.espn.go.com/tables?league=ned.1

Ajax leads the Eredivisie for a few hours at least… 

Hup Twente en Vitesse Hup!

Edit:  Nope, PSV and AZ also win

Match Report:  http://www.ajax-usa.com/matches/m06-07/supporters-sing-ajax-to-victory-over-nac-breda-2-0.html

Table:  http://soccernet.espn.go.com/tables?league=ned.1